While the Xbox 360 is often criticized for its abundance of first person shooter games, what is often overlooked is its equal abundance of side scrolling shooters on Xbox Live. Games like Aegis Wing, Undertow and even Space Giraffe are an easy find on Xbox Live, making it the modern day home for the arcade shooter. Yet even in this immense collection there is a certain national genre within a genre that hasn't been getting its proper representation: the Japanese shooter. The land of the rising sun is famous for its love of videogames in general, but even more so for its affinity with unrealistically difficult shooters - Yet so few of those games ever make it to the international market.

Enter Omega Five.

Here is a shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade that isn't afraid to let you know just how Japanese it is. The menus and music are reminiscent of Phantasy Star Universe. The character speech sounds straight out of a sci-fi subtitled anime. The spoken English words are, at best, broken. If this game added in the ability to switch between 'plane mode' and 'mecha mode' then it would be the new Macross. And yes, the classic Japanese shooter difficulty level is present as well. What's the storyline for the game, you ask? Who knows? Who cares? No good arcade shooter has an in depth background story and Omega Five is no different! The Xbox Live Marketplace description for Omega Five reads: 'The baddest guys around have been gathered together in order to save the beautiful planet from the clutches of invaders!' Fair enough - we don't know who the invaders are or what beautiful planet they are invading and we don't want to know anyway. Let's blow something up!

Omega Five gives you enemies to blow up in spades. The gameplay focuses on moving around the two analog sticks on the Xbox 360 controller, one to move and the other to shoot. Other buttons allow you to perform super moves and dodge oncoming attacks, but for the most part gameplay involves rotating the two analog sticks to kill, kill and kill some more. Enemies fly at the player from all sides, often in a constant stream, and when I say 'all sides' I really mean it. Often your enemies come into view from the game's 3D backdrop and you must anticipate avoiding these enemies while destroying what is already onscreen.

If this sounds hard then that's because it often is. The weapons and characters in Omega Five are horribly unbalanced. Choose the female character of Ruby and find enough power upgrades for her B-type laser weapon and you will be able to deal with almost anything the game throws at you. Choose the alien character of Tempest and I wish you luck no matter what weapon you use. In a sense this doesn't necessarily detract from Omega Five's gameplay, as Japanese shooters are notoriously difficult, but having certain overpowered characters in the game allows you to get through the game at a relatively normal challenge level so that you can anticipate certain surprises when playing with tougher characters.

You have to be very careful when describing gameplay in the shooter genre, as each individual shooter often boasts certain challenges that can make or break the game. In Omega Five's case, the gameplay is challenging but not unrealistic. You mostly won't have to worry about colliding with obstacles or getting tricked into scrolling off the screen. For the most part, the challenge of Omega Five is all about dealing with as many enemies as possible and occasionally firing through a barricade placed in your way.

The game features four playable characters in total and chances are if you are a shooter fan you will want to play through the game with all of them. If nothing else, it's worth looking at for its gorgeous 3D backdrops that actually spit enemies and other fare onto the 2D battlefield. This, coupled with the heavy challenge of the Japanese shooter, two-player local play and the wacky Engrish voiceovers, makes Omega Five a classic for those who still visit friends' houses to play videogames and fondly remember the golden era of the 2D shooter.

All in all, Omega Five is a shooter package that will make you smile. If you don't laugh at the odd sound bytes and strangely designed characters then you will marvel at the beautiful backdrops and enemy designs. The game also features a challenge mode for those looking for even more difficulty, and the achievements available for Xbox Live are challenging without too much frustration. Not bad for an over-saturated genre at all.

Omega Five enters the overstocked shooter market of Xbox Live with hefty challenges, beautiful backgrounds and an offbeat Japanese flavor. Shooter fans will enjoy the level of challenge provided, which is difficult but not frustrating, while newer players will be amazed by the graphics alone. Though it is part of a genre that is already dominating the marketplace, this title is still well worth a look.

Reviewed by James Fanciullo for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).