The five-stage Chaos Field (previously released on GameCube in the U.S.) lies at the opposite end of the spectrum. The music, a modern techno beat that can get repetitive but works for the most part, is a huge relief. The graphics are a little more modern-looking and not so cartoonish, with landscapes that actually have some details and look truly three-dimensional, but these updates make for a bland look that sacrifices Radirgy's character. Another graphical issue is that bullets can partially overlap with your ship without doing damage, so it's hard to tell exactly when you're going to take a hit.

Also, the gameplay is a little more complicated. The focus is on killing bosses, as there are no small enemies, and combining the B button with the A or C buttons will produce special moves. The sword cancels some bullets, but doesn't hurt enemies. You can move between parallel dimensions of "Order" and "Chaos" (this replaces the C-button special move in the other games). In the former, your enemies will be weaker and the bosses' bullets less numerous, but in the latter, you'll score more points.

Between the two extremes, though a tad closer to Radirgy, is Karous (the last game ever made for the Dreamcast). It feels a little redundant in this collection, despite the anime graphics having a uniquely dour and gothic style. You shoot, you use your shield to hurt enemies, you shoot some more. The one important gameplay twist is that you can smack power-ups with your sword to change them into different rewards. Also, it bears mentioning that the music is the best of the three, with understated, dark sounds mixed with palatable drum beats.

The easy, medium, and hard modes supposedly correspond to three screens, five screens, and five screens with extra-intense enemies, but we've been completely unable to figure out what this "screen" business is supposed to mean; all the action takes place on a single screen, no matter which you pick. Unless you're done with the other two games and still aren't sick of top-down shooters, or you really like the idea of bleak atmosphere mixed with mindless spaceship shooting, there's not much reason to play this one.

For many casual gamers, scrolling shooters are something to play online for free when there's time to kill. It will take a little more dedication to spend $30 on this collection, especially considering that leaderboards, perhaps the only reason to play for long periods of time, aren't available. For those looking for a unique take on a genre and willing to pay for it, however, these three games are worth at least a rental.

By Robert VerBruggen
CCC Freelance Writer