Definite sleeper hit...
I do not understand why this game is underrated. Granted, I am far from being a space-shooter fan, but this game just happened to be in my collection. Admittedly, the story is not the most inspiring, however that is usually the case with this kind of game, I find. The graphics are rather good for its time, and I personally think the artwork is among the most creative that I've seen in a while in this genre. The soundtrack is not particulalrly amazing but still solid and fine - and more importantly, it simply accentuates the action and never gets in the way. The gameplay is another story. This game is VERY difficult - at least in my experience and in the experience of several others who played it. Considering that there are no save points, and that pretty much anything you touch costs you one of your few precious lives (the fact that the ship explodes on contact with any object or shot makes the game a bit more realistic, actually, since I imagine this is the closest situation to real life), and the fact that the action gets more and more difficult with each second, all contribute to this game's difficulty. All in all, if you're looking for something challenging, and want to bang the controller on the floor several times, I really recommend this one!