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ikaruga review entry

Ikaruga is the newest shooter from Treasure to make its way the United States. Originally released just a few months ago for Sega's Dreamcast, Ikaruga was recently released in both Japan and North America on Nintendo GameCube. Ikaruga will release in Europe on the 23rd of May. Treasure excels in shooter games, with a reputation for masterpieces. Ikaruga has been met with great reception in Japan, and there is even a DVD of the "best" player playing through the game. It's hard to measure how well Ikaruga has been received in the U.S. as sales numbers have yet to become available. If Internet is any measure, its sure to sell in the thousands.

Gameplay

Gameplay is without a doubt the most important aspect to a game - all else pales in comparison to how well the game actually plays. I'm glad to report that this game is the tightest console shooter to date. Controls are a snap and fully customizable. Ikaruga plays on the basis of black and white, yin and yang. The ship, the Ikaruga, can change polarities, black to absorb black energy and shoot black energy, or white, to do the same thing. Every 10 bullets/shots that you absorb become available to you as a charged homing laser, and you can store up to 12 lasers, which when released, do 10 times as much damage as a normal shot. Gameplay requires only 3 buttons and a directional pad, which works great with the d-pad or analog stick. Play is fast and fluid, and above all else, fun.

Presentation

Presentation is second to gameplay, as it incorporates (in this case) story with gameplay. Sadly, Atari has decided to remove from the North American version much of the story between chapters, before and after boss fights, and at the end of chapters. In fact, there is almost no story besides what is presented in the manual. Despite the loss in the North American version, the menus and loading times are without a doubt flawless. My only complaint is that Arcade mode, for web-ranking, is not a choice by default.

Graphics

Ikaruga was made for the Dreamcast, so nothing pushes the GameCube hardware graphically. The graphics are good, and the game runs at a fairly stable 60 frames per second but there are some rare moments of slowdown during levels. My biggest concern is the slowdown after completing bosses. Yes, the explosion is meant to be huge and slow, so Treasure programmed it so that it would cause slowdown, but there is an incredible difference between one player and two player slowdown in boss battles. Besides the dramatic to lethargic boss explosion slowdowns, the game plays pretty much without any other hiccups, and those that are seen are usually with full screens with two players energy releasing at the same time. Nothing amazing, but the 3D backgrounds work well with the 2D action.

Sound 

The sound is good, but like the graphics, nothing mind-blowing or amazing. After playing hour after hour, the sound does get slightly repetitive, but no wear near annoyingly so. If anything, there aren't enough levels to offer enough variety for the music. Sound effects are run-of-the-mill, but there is no sound clipping, or other sound errors. Ikaruga gives you anything you would want from a shooter.

Features

Ikaruga has many features off the bat and unlockable extras. Extras are accessible through either time played, or game conditions met. Unlockable material includes a sound test, a new game mode, and art galleries. Besides unlockables, there are three difficulty levels, the ability to practice chapters by themselves, or parts of chapters in slow motion. Ikaruga also offers two player co-op for all game types except the arcade games. Arcade offers the player a chance to compete worldwide for a high score by generating a 12-digit code to enter into the Ikaruga website. There are also four different viewing options, including a vertical viewing mode, which plays left to right instead of up and down. This allows for the largest resolution, and works best when you turn your TV sideways, though the instruction manual cautions against moving the TV. Customizable controls are always a plus. My only concern is that the Auto-Save option is by default off.

Replay

Shooters, if they are your type of game, offer untold hours of replay. Ikaruga is no exception, and with the unlockables and extras, a two player mode that can be played co-op our in a makeshift counter-op, there is no limit to the replay here. After clocking in over 30 hours, I was ready for a break, but even now, I feel Ikaruga calling me back. 

Closing Comments

I am personally into shooters, so would highly recommend this game to anyone with even a remote interest in that type of a game. The fact that the MSRP is $39.99 USD is only a plus, as Ikaruga is worth much more. If you have some time and some dough, pick this game up.

Rating 
Gameplay

10.0

Graphics

7.5

Presentation

9.0

Features

9.5

Sound

8.0

Lasting Appeal

9.0

Overall

9.1

Steve M. - GameCubicle Reader


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