Ikaruga

The Good
Ikaruga's graphics are decent. The gameplay is amazingly simple and complex at the same time. Essentially this game is your vertical shooter (think Space Invaders, R-Type, etc) with a twist. There are two "polarities" as the game calls them, black and white. If you shoot an enemy with the opposite polarity of your shield you deal double damage to them, however if you shoot an enemy of the same polarity of your shield you deal normal damage and the enemy releases bullets that same polarity upon dieing. Collecting bullets of the same polarity as your shield fills up your special gauge which can be used to unleash devastating attacks. Collecting even one bullet of the opposite polarity of your shield...well, it kills you. The controls are simple: Control Stick to move, B to fire, A to switch between polarities, and R to unleash your special.

The Bad
"This game is tough." That comment right there is quite possibly the largest understatement ever. I have never, in my 10+ years of hardcore gaming, experienced a game which can touch the difficulty of this game. While this provides for good replay value, it also provides for large headaches and an assortment of four-letter words that would certainly not make your mother proud of you.

The Bottom Line
Ikaruga is the answer to the cries of Top Down Shooter fans who are experiencing the waining selection of their favorite genre. The game is simple and complex at the same time which makes it accessible for amateurs and veterans alike. The difficulty of Ikaruga is extreme which gives the game great replay value but a lot of frustration as well. All-in-all this is a very well designed game, and fans of the genre will not be let down.

The Good
Ikaruga is a new game in a dying genre. Space Invaders has hardly seen the light since the NES and Sega Mega Drive was out. 2D games anymore, just don't cut it. A concept which is highly untrue and ignorant. Ikaruga is a space shooter, to cut it short. You control a ship that can change colour to vary effects in the game, (black and white.) Black makes white enemies easier to kill and vice versa with black, also when you are black you can suck up black bullets, same also with White. When you suck up enough bullets, you can fire a missile and take out ships nearby.

How does it clause into such an amazing game?

Easy, it's so simple. The game is designed for fast paced actions and that delivers. Ikaruga is more of Speed and Reflexes other than true tactical skills. But that is what makes it so fun. Oh, did I mention that there is also a Co-Op mode involved? Packed with speed and powerful graphics to add on to that cutting edge of pure gameplay as well as nice music that fits the scenes brilliantly too.

The Bad
However, it's not all rosy posey. To be honest, this is one of the hardest games I've ever played.(Blink and you die.) Yes, I have Gradius and I have other space shooters and this is still harder than them. The screen is also awkward, you can have a small horizontal screen or a big horrible vertical screen. Also, the game is rather small and it has a distinct lack of a storyline.

The Bottom Line
This game does not compare to anything, simply because nothing has really been done like this before. And, because of it's fast tense gameplay and true originality and inspiration this game is pure brilliance.

A very challenging, but very fun and worthwile game to say the least.

The Good
It restored my faith in old school style games brought to the Nth degree on a 4th generation platform. I like shooters. I prefer shooters to RPG's. The parity concept of the attacking ships and bullets seems to add a puzzle like element to making your way through a level. You are forced into thinking and plotting because brute force and firepower alone will not win.

The Bad
A vertical scrolling shooter made for arcade style monitors has to compress itself on your TV to see everything in all it's glory. If you have a widescreen TV you find yourself playing this game that takes up a small vertical stripe in the middle of your set. This is making me think about the possibility of mounting a widescreen TV vertically because you can switch the view to horizontal but something seems to be wrong if you are actually watching it scroll sideways instead.

The Bottom Line
A vertical scrolling shooter. Level based missions with bosses. Your ship and all enemy objects have a parity of either white or black. You can change your parity at will. If you fire at an enemy that is the same parity as you it fires back when it is destroyed. But your shield will absorb enemy fire that is the same parity that you are currently set to. This absorbed energy can be release in a fury of homing missles that do excellent damage. If you destroy an enemy of the opposite polarity they do not fire back at you. The smaller ships are single polarity. The larger ships and bosses have elements of both white and black so you have to modify your attack accordingly. It is a tough learning curve. And just when you think you have it mastered it gets harder.