Customer Reviews

Ikaruga [Online Game Code]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've always wanted this game (for multiple consoles), so I was thrilled when it came my way to the Xbox so I could finally get it. You can have a lot of fun with this game, that is for sure, but you can also get very frustrated. Now that I mentioned it was frustrating, let me mention a few tips about the game to help ease the frustation (no spoilers).

This game keeps track of how much time you've spent playing it, so after you play it for one hour total, you get more continues or lives, after two hours you get some more etc.. So the longer you play, the more lives/continues you get so you can actually get further in the game and eventually beat it. (recommend Easy mode for first timers)

The other tip is, you have to learn the patterns of the enemies and get as many chains as you can for the most points. Kill three white enemies, 1 chain.. kill another three, 2 chain and so on. If you kill two white, then one black, the chain is broken. You can kill 3 white, 3 black, 3 white etc. to keep the chain going, just don't interrupt the intervals of 3 and you'll be fine. Sounds easy right? ;) Check out some youtube videos of the game and you'll see what I mean.

The achievements have a few easy ones, but the rest are just plain hard and require a LOT of practice. I managed to get 95/200 points, and I am very proud.

The graphics are also very cool and I just love the look of this game. Very fun, try the demo, just be patient and you will be rewarded!

This is a Japanese arcade title that first showed up on home consoles on the sega dreamcast. It's pretty hardcore as far as difficulty goes, but it still looks great and plays well. All of the basic shooter gameplay elements are here of course, as well as a unique polarity system where you can absorb damage from the same polarity to generate powerful attacks.

It is a vertical shooter which means that on widescreen tvs, you'll only be using about 1/3 of your screen. It does have a cool feature that allows you to play the game sideways so you can rotate your widescreen tv to a vertical position and see it in fullscreen glory. It's up to you if it is that important to you. I was fine playing it normally.

Other features include online co-op and leaderboards, as well as a cool way to watch the playthroughs of the people on the leaderboards so you can learn how to play better. This may be a requirement to really excel at the game because it is incredibly difficult.

The achievements are standard "beat level x", "beat boss x", and "beat level x with A+ rank". There are a couple side achievements but they don't make up for many points. Be prepared to put in many hours of repetition if you want them all. I guess that makes the reward that much sweeter.

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 a mesmerizing game that's both challenging and approachable.

First off, the difficulty - it's harsh, but not impossible. This is a game you can learn to beat, even if you an average gamer (like me) and can work to master if you are really good. It's definitely going to take some trial & error, dying and a little patience.

The game play is vertical space shooter, with another layer of complexity - polarity. This means you can switch from black to white and back at the push of a button. In white you can absorb white orbs but are damaged by black, and vice-versa. This mechanic is used continuously and adds another layer to the typically mesmerizing game play of space shooters.

Graphically, this is stunning. The only criticism I could give is that it's rutted in the polarity mechanic (white / black) for enemies, and the palette beyond that is primarily browns & grays. Besides that, every section is imaginative, vibrant and moving.

Space shooters are a lost art, and this is one of the best if only cause there are so few available, but it also manages to go the extra mile and offer a new dynamic (polarity) that really works. This is a great game on its own, compared in its own genre or across any genre. It adds just enough complexity and challenge to a tried and true formula to get you hooked, swirl some beautiful colors (graphics), and offer the escapism you look for a in a video game.

There was a time when I was beating myself up for not purchasing this game (as an import) on the Gamecube when it released and times I came close to purchasing it on eBay for over $100. So you can imagine how I leaped for joy to see Ikaruga come to XBLA. This was the easiest purchase I ever made. I have yet to beat the game, but even if I never do it's an iconic purchase that I could not pass up. For any top-down shooter fans, I highly recommend this game.

I have nothing new to add to the two review here--they are spot on. If you are a hard-core shoot em up fan, you already know about this game and its developer; if you are a casual gamer, you should stay away; but if you are somewhere in the middle and are interested in a challenging shmup, then I implore you to give this one a try. But make no mistake, you will die a lot because this game is difficult. I've played gradius, life force, raiden, and others back in the day, and I would consider those kiddie games compared to this. I've been playing for about an hour now and haven't gotten past the 2nd level--there are 5 total. The game rewards you with continues the more hours you play it, so you will have to play a lot of hours if you want to beat the game. This is one of those games that you can take pride in finishing if you ever finish it. Check out the numerous videos online and you will gain an appreciation for the game and the skills of the gamers.

A few notes:
*the graphics and controls are excellent, they did an excellent job porting it
*playing with the analog thumb stick was fine for me
*you die with one hit in this game, it is unforgiving towards mistakes, but you can absorb enemy bullets if you align the polarity of your ship and it is this simple premise that makes the game so elegant in design
*this game is fair; if you die, it is because of the player so you won't feel cheated and throw your controller across the room
*you will see a lot of bullets on the screen so if you're not good at dodging bullets, you should try something else