Ikaruga INFO BOX SYSTEMS Arcade, Dreamcast, GameCube PUBLISHERS Atari (NA, Europe) ESP Software (Japan) RELEASE DATES (Arcade) Japan - 12/20/01 RELEASE DATES (DC) Japan - 09/05/02 RELEASE DATES (GameCube) Japan - 01/16/03 NA - 04/15/03 Europe - 05/23/03 Ikaruga was great the first times I played it. I played maybe a dozen hours before I started to feel a lull, and the game just wasn't as thrilling as it once was. Certain levels seemed ridiculously impossible to survive, and the chaining system just didn't seem all that exciting anymore. Despite this, I'd still end up playing for an hour or so every day or two. It could be because it was the only new game I had purchased for the last few months, but it could also be that I was really starting to learn and enjoy playing the game. Oddly enough, I find this is how my impressions of most of my favourite shooters started out. The game is short, it is a vertical shooter, and an arcade game. You're supposed to be able to pick up the game and beat it in a single sitting (in this case, 25 minutes). The levels are fairly long anyway, and the design is quite genius. Once you play the game, you'll realize that five levels is more then enough game play to keep you occupied for a long, long time. The actual levels are rather stunning. Enemies fly down in set patterns, the bullets spraying hypnotically around the screen. It certainly is a treat to watch this game in motion, especailly if you're playing on a monitor through the Dreamcast VGA box. The detail is just incredible, and just the tiniest of details are taken care. You can tell the designers really loved their game. Just look at the second stage boss, or the enemies on the final level. Rustic details, small writing on the the backgrounds and ships. It's just incredible. To accompany the excellent level design and graphics is a rather harmonic soundtrack, which fits the game and the mood incredibly well. This is not a happy, super explosive game like most other shooters. It's very dreary, almost post apocalyptic world, and there's little left worth fighting for. I like the music, but it's not like I can remember it and start humming it (it never just pops into my head like other games catchy songs). Handling your craft is very responsive, and oh so smooth. Once you get used to the game, you'll feel like you could do anything (if you have the reflexes that is), and that's exactly what you need. The game never makes it feel like it's too hard to pull anything off because the controls are a little awkward. You move quite smoothly using the D-Pad, and you shoot and switch colors with the help of two separate buttons. You can also release a large burst of energy by pressing both buttons at once, or set all 3 functions to separate buttons. It's simple, it works, and I like it. Now after getting through the aesthetics, let's talk about the meat of the game, the actual game play. As I've stated, the levels are really very creative, and put the games scoring system to good use. Enemies fly onto the screen in patterns that are, not only remarkable to witness, but also serve a greater purpose. Using the games chaining system (where by killing 3 ships of a certain color consecutively) there is always a way to kill the enemies with a certain strategy. You could just shoot everything out of your way, but you won't get any points for doing that, and the real joy of the game comes from learning how to perfectly chain the game. Once you figure out how the chains work and you start putting them together, the game suddenly just opens up and becomes so much more captivating. You can't forget the color system either. It's not just dodging bullets, and trying to keep your chain, you can also switch your ship from black and white. While white you can absorb white bullets, and kill black enemies faster, (it works the same when you're black). To make things even more interesting, when you destroy a ship of the same color as you it will explode into a cluster of bullets of the same color. These can be used to either charge your energy (to release that bomb shot), or give you major problems if you didn't plan ahead and switched colors. When you put everything together, the game just feels perfect. Ikaruga really is a one of a kind. You're not likely to see a game of this calibur again for a few years now I'm sure. It's not a standard shooter, and may not be for everyone (even I wasn't sure about the game before), but if you give it time and try to improve your game, you may just discover something you never expected; one of the best games you've played in years.