Gradius,
Zaxxon, and
Sewer Shark are a few games that immediately come to mind when I sit down to play
Xyanide. Picture this: you’re in a ship with a third-person view, traveling through corridors and other enclosed spaces, while boat-loads of enemies come at your from all angles. Combine that with your spaceship’s path being on "tracks" (but still with the ability to choose your path once in a while), an overbearing amount of on-screen colors and other busy-work, and a camera that changes from rear view to a front or side view often in the middle of combat, and you have a unique experience worth trying.
However, some of this game's strengths are also its weaknesses. In particular, the screen is so "busy" at times with all of the colors and moving objects that it can hinder your ability to keep track of the dangers that are continuously heading your way in the form of enemy ships and the weapons coming from them. The moving camera can often add to that frustration, because off-screen enemies can sometimes come in unexpectedly and wipe you out. However, this confusion usually has a bit of breathing room, because most enemies will be in the background for a few seconds before being at the same "level" as your ship on-screen (meaning that they can come from the background). When that happens, they will glow red to warn you that you can now collide with them, which is another great feature of Xyanide.
This shooter is very shallow when you look at it as a whole. There really are only two game modes, and one of those is just to play unlocked levels over again from the Arcade Mode. Sure, there's two-player support, but that just makes things even more difficult to grasp during the on-screen madness. What is cool for fans of great shooters such as this is that there are a TON of weapon mutations to go through as you progress. However, the arcade style of the game makes for a difficult experience, with only two continues to get you through the six levels, which also include bosses that can sometimes take a lot of time to defeat.