Ikaruga

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I am hopelessly addicted

Let me start off by saying that I've never been a fan of the overhead space shooter genre. However, I have been a fan of games developed by Treasure, such as Silhouette Mirage or Bangai-O. With Treasure's reputation in mind and the somewhat lower price mark influencing my decision as well, I decided to pick up Ikaruga somewhat on a whim.

I have become hopelessly addicted. My view of life around me for the past two weeks has been that everything not pertaining to my Gamecube is simply a hindrance to my Ikaruga game playing time. Even now, I feel that I am sacrificing my Ikaruga time by writing this review.

Ikaruga's gameplay has an interesting gimmick based on color and polarity. There are two different colors of laser fire in this game, each of which correspond to a certain polarity: white and black. You can change the polarity, or color, of your ship at any time during game play between white and black by pressing the A button. When your ship is white, you can absorb white shots. When your ship is black, you can absorb black shots. If a shot of the opposite color/polarity hits you, then you die. You'll oftentimes find yourself navigating a sea of white and black fire, constantly having to switch back and forth while destroying enemies around you in order to maintain your life.

Ikaruga is one of the hardest games that I've played in a long while, but also one of the most rewarding. There are only five stages; an experienced gamer could probably beat the game in about 20 minutes. However, you will not be that good at the game until you know each level like the back of your hand. Expect to invest several hours to claim even the mildest degree of mastery over a given level (e.g. getting through the level). However, this game was certainly developed with replay value in mind, even after playing the same levels over and over, hour upon hour, they never get old.

By continuously playing the game, you begin to notice patterns in the enemy fire, or when, where, and how many enemies appear on-screen at any given time. At that point you form strategies, you begin to see visual patterns in enemy fire and you begin to see easy ways to dodge it, and you find ways to kill each enemy more efficiently while expending less lives. You notice your own skill increase each time you play, and there are few things more rewarding than slowly getting better at, and eventually defeating, such a game as Ikaruga.

Graphically, the combination of the black and white fire along with tons of on-screen enemies creates a presense that is as visually mesmerizing as it is visually overwhelming. The music and controls are simple and effective; it's clear that Treasure spent a lot of time, care, and planning into this game.

Get this game while you can. Treasure developed software is notorious for having limited appeal, and thus, limited releases.

Ikaruga=Aesthetic Experience!

This is an "old-school" style space shooter. It also has some of the most elegant and beautiful gameplay I've ever seen. The graphics and sound are very good, but the gameplay is really what makes this stand out.

Before buying it, I heard this game spoken of as the "thinking man's" shooter. Some have compared the subtle strategic aspects of the game to chess or go. If you're interested in seeing what one of the best and most addictive games ever plays like, I'd suggest buying this. BTW, its HARD.

WOW! Finally a reason to own a Gamecube!

I've owned a Gamecube for over a year now, and even though I get easily bored or stuck on a certain game, I'm always out there looking for the next "cool" game.

For a while though, I didn't think Nintendo was ever going to make a cool game for their Gamecube system. So far the only games that were fun to play were EA sports games.

Then, came Ikaruga. I've only been playing this game for a couple of days (since I just received it this week and I hadn't had a chance to play it), but wow! What a sweet game. If you're longing for the old-school style of play reminiscent of the old Galaga and Galaxian games, then this one's for you.

Nevermind that the graphics are out of this world, and the sound is unbelievable, but the gameplay itself is completely worth the $.... The gameplay is simple and straightforward, which makes playing the game, not trying to figure out how to play the game, the focus of your actions.

The replayability of the game isn't great (5 worlds, 18 levels), but that's not the point. The point is challenging your friends to beat your high score, or trying to finish a level without continuing, just like the way it used to be. I highly suggest you go out and get this game. The price is totally worth it, and if you want a "new" style of game to play with or share with your kids, this is the one.

Radiant Silvergun 2

Top-down and side-scrolling shooters are an acquired taste. They don't rely on complex stories, variety of gameplay, or complex controls. They give you pretty much one kind of gameplay (destroy everything and don't die) and stick with it. But when you stop and think about it, these games are really gameplay in its purest form. Like breakout, light cycles, or tetris, they're a game of reflexes. One false move and you're dead. Or as a friend of mine said while watching me play Ikaruga through a level litterally swarming with blue and red firepower, "How are you doing this without dying?!?"

Ikaruga is a long-awaited game. It's a Treasure game, and they don't make a lot of games. And when they do, they usually have a limited release. Their gamous Saturn import Radiant Silvergun was long considered the greatest shooter ever made by many. Ikaruga is a sequel of sorts to that game. How does it stack up?

A friend of mine who plays shooters like there's no tomorrow told me after zillions of play hours on Ikaruga that he had played Radiant Silvergun and in his opinion Ikaruga absolutely demolishes it. Now whether or not this is true I don't know. What I do know is that Ikaruga is one heck of a game. This same friend told me that in his opinion Ikaruga is the hardest shooter he has ever played.

Ikaruga is a short game, having only five levels. But the levels are pure genius. Just trying not to die will undoubtedly be an exercise in futility for you the first few times you play this game. But as you figure out the patterns of enemies, and memorize the dangers...you start to see the enemies before they appear (dodge bullets before they are fired if you will). And that, my friends, is a great feeling. You keep coming back for more, because every time you play you get better. And just in case you start to get cocky about not dying, there's always the combo system (what, you never tried to rack up combos?!?). Every time you destroy three enemies of the same color, you get a combo bonus, keep doing this and the combo bonus will get higher and higher till it reaches maximum. Of course if you destroy an enemy out of sequence the bonus is lost. Trying to do this while everyone is trying to kill you is difficult to say the least.

Notice I haven't touches on the way the game looks or sounds yet? I'm saving the best for last. The orchestrated music in this game is perhaps the best in any modern shooter. Not since Thunder Force, Raiden, and Gradius have I heard such cool music in a shooter. And the sound effects? I've never heard a more satisfying crunch when enemies explode. I have never heard a cooler menu confirmation sound. And the sound bosses make when they explode....

Speaking of bosses exploding, this game has possibly the nicest graphics of any shooter ever. Everyone who says the graphics are lousy is clearly either blind or playing this game on a bad television. I actually bought a new TV when I got this game and was amazed by how good it looked (imagine that, a game that requires upgrading your television to experience its full majesty). The glow effects on enemies are gorgeous. And when the bosses explode the whole screen is filled with an explosion that so bright and beautiful that mere words fail to describe it.

As I said before, this game is short, and this game is hard. But it has TONS of replay value (especially if you're going to play it in two player mode). If you love shooters, BUY IT NOW! If you love great games, BUY IT NOW! If you're just got some money to spend on a game....you guessed it. BUY IT NOW!

This is the greatest traditional shooter I've ever played.

Ikaruga is one of those very rare action games, that despite it's insane difficulty, absolutely never frustrates you. The game is always fair, and as you play you constantly improve and feel better about your performance. There are five levels, and I can only get to the middle of level three after playing the game for about 9 hours. It's so well designed you will find yourself playing for high scores... something you probably haven't done since Pac-Man or Asteroids. If you have ever enjoyed a traditional shooter (like R-Type, Gradius, or Einhander) then you will most likely love this game and play it for months and months. And when you finally stop playing the game for thirty minutes every day, six months to a year from now, still unable to beat level four you will wish the game no ill will.... amazing.