Wing's 2D graphics will do little to impress Dreamcast owners weaned on a diet of Space Channel 5, Wacky Races, Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive 2; though the models for the planes, tanks, gun batteries, huge floating behemoths, etc. are certainly passable, everything appears jagged and washed out. The pulsing red seas in the game's lava stage lack any sort of vibrancy, and whenever possible, Wing eschews backgrounds with real-world grounding for a sort of nebulous blue-gray or black swamp. Though the title can switch from passable to putrid graphics in the span of mere seconds, most times it remains simply nestled in the blandest sort of mediocrity.

To its credit, Giga Wing's player-controlled planes all offer different weapon configurations and enough variation between them to make the game worth playing four times over. Though there are only five levels to run through, Wing's arcade-oriented, in-and-out style of action is perfect for those who want to be diverted for a short time. With two players, the game is suitably decent, but the drawback to this mode is that it compounds the game's tragic flaw -- its visual noisiness.

Each player-controlled plane shoots a primary weapon in a stream from the underbelly of its cockpit, as well as secondary weapons such as missiles or bombs from its wings. Enemy ground weaponry, in the form of tanks, gun emplacements and towers, serves to spit multiple cannon blasts, streams of bullets and energy pulses; airships swoop across the playing field, sending bullets and missiles in screen-long streams. Everything explodes gorgeously and to excess. When a player activates the plane's special "Force Bomb," the screen lights up, and an expanding stream of colored death emerges from the ship -- and the flashing, streaming effect is such that the attacking ship, its intended target and everything else will get lost in the haze. A shield, when employed, bathes a fighter in a red orb that crackles and expands wildly. Wing allows for little or no respite, and from the get-go, the game seems solely designed to fill the screen with explosions, racing things, flame and flash.

It all adds up to a game that's ultimately too hyper to hold any great appeal. Not even the most focused mind would be able to track all the onscreen action. Not even the most talented game player will be able to navigate the plane to escape the hundreds of death-dealing projectiles shot by one of the game's many screen-choking enemies (some take up more than half the gameplay screen with their bulk) and frustration will quickly set in. Players will need to use "Force Bombs" not only to destroy powerful foes, but also to briefly rid the screen of enemy fire. Though the game offers eight different difficulty settings, it's all just eight shades of excessive.

The Bottom Line: Too much information... too little good stuff.