Ikaruga (cube: 2003): Reviews

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Ikaruga


9.0

based on 52 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 22 votes
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Cheat Code Central

He is Shinra, the lone survivor of a ravaged people. He must battle fiercely, move swiftly and act rationally in a new war, a space crusade of frighteningly intense firepower and hypnotic beauty. Take control of the ship Ikaruga - alter your energy field, evade epic maelstroms of fire and terminate enemies with a nearly limitless arsenal - all to protect an aging, exiled people. Find calm amid the chaos and reap the rewards, in this perfect combination of beautiful, manga-style storytelling and refined, ultra-challenging arcade heroics. [Infogrames]

PUBLISHER:	Infogrames
DEVELOPER:	Treasure
GENRE(S):	Action, Space Shooter
PLAYERS:	2
ESRB RATING:	E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE:	April 15, 2003

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Play Magazine

Treasure has crafted another masterpiece of hyper-tuned overhead shooter action, the likes of which the world may never see again. [Apr 2003, p.57]

100

GameNow

Ikaruga owns you. It's hard as heck, but it's also a pleasure to play and watch. Don't wuss out; play it. [May 2003, p.41]

100

Cinescape

While the game obviously plays like a 2D shooter, the backgrounds are 3D rendered and the game just combines the technology of today with the old-school gameplay perfectly.

Gamer's Pulse

Once I reached that Zen state of immersion, it felt as though the controller and I were one entity, working together to achieve a common goal. As I wove through a barrage of bullets, deftly changing colors in order to survive, I knew that Treasure had crafted a jewel.

Armchair Empire

If you love shoot’em ups, or even just love great games, go out and buy Ikaruga now.

GamingWorld X

Games like this simply aren’t made very often, especially not of this caliber. It has incredible depth for a shooter, replay value through the roof, and most importantly, it’s fun to play. [JPN Import]

GameBiz

Ikaruga is the finest shooter I have ever played. From Space Invaders to Xevious all the way to the games spiritual predecessor Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga is the epitome of the vertical shooter.

GameZone

Addicting, beautiful, and challenging; everything anyone could ask for in a video game.

Nintendo Insider

An absolutely amazing game for anyone who has ever even considered liking arcade space shooters. The action is intense, the visuals are great, the sound is solid, and there is plenty to keep you coming back for more.

VideoGamesLife

A fantastic game which is an absolute must buy both for fans of the genre and people looking for a real grown up challenge on the Gamecube.

Gamezilla!

Ikaruga rests its laurels on hard and fast gameplay, and while it is good gameplay, it's also very challenging, fairly short, and not what I'd call a mass appeal title.

Into Liquid Sky

While some may complain that the game is technically short, where the strength of the game lies is in its replayability. Shooter fans will be addicted by the game, which beckons multiple play-throughs just to improve their score and hopefully their internet ranking.

Nintendojo

A disorienting thrill ride of white/black strategy; an unbelievable roller coaster of shooting glory.

NTSC-uk

Ikaruga is not an easy game. Even on Easy difficulty mode it is quite challenging, and the higher modes just ramp things up another notch.

Cheat Code Central

If you are itching to stretch your left brain (or is that right brain?) and give your trigger finger a workout, Ikaruga is one nasty mother - shut your mouth. Rent it. Buy It. Whatever you do, just play it.

Gamestyle

Brilliant. It's hugely playable, graphically sublime and even more importantly, once again Treasure have raised the bar for top-down shooters.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Monstrously tough and definitely not for part-timers. Ikaruga is demanding but ultimately rewarding. [GamesMaster]

GameCritics

No review will ever accurately convey the tension in navigating through a sea of multiple colored bullets that fill every inch of the screen or the joy in finally nailing a 100+ chain combo because Ikaruga, like all good shmups, is visceral.

Nintendo Power

Quite possibly the greatest entry in one of gaming's oldest genres, Ikaruga is brilliantly innovative, visually stunning and one heck of a challenge. [May 2003, p.136]

My Gamer

A brilliantly designed shooter, which can be enjoyed by any gamer of any time period.

TotalGames.net

One of those rare games that is beyond criticism. It plays beautifully, and gives you the opportunity to become at one with it — provided you’re willing to put the hours in. Try playing this one at 3am and you’ll see what we mean. The best shooter in years.

Boomtown

Ikaruga is the best shoot-em-up on the current generation of consoles. With perfect gameplay, perfect difficulty curve, and beautiful graphics, it provides an intense experience like no other.

Deeko

With an astounding muscial score, amazing graphics and incredible gameplay, Ikargua is a gaming dream come true.

eToychest

In short, this is the current crème of the crop when it comes to 2D shooters. Following the path of "Radiant Silvergun," Ikaruga will long be thought of as a great example of what a 'shmup' can be.

Game Informer

One of the best shooters to date. [May 2003, p.85]

AceGamez

Ikaruga successfully blends nostalgia with new and modern twists in a usually very rigid genre, while providing a challenge that few other games come near to presenting, without ever feeling unfair to the player.

GameSpot

Anyone who appreciates what makes a truly great game should be able to recognize Ikaruga for its elegant design, aesthetic beauty, and sheer challenge.

Inside Gamer Online

It’s one of the few Dreamcast ports that weren’t sloppily remade. Anyone who appreciates a great game should be able to recognize Ikaruga for its challenge, design, and elegance.

Gamers' Temple

The game never seems to take cheap shots at you, it just happens to take a lot of shots at you. So when you die, you only have yourself to blame. Well, that and about a million bullets!

DailyGame

I never expected to see an arcade shooter translate so well to a console, but Ikaruga blew my mind from the first time I changed polarity.

Game Chronicles

The staggering difficulty and blazing visuals may overwhelm the casual gamer, but anyone who takes the time to master the binary gameplay model will find a deep strategic shooter.

netjak

Ikaruga is for that special breed of gamer, who knows gameplay is more important than graphics; and skill is more important than power-up's. Believe me when I say "misery never felt so good". The game is tough.

NintendoWorldReport

The game is brutally, unrelentlessly difficult, and it very much expects you to play through the same levels and same situations over and over again until you get it right. [Import]

PGNx Media

Is the game fun? Yes, for the hardcore gamer, but not for the newbie. The newbie should wait a few years before sinking his teeth into this one.

Worth Playing

Not only one of the best traditional shooters ever made, but also the only one that GameCube owners have the option to play.

IGN

If you don't like intense, mind-numbing shooting action, then you're going to hate Ikaruga.

Ferrago

Granted if you’ve never played a vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up before it is a trial by fire and that may put some people off. But Ikaruga is a damn good game plain and simple. Even though the genre is very old, Ikaruga is original, unique and a welcome breath of fresh air.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Incredibly innovative, wickedly addictive gameplay is the compelling reason to pick this up. It's pure genius. [May 2003, p.126]

Nintendophiles

Treasure/Atari/Infogrames/whoever have failed to add anything significant to the game or remedy it’s main deficiency: replayability and variety -- the prototype mode notwithstanding. [Import]

EuroGamer

If you're an old school arcade veteran looking to prove yourself again, then this is perhaps the purest gameplay experience you'll find for a long time. Even if you're a rookie looking for something 'new', you can't go wrong, but you might well find the barriers to entry a little harsh to say the least.

GamerFeed

An excellent mind numbing shooter that'll send a splitting headache crashing through your forehead like Astaroth's giant axe in "Soul Calibur" There's no doubt in my mind that like me you'll be begging for mercy, but that won't mean you'll be able to put down the controller.

GamePro

It's for that rare breed of gamer who isn't afraid of inhuman challenge, who spends days practicing their routines, who will do anything to beat his last high score.

Village Voice

The mind-emptying beauty of Ikaruga is its seamless unity of aesthetics and game-play.

Adrenaline Vault

While striking visuals and retro-themed music make up the game's framework, Ikaruga's foundation is undoubtedly built on innovative, engaging and downright challenging gameplay.

GameSpy

The progression of difficulty is actually quite linear and well-balanced. But, because the entire experience is so densely compressed, for most people the game becomes too difficult and too technical far too quickly.

GameCube Europe

The game has 5 fast skull breaking levels which may look like it’s not much, but it takes a while to get through them all, because it is unbelievably hard.

DarkStation

Ikaruga is a game that takes the old and combines it with the new, and does a good job of it.

Computer and Video Games

This reminds CVG of when videogames were designed to scare you into submission with impossible challenges, while pacifying you with digital displays beyond most imaginations.

GMR Magazine

It's a claustrophobic eye-dryer whose thrills are offset by the demands it places on the gamer. [May 2003, p.65]

Yahoo! Games

This unique and head-bangingly challenging game is really not at all suited for the non-hardcore, and if you don't like games that require your entire mind and body as a sacrifice, you're likely to loathe and fear Ikaruga.

G4 TV

A perfect example of why shooters have become such a niche genre. It's a good game that's well made. It's even got an interesting hook to keep the hard core happy. But the insane difficulty will keep most players from getting past the first level before giving up. And with the ultra-short playing time, even shooter fans might not find enough to like here.

Gaming Age

As fun as it starts out to be, it gets old rather quickly. Fortunately or unfortunately, the game is extremely short, and on its easiest mode can be completed in about an hour.

The average user rating for this game is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 22 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

CoffinSandman gave it an8:
Surprisingly, I was able to find this game at a retailer and I can easily say it was worth the $50. It's very deep for a side scroller. You have to use strategies and have quick reflexes to make it through. The graphix and music are really good too. I will admit that it is a bit too hard, but it's something I can overlook. Only thing that sux is that after I bought it I learned that it'll come out on Xbox Live for only $10. So you might as well buy it there, but MAKE SURE YOU DO!!!

Richard S. gave it a9:
This game is so addicting. It has been a long time that i was so into a game that that is all there was. switching back and forth from white to black. Tring to get the power boosts and not dying. SWEET GAME!!!

Tony G. gave it a10:
This is the best puzzle shooter of all time hands down. puzzle because you have to switch black and white alot depending on bullets incomming. has that twitch puzzle element. masterpiece ... work of art ... perfect game. hard as diamonds, but rewarding. if you can find this game, grab it ... it is so rare that it will definitly cost you as much or more than any new release. and i am talking used. i know this had a small print run. still never understand some of the greatest games in history having small print runs. enough talk, get out there now and try to track it down before it goes up!

Shinra gave it an8:
I have had a difficult time deciding on a rating for this game. The game is hard, of course... to a point. One of the main complaints I have against this game is the fact that the more you play, the more continues you get. Sure... it's a good idea in concept but they should have stopped at 5 or 6 continues. With the "Free Play" option you don't have to worry about dying anymore so if you just want to beat it and move on, you can and you can say it was easy simply because of the unlimited continues. If you are like me and love the challenge [I still haven't beaten the game in one continue yet {level 4=hard}.] Then you can't go wrong. With so many different ways to play the game [high score, dot eater, low score etc.] if the game was any longer, it would get boring. Thank goodness for the practice mode because it becomes your best friend if you are try to learn the subtle nuances of each level. The two player co-op in this game is awesome as long as he/she is skilled. [It's a drag when you are going through the level with a full combo only to have your friend shoot that lone black enemy you needed.] The intro will make you feel like a beginner, and that's the way it should be. It made me feel like I can do better, as I strived to increase my scores and combos in each level. I also love the ability to watch each stage being played perfectly [you can only get the intro for a stage that you have completed with 1 credit. Brilliant!] so that you can pick up a new strategy or maybe go through the level a little bit differently. The only stage I didn't totally love was level 4 due to the constantly tight spaces you were in. The level is fun, but you begin to feel a bit constricted due to everything on screen at once. The bosses in the game are fun to fight and [if you choose to fight them using reverse polarity] can become really intense. Each boss fight is a totally unique experience. In one, you are dodging/absorbing it's attacks while shooting it. Another has you open up it's hatch revealing it's weakness, flying between the hatch and weak point, and shooting it dodging bullets. Another has you on a rotating wheel of guns shooting you. I could go on, but you get the idea. One thing that is rather important [at least to me] is the area in which the ship will be destroyed. Unlike in most shooters where if any part of your ship gets shot/hit, it gets destroyed, the only part you have to worry about is the middle of your ship. That's right, if an enemy collides with your wing, you WON'T lose a life. This helps several times, and you can be a bit less cautious because of it. [In level 3 where the black and white ships are flying toward each other getting destroyed, you can stay in one spot due to this making that part a bit easier.] The bullet-eater idea was another good idea making this the "anti-shooter" as you get points for absorbing bullets or lasers that are the same color as your ship. There are so many other things I could get into, but I figure that this should be enough to give you a small sample of this game.

Best gave it a10:
One of the best classic remake games I ever played in a new console.

Mr T. gave it an 8:
Zen balanced old school gameplay. Always enough to keep you constantly challenged, no matter how good you get. However if you are not the type who strives to get A++super ratings for levels (eg Viewtiful Joe, Devil may Cry, etc) then this may have slightly less appeal. Other than that, don't worry about comments regarding length of the game, your mind would melt if it was any longer, besides that, the replay value is immense, thats what this game is about. I would also ignore comments regarding difficulty, i would not trust any persons/magazines opinion if they say this is to hard (or can't get past the first level of this game as one mag review says above), leave these simple people to play the pre-school games, a challenge is what this game is and what many more games should be.

[Anonymous] gave it a 3:
Too hard.