Ikaruga

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.

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.

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.