Ikaruga (Game Cube, 2003)

Ikaruga is a great top down shooter game that was released for the gamecube. It was made by Treasure and it is a neat little game. You battle through 18 stages (which I could never do!) and shoot down tones of enemies. You can flip between black or white in order to damage your opponents. My hint is to watch the colours to help you out!

I give it 4/5 because it is a bloody hard game to play! :P But it is fun and addicting.

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

Ikaruga is a solid shooter from Treasure, the company responsible for many classic hits such as Gunstar Heroes for Sega Genesis and more modern creations from classic brands such as Gradius V. The team at Treasure is composed of former Konami employees who worked on classic shooter games such as Axelay and Castlevania IV for the SNES. Ikaruga is no exception to the list of great shooter games, and should be in the collection of any fan of shooter games.

The main essence of the game revolves around the idea of positive and negative polarity. Each enemy and elements of each boss are either colored black or white, each relating to the black and white beam weapons of your ship. But it's not that simple either. If you take hits from enemy weapons that are the same color as your ship, they are absorbed into a cache, allowing a more powerful attack to be performed. Also, if you attack an enemy of similar polarity or color, they take double damage. The game is also built where you can perform chains, that is, destroying enemies of the same polarity one after the other. This allows for the game to become more challenging for those who desire it.

The game itself is very, very difficult and often times incredibly fast-paced. This keeps you from blowing through the levels in one fell swoop. That in itself is the main pro AND con, it's simple design that allows for very different gameplay in comparison to other shooters as well as the incredible difficulty presented even on the easiest skill level.

this game is cool but impossible to beat and you cant save. not worth the 40 bucks i paid for it.............................................................................................................................................................

it's so cool! there's so much stuff to shoot you have to enter a zenlike state of complete concentration where you don't even look at the screen - you SENSE the enemies' presence... it has helped me with other aspects of my life such as work and personal relationships.

This game is a perfect 2 player shooter with a range of difficulties that like any good shooter become impossible to complete as you make the settings harder. The graphics are beautiful and the controls are nice and clean. The best feature of this game is what I would like to call a Ying Yang effect. Basically everything that you interact with (enemies, enemy fire, and your own ship) is either white or black. You can change your ship’s shade with a press of a button from black to white and back again. When you are white, you are immune to the white fire and visa versa when you are black. Enemies stay on one shade and fire the same as what they are (Black enemies fire black power shots and white enemies fire white power shots). Enemies take much more damage from the opposite shade. Your ship takes no damage from the same shade and it even becomes a positive as your ship charges for a special Charged shot from power shots of the same shade. Your ship is destroyed from just one power shot of an opposite shade. The Charged shot releases a quick bust of homing power shots. Some bosses have both shades and fire both shades requiring you to fire, evade and change shades in order to come out alive. This is another layer of game play that I have never witnessed in another game and is easily the most unique element of Ikaruga. Overall it is one of my most favorite shooters from a 1 player perspective (“Gradius Good”) and from a 2 player perspective it is my favorite.

As far as Ikaruga goes, it's fairly short and fairly difficult. If you're looking for a deep plot, or an easy game that you can breeze through on a Sunday afternoon, this ain't for you. The game is beautiful in every respect. The graphics are astounding, and the fluidity of the controls really add to this. My only qualm is the massive slowdowns when a boss explodes... Still don't understand that one for the life of me.

In short: Buy Ikaruga unless you're a shallow-headed Guitar Hero maniac, in which case you probably shouldn't be gaming in the first place.

This is one of the better retro-space shooters that's very challenging and has enough variety to want you to keep trying and playing, even though lives are lost very quickly. I'm glad that I bought a GameCube just to play this game, because there aren't enough great retro-scrolling either up/down or sideways space shooters on the horizon.

It's hard... very very hard. However it's one of the most fun games I've played in the genre and it's one that you'll keep playing. The black and white concept works great and really adds to the already insane amount of challenge. I personally don't see how a game like this could ever be improved. It's not meant to be beaten on the 5th or 6th try. It will most likely take you weeks to get good enough to beat the game with only 2 credits. I wish it weren't so hard to find so everyone could try it, but that's what makes this game a special thing now. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes shooters, collectors looking for a fantastic game, and anyone who wants a real challenge with tons of awesome gameplay.

Ikaruga is probably the most difficult shooter ever made. It is a remake of the ultra rare Sega Saturn game Radiant Silvergun (only available for japan consoles). What makes it so special you ask? it's different! it's not your standard shooter although in many ways it is... The biggest difference between radiant silvergun and other shooters is that you can absorb bullets depending on your crafts polarity and you can change your polarity at any time. changin your polarity also affects how powerful your weapon is vs different opponents. as well as enabling you to power up your craft by absorbing energy of the same polarity. i still havent made it by the third level boss. but i know it is possible and i have seen it done. if your looking for a challenging game you can't go wrong with ikaruga! one of the must have games for the gamecube even if you don't like shooters! fast paced, action packed, exciting and fun!

skill curve combined with pretty graphics make it a game that's easy to pick up, impossible to master

Ikaruga is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun and is almost as sought-after. The bi-polar system of fire in the game makes for an experience that is totally unique among shooters. Even hard-core expert shooter fans will find themselves challenged with the new strategic elements Ikaruga adds. A must have for ANY hardcore gamer!

I loved that it was shipped and arived so quickly. Once I saw this game all I could do was think about when it was going to be delivered. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait that long.

This game is easy to learn, very difficult to master, and great to just pick up and play. It's a great arcade style shooter and I'm glad I finally got a copy to own!

Ikaruga is by far the best vertical shooter there is, and one of the best titles to grace the Dreamcast, Gamecube, and XBLA. It's definitely not for the casual gamer, but anyone seriously contemplating buying it is already hardcore. It's simplicity is what gives it depth, and any proper gamer will be playing it many years after purchase.

Ikaruga is probably one of the most challenging video games ever made. You need to switch your ship between black and white in order to absorb the balls of energy. Otherwise, you're dead!

The gameplay, thusly, is quite difficult and keeps you on edge. The graphics are fabulous, in my opinion, and the backgrounds are really neat. If you are a fan of shooters such as Gradius or Mars Matrix and you're looking for a special twist, then you should definately invest in this gem.

Multiplayer is definately a must play as well.

Anyone who plays "Ikaruga" will immediately be impressed. It gives plenty of options from beginner to expert and the game play is magnificent from visuals to degree of challenges. Also it is very rewarding when a stage is completed on any level of difficultly. I would recommend anyone with a Gamecube or Wii gaming system to pick up this great game if they don't already own it.

I find Ikaruga to be excessively difficult when I play it, but that is a result of me not playing it often enough. I only suggest this game if you can devote yourself to the game for many, many hours, because the game is just relentlessly difficult. The game may not be that fun at first as well, because of the difficulty, but it becomes much better once you can adjust to the gameplay. I rate it 4/5 instead of 5/5 because of the difficulty, not because of any lack in quality.

At last, Treasure take a step for once and release a good game. Think of Mazinkaiser compared to Mazinger Z, only its pilot has a grade A in Space. No niggles, just an awesome example of how shoot-em-ups are DONE. Shame it's so expensive (how can a game released only three years ago be so rare?) It is far better than anything Treasure have ever produced, be it Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, Silhouette Mirage or Radiant Silvergun. And the price that last one comes at, welcome to the option you just have to take. Treasure's magnumopus. 'Nuff said!

It is the epitome of the arcade shooter brought to the GC. It's challenging beyond belief, but if you're looking for this game, you know what you're getting into. It's beautiful to simply watch in motion and astonishingly difficult to play. Ikaruga is a pretty rare title, so if you can scrape one up, do so, if only for the re-sale value.

Shooter port from Dreamcast.

Extraordinary Presntation.

Difficult on any setting.

Sub culture surrounding particular game.

http://www.ikaruga.co.uk/

This is an awesome game from Treasure, the makers of the classic Radiant Silvergun. A must-have for fans of space shooters like R-Type, Thunderforce, Lords of Thunder, Blazing Star, etc... Origionaly released in the arcade, it was ported to the Dreamcast at the end of that systems life. (But only in Japan.) Thanks to its Gamecube release, U.S. customers now have a chance to own this gem. With several game modes, a slow-mo practice mode, and other added features, this is simply an amazing release.