Ikaruga

The Good
Ikaruga brings a few new cards to the table. The light/dark shooting ability is something to love or hate. You have to have very careful timing with how you switch between the two. If you are in the light stage and you get hit with a dark shot, you die. If you're in the light stage and you get hit with a light shot, you gain energy, and vice versa. Even the slightest mistake in using the two could mean the end of your game. The graphics are very nice. The combo system is a challenging and interesting feature that utilizes the light/dark system. Hit 3 enemies of the same type you get a 1 on the chain counter. Hit 2 light enemies, and 1 dark enemy, you get nothing.

The Bad
This game is a challenge, and not your average challenge. An intense challenge. The boss' are rather difficult.

The Bottom Line
A very challenging, very rewarding, very fun shooter. Yet another must have for Dreamcast owners.

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
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.