Wild Metal's graphics look okay, but not really more than that. The texture-mapped scenery doesn't scream quality at you in the way we've seen from other recent Dreamcast games, and after a while all the settings start to look very similar. Yes, these are supposed to be barren wastelands, but they do tend to disappoint just a little. The machines would also benefit from a tad more detail. On the other hand, there are some very nice lighting effects, something the console performs very well, which are especially noticeable in the night-time missions.

However, gameplay and longevity are the key features in what is, after all, a strategy game. Don't be fooled - although the first few levels are simple, shoot-the-bad-guy affairs, the power cores quickly become more difficult to retrieve and you can't just charge at the enemy tanks with guns blazing. The range of enemies, both grounded and airborne, will require you to gather as many different weapons as you can if you want to survive.

Even with this variety and the strategy requirements, Wild Metal doesn't stand up well to repeated play: there simply aren't enough new permutations to hold your interest and, as the enemies get tougher, the game can become extremely frustrating. Although there's a multiplayer mode, it only allows for two combatants - surely four would have been possible, which could have led to all sorts of team play and grudge matches. Maybe when online gaming for Dreamcast becomes a reality, we'll see Wild Metal 2 with enormous multiplayer arenas. Here's hoping...