In a desperate war against the mysterious alien race known as the Bydo, humanity sends wave after wave of fighters into Bydo space - none of which are ever heard from again. Mankind's main hope now resides with a lone commander, sent to lead a small armada on a perilous mission into the heart of the Bydo Empire. Low on fuel and forced to scavenge resources and equipment from his surroundings, the commander must use all his cunning and wits if he hopes to succeed, let alone make it home alive...

R-Type Tactics sees the R-Type franchise move into the strategy genre and, for the first time in the series, players can take control of the Bydo forces as they launch their assault on Earth. This game is far removed from the classic side-scrolling shooter of previous games in the franchise, but that's not to say that this game doesn't feel like an R-Type game. Fans of the series can revisit their battles with the Bydo, but with a completely new gaming experience.

At its core, R-Type Tactics is a pretty solid tactical strategy role-playing game. You choose your fleet and then move them towards the enemy in an attempt to destroy their ships before yours are blown to pieces or captured. To get the most out of the battles you're really going to have to get familiar with each vessel and its array of deadly weapons.

Your arsenal includes fighters, warships, carriers, EWACS, re-supply vessels and bombers - all of which can be customise for optimal effectiveness. You can also capture enemy units and integrate them into your own fleet as well as create your own fighters from cannibalised captured units.

With nearly 100 different units at your disposal, it's up to you to choose the best fleet for battle. Upgrade your existing units or purchase new ones. Head-to-head local multiplayer - With the PSP wireless communication feature, play against a friend in Wireless Ad Hoc mode for a one-on-one strategy battle.

While you can simply jump straight into a game, this is not the best way to start if you don't want to either be totally annihilated, or beat your opponent without being entirely sure how you've done it.

It doesn't take too long to get used to the controls and the strategy aspect, and once you do this is a mighty fun game - forcing you to use your head a little more than you'd expect (although luck does come into play some of the time).

R-Type Tactics is a mighty fine game, and one that you'll keep returning to time and time again.

8

Pete Boomer