Review - It has been a long and torturous search but after many dead-ends and many years, I finally managed to find the holy grail of 2D side-scrolling shooters: Xexex PCB!

Finding the PCB has only been part of the problem though since getting it to work properly has proved to be more difficult than expected. In effect, I hooked it up to two different models of SuperGun but I got a Rom reading error.

Initially, I thought the PCB was defective but the person I got it from was a trusted seller and didn't seem to be a thief so I concluded that maybe I needed a supergun model that had some kind of voltage tuner. Voltage tuners are normally used to get older boards to work. After some research, I was able to get a Japanese Sigma.

Upon receiving it, I inspected it carefully and to my surprise, I happily realised that it was all built out of authentic arcade components and it literally oozed quality from every angle I looked at it (in particular, the huge Joystick feels just like what you would find in the best cabinets around).

Once I made sure the cables were all plugged in, I turned on the power and after a few seconds of suspense during which the PCB booted, it magically displayed the game's logo! The deal wasn't done yet as the graphics didn't look completely right… so I tweaked the voltage a bit, and in the end I managed to get a crystal clear picture.Was it worth all of the hassle? Sure, it has been a convoluted process but it has been worth every minute of it.

Xexex is an astonishing product packed with ground-breaking audio-visuals and top gameplay.The impact of the graphical quality is even today guaranteed to impress even the most die-hard supporter of 3D. The acid color palette, the insect-like shaped spaceship you control and the spiky backgrounds convincingly contribute to create a menacing alien landscape.

The sense of threat is further enhanced and transmitted by the richly animated backgrounds. Everything seems to be moving all around. Not only the graphical style is peculiar and original but special effects like distortions, 3D objects, zooming and rotations happily coexist with a gloriously multi-layered parallax scrolling! What is even more surprising is that Xexex came out back in 1991... If this wasn't enough, intermissions between one level and the next offer cool looking, slightly hentai drawings to advance the story.

The audio part of the game also presents the same qualitative traits, and particularly stands out considering the quality of Bgms that you usually find in this kind of games in the arcades. Sampled speech sounds clean with no rustling whatsoever.

The slow-paced gameplay is definitely reminiscent of shooters such as R-Type or Pulstar, and even the POD system has been borrowed from R-Type, although it can be powered up and used like a very effective shield. Many times, it will be necessary to use the POD to hit enemies or bosses that otherwise would be out of reach. This twist adds some interesting strategies when facing more demanding situations.

Another feature lifted from Irem's classic is the beam. The more you hold down the fire button, the more powerful it gets upon release (up to a maximum of 3 levels of power). Now, about the difficulty level, I found Xexex to be well balanced and not gratuitously hard. The check-point system means that even on unlimited credits, you'll have to suffer a bit before completing the game :)

All in all, Konami's effort clearly pays homage to R-Type but in my opinion, it betters it in almost all fields. Add to this the extreme rarity of the Japanese board and the fact that it was never released on any home system and you get one of the rarest, most sought-after 2D shooter ever.

If you manage to find one, just grab it while you can. This game is a true cult, in other words it's the chimera of 2D shooting heaven!!

Bottom line: A flawless piece of gaming history, now also ported on PSP in the Salamander Portable compilation. 10/10