Sleeper of the Week: Philosoma (PSX)

[maxlords]

Sleeper of the Week: Philosoma (PSX)

A longbox Playstation game! And one that’s actually good! Well, really there are several that are good and this is only one of them. Philosoma is a shooter, and one where shockingly, you’re repelling an alien armada virtually singlehandedly. Big surprise huh? Heck, by the time aliens actually invade the earth we’re gonna be so bloody good at fighting them off that the military will just say “Hey look…an alien armada. Send Mort out there and let him wipe em out.” You’ll be pleased to know that Philosoma is no exception, though you don’t play anyone named Mort thankfully.

Anyway, Philosoma is a pretty standard shooter. You start out flying down a corridor blasting ships left and right, flying vertically through the level. The music is decent. The graphics are ok, but nothing special. The enemies aren’t incredibly innovative. Then you beat the first level…

So now you’re wondering what happens right? Well, all of the sudden the game shifts from a vertical shooter to a trailing viewpoint similar to Starfox. I was actually so shocked the first time I saw this that I dropped my controller. I mean, who ever heard of a shmup that shifts perspectives? Then I beat another level…and the game was horizontal! This was an absolute revelation for me, as I had to suddenly shift strategies level by level! Horizontal, vertical, close in horizontal, reverse vertical (yes, flying down towards the bottom of the screen!), trailing. Philosoma has them all! And well executed as well! The control is nice and tight and the difficulty curve is just about right. It makes for a really interesting gaming experience.

Ultimately, Philosoma is a little bit of everything and nothing spectacular in any one area though. It’s literally an all around shooter, and the only game that even semi-reminds me of it is Awesome for the Amiga 500. There’s really nothing else like it. If you want a great shooter with some unique twists, grab this little gem and give it a try. I found my copy a few months ago in an EB for $14, mint complete, and it doesn’t sell for much on eBay either. Check it out!

My apologies but I actually can’t even FIND any screenshots online of this game other than the ones at this LINK. I was kind of surprised actually, and the ones I tried to take with my digital camera didn’t come out.

[Kamino]

grrr....
Why.
Why, nate, why is it that EVERY damn time you have a shooter on the sleeper hit, it is one i am in search of?!?!!?!
/me heads out to ebay.

[lendelin]

Maxlords, I really like your "sleeper of the week" threads! Nice stuff! Informative and well written.

Yep, and I have also PS1 shmups on my list I still have to get. Philosoma, Xevious, Nanotek Warrior, and In the Hunt...oh my.

[Nz17]

Yeah, I really love Philosoma. It's excuted really well, and the story and acting are actually quite good. What I like is almost all the story is told via radio chat between the pilots while you play.

[Cauterize]

Sleeper of the Week: Philosoma nothing

My apologies but I actually can’t even FIND any screenshots online of this game

Cauterize at your service!

[Sotenga]

For a while, I wanted to play this one, but had difficulty finding it, so I gave up. Now, I do believe I want to play it again. Just give me a few fundamentals here, just in case I never, ever play it. Doubtful, but I want to cover all bases here.

1. How many stages overall?
2. Are the bosses generally difficult?
3. Does the last one pull a Gradius and come off as a total wuss?
4. Are continues limited?
5. Does the Konami Code work?

That last one's a joke, btw. Hopefully, you gathered that. :P

[maxlords]

1. How many stages overall?

I honestly don't know...haven't beat the game. I think I got to Stage 3 so far.

2. Are the bosses generally difficult?

I'd rate them as low to moderate. They're definitely not the brutal bosses I see in some shooters.

3. Does the last one pull a Gradius and come off as a total wuss?

Don't know...haven't gotten that far. Much as I love shooters, I certainly haven't beat many! :P

4. Are continues limited?

I don't know, haven't really paid attention. I can check if you want to know though.

5. Does the Konami Code work?

Um. Yes, sure...but only if you enter it upside-down on the controller while balancing on your head. Don't try that

[Cthulhu]

Philosoma is one of those hard-to-find but not expensive games. The constant perspective changes are sort of neat here, but it's not something I'd want to see elsewhere. Then again, this game is old, and I have yet to see that aspect duplicated. It seems my wish was granted.

Philosoma is quite easy as far as shmups go - go play some CAVE or Raizing games if you want to experience difficult shmupping. Gradius V fits the hard-as-hell bill nicely too.

[Kid Ice]

Ultimately, Philosoma is a little bit of everything and nothing spectacular in any one area though.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about it. It's just OK. At times the camera is too close to your ship, which is a pain. The shifting perspectives thing is more gimmicky than anything else...in the end it's just an alright shooter.

[Gamereviewgod]

I love this game. I was amazed when i started reading reviews back when it came out. It seems some people echo the critics thoughts too. Sure it's plain, but the multiple camera views mean you get more variety in a few levels than some shooters have in an entire game.

I've never been able to beat it though, one of those things that's going to linger with me for some time. Some of those views are a bit excessive (looking at the front of your ship for a boss fight?). Still, it should rank up there with some of the best exclusive PS One shooters.

[PapaStu]

grrr....
Why.
Why, nate, why is it that EVERY damn time you have a shooter on the sleeper hit, it is one i am in search of?!?!!?!
/me heads out to ebay.

Hey Kamino, ive got 2 of them.

[Kamino]

grrr....
Why.
Why, nate, why is it that EVERY damn time you have a shooter on the sleeper hit, it is one i am in search of?!?!!?!
/me heads out to ebay.

Hey Kamino, ive got 2 of them.

*tackles stu*
Trade arranged. Much better.....now I'll see this game for myself.

[fishsandwich]

If anyone else is interested in this game, I also have a 2nd and complete copy for trade.

I happen to really like this game alot.

Share the love!!

[NeoZeedeater]

I rented the game when it first came out. I was impressed by the graphics since the system was new but I thought the game itself was just okay.

[Red Hedgehog]

Huh, I found what I thought was a sealed version of this long box game not long ago and, knowing it was somewhat hard to find, picked it up. I later realized it had been re-shrinkwrapped, and was looking to unload it. With that description, I think I'll give it a shot.

[s1lence]

I'd be interested in a complete copy since the only ones I can find are without the long box and that just wont do.

[pragmatic insanester]

this game had a sequel, in the vein of survival horror, called "phase paradox" for the ps2. it wasn't released outside of japan, due to opinions of its quality.

[shai hulud]

when i purchased my Playstation i got a preview disc and their was a Philosoma movie on it. I bet i watched that thing 20 times and then added it to my birthday list (i didnt get it, but purchased it myself about 2 months later). Philosoma is also one of only 3 PSX games that i purchased in the first year of the systems life that i never traded in.


thanks for these topics they are extremely cool, and i think i have liked and owned all the games but 2

[pragmatic insanester]

if anyone has a spare longbox and manual, i'll try and trade something for it. i think raiden project needs the same, but that's probably going to cost me more. bleh.

[kainemaxwell]

Once again, another game I'd like to try out. Looks very cool!