Just got Ikaruga... will I really like it?

[Jasoco]

Yeah. I broke down. I think I overpaid by $5. $24.99 at EB. But I just had to see what it's all about.

So.. it looks fun. How fun is it? Will I like it? It's sealed. I don't wanna open it and find out I hate it.

[sisko]

Its fun, and HARD. I still can't beat the second boss, only survive it.

Its a unique shmup with smooth animation and killer graphics. Worth $25? Yeah, I think so.

[Sotenga]

Four words, my good man: HELLS. YES. YOU. WILL. :D

A few more words: Go Treasure! :rocker:

[Crush Crawfish]

Well, If you love fun, geniuinely challenging games, you'll love ikaruga. Be warned: this game WILL kick your ass at first.

[Jasoco]

I opened it, and IT ROCKS! I wish my TV was on its side so I can play on a bigger screen. Damn this is cool! I love the animation and effects! I'll have to practice a lot with this one.

[SoulBlazer]

Ikaruga is defentily one of the best shooters I've ever played, along with the Gradius series and Panzer Dragoon Orta. It IS very hard, but just keep playing it. For ever hour of gameplay you save, you get another credit. Play the pratice mode first to get used to it, and then easy, and then normal. Best advice I can give is just to use pratice and don't bother for points at first, just learn the paterns and beating the bosses. :)

[whoisKeel]

Be warned: this game WILL kick your ass at first.

At first? LOL ahahahhahaha. LOL ahahahaha. LOL ahahahahahhaa...

wait till you see level four and five. i can almost get to level four without a continue...but then...it takes me 13 continues to beat the game on normal. even though i realize i'll never be that good at this game (have you seen some of the videos people have done?), it is always incredibly fun. always. :)

[Azazel]

I didn't find it very fun. I'm glad I never actually bought it.

[Jasoco]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8103091302&rd=1

Heh.. Wrong image I hope? LOL

Edit: Also..

Questions. When I lose all my lives and continues and it says "Credits: 0" but it still asks me if I want to continue.. is there something I'm supposed to do? I can't continue because my credits are gone. But it seems odd they'd have the Continue? dialog still there. What's with that?

Also, anyone else notice a huge lag and slowdown when a boss dies? Also in the tutorial when a lot of enemies gets killed.

I can get to the third Chapter. In the shaft with the white enemies coming from ahead and the black ones from behind. I'm working on it. Great game! I found using the Horizontal 2 mode is nice for using the whole TV. I just wish this mode had rotated text too. Doesn't make sende to turn the controls to be normal on a TV but have the text all rotated. That's what mode 1's for. Like if I had an Arcade cabinet. Still, it's nicer than only using half the screen in Vertical mode. I like full screen games.

The first time I tried Type 1 and I just turned my head. Now my neck hurts. LOL

[Spottedkitty]

If you're interested in Ikaruga you may want to take a look at this guys videos:

http://www.interrupt.ne.jp/~vtf/anime.html

They're large and the sites in Japanese but, trust me, they're worth downloading.

[Zubiac666]

If you're interested in Ikaruga you may want to take a look at this guys videos:

http://www.interrupt.ne.jp/~vtf/anime.html

They're large and the sites in Japanese but, trust me, they're worth downloading.

I add just a short explanation of the video:
This guy plays ikaruga(on normal diff.) in 2 player mode with TWO HANDS without losing lives and doing unbelieveable chains.
He plays like a machine ...... without ANY flaws
I'm pretty sure he's the only one on earth who can do this
@_@ @_@ :eek 2: @_@

[JaredCenter]

If you're interested in Ikaruga you may want to take a look at this guys videos:

http://www.interrupt.ne.jp/~vtf/anime.html

They're large and the sites in Japanese but, trust me, they're worth downloading.

I add just a short explanation of the video:
This guy plays ikaruga(on normal diff.) in 2 player mode with TWO HANDS without losing lives and doing unbelieveable chains.
He plays like a machine ...... without ANY flaws
I'm pretty sure he's the only one on earth who can do this
@_@ @_@ :eek 2: @_@

I can't do it in Ikaruga, but I can do it (without getting a "continue" message for a long period) in Konami's Operation Thunder Hurricane if anyone remembers this game. There's nothing cooler than holding two big-ass guns to blow away everything you see on-screen. Makes you feel like Rambo!

[ubersaurus]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8103091302&rd=1

Heh.. Wrong image I hope? LOL

Edit: Also..

Questions. When I lose all my lives and continues and it says "Credits: 0" but it still asks me if I want to continue.. is there something I'm supposed to do? I can't continue because my credits are gone. But it seems odd they'd have the Continue? dialog still there. What's with that?

Also, anyone else notice a huge lag and slowdown when a boss dies? Also in the tutorial when a lot of enemies gets killed.

I can get to the third Chapter. In the shaft with the white enemies coming from ahead and the black ones from behind. I'm working on it. Great game! I found using the Horizontal 2 mode is nice for using the whole TV. I just wish this mode had rotated text too. Doesn't make sende to turn the controls to be normal on a TV but have the text all rotated. That's what mode 1's for. Like if I had an Arcade cabinet. Still, it's nicer than only using half the screen in Vertical mode. I like full screen games.

The first time I tried Type 1 and I just turned my head. Now my neck hurts. LOL

Since it's a port of the arcade version, the continue screen is still there.

I played Ikaruga alot the first couple weeks I had it, but then I just got bored with it. It's a neat concept, but it gives the game too much of a puzzle aspect, between the chains and the colors, and if I want to play a puzzle game, I'll throw down in Mr. Driller or Tetris Attack.

[Captain Wrong]

I played Ikaruga alot the first couple weeks I had it, but then I just got bored with it. It's a neat concept, but it gives the game too much of a puzzle aspect, between the chains and the colors, and if I want to play a puzzle game, I'll throw down in Mr. Driller or Tetris Attack.

Agreed. I appreciate Treasure trying to do something different, but I play shmups because I like the "turn your brain off and just react" almost Zen-like element and there's just too much thinkin' here for me.

BTW, the continue screen is there because you earn continues the longer you play.

[optic_85]

Ikagura is an awesome, original, and very hard... You deffinately got your money's worth!....On a side note, are all you guys playing this game on gamecube or Dreamcast?(i play on DC)

[SoulBlazer]

Never had a DC, never want one. That should be your answer. LOL

[Jasoco]

Cube obviously. ;) Man that was so cool. Why are Japanese people so like.. fast? Or is this once again a faked video? Someone could easily do two people and choreograph it.

I have to say once more that the music and effects are so well done in this game. I wish there were more like this. I need more cool SHMUPS! Preferably ones that are easier to get and not Import only. Or if they are, then cheap Imports. Does DP have an official thread for all SHMUPS? Can I search the DB for it?

[CitizenWhite]

Cube obviously. ;) Man that was so cool. Why are Japanese people so like.. fast? Or is this once again a faked video? Someone could easily do two people and choreograph it.

I have to say once more that the music and effects are so well done in this game. I wish there were more like this. I need more cool SHMUPS! Preferably ones that are easier to get and not Import only. Or if they are, then cheap Imports. Does DP have an official thread for all SHMUPS? Can I search the DB for it?

If you have a dreamcast I can suggest:

Psyvariar 2
Shikigami no Shiro 2

Attain them in whatever way you will. I downloaded them on bittorrent, personally. Both of them are great games, although I havn't had a lot of time to spend with them.

[josekortez]

Soulblazer can't possibly be serious about never wanting to own a Dreamcast...

[ubersaurus]

Cube obviously. ;) Man that was so cool. Why are Japanese people so like.. fast? Or is this once again a faked video? Someone could easily do two people and choreograph it.

I have to say once more that the music and effects are so well done in this game. I wish there were more like this. I need more cool SHMUPS! Preferably ones that are easier to get and not Import only. Or if they are, then cheap Imports. Does DP have an official thread for all SHMUPS? Can I search the DB for it?

If you have a dreamcast I can suggest:

Psyvariar 2
Shikigami no Shiro 2

Attain them in whatever way you will. I downloaded them on bittorrent, personally. Both of them are great games, although I havn't had a lot of time to spend with them.

Border Down = best import shooter on the Dreamcast. I can't recommend that game enough. It's a horizontal shooter that plays like a vertical shooter.

[Jasoco]

Let's see. According to the Save/Load screen, I've played for one and a half hours so far. And I can't get enough. I got all the way to the two faced guy in level three this time. Apparently not the boss. But the one that chases you down the hall first. I lost a few lives in that damn hall. So I can use any continues I can get. How can I find out how many Continues I have available or left?

As for Border Down. I've been thinking about that one. I should look into it.

Also, I think SoulBlazer really is serious. But I have no idea what he has against the DC.

[SoulBlazer]

Hey, I just never saw anything for the DC I wanted to own. :) Remember what kind of games I buy?

[optic_85]

Never had a DC, never want one. That should be your answer. LOL

.....Dont hate! PARTICIPATE!.....If you dont have a DC than your missing out on a true GAMER'S CONSOLE! :D

[tritium]

Border Down = best import shooter on the Dreamcast. I can't recommend that game enough. It's a horizontal shooter that plays like a vertical shooter.

I hated border down. i don't want to wait 15 seconds between each death to continue playing, and be moved around the game area between lives. Its annoying. The ship desgins in Borderdown are terrible.

Ikaruga is a far better game. Albeit a difficult alternative.

[Azazel]

Hey, I just never saw anything for the DC I wanted to own. :) Remember what kind of games I buy?

It's worth it alone for DC emulation. :D I think the only game I ever bothered to play on it was Grandia 2 and maybe the occasional action game here and there.

[Jasoco]

I hated border down. i don't want to wait 15 seconds between each death to continue playing, and be moved around the game area between lives. Its annoying. The ship desgins in Borderdown are terrible.Uh oh.. now I don't know if I want it.

[ubersaurus]

I hated border down. i don't want to wait 15 seconds between each death to continue playing, and be moved around the game area between lives. Its annoying. The ship desgins in Borderdown are terrible.Uh oh.. now I don't know if I want it.

He's the only person I've heard who hated Border Down. Here's the rundown on it:

Every time you die, instead of restarting on the same path you left off, you "border down", and go to a backup ship flying along a different path. There's 3 different restart points per level, if you cross one, it'll work for all 3 paths. If you die at the boss, naturally there is no crossover to another path, since all three paths lead to the boss anyway.

The key to high scores in the game is the break laser, a huge ass beam weapon that drains your normal laser's strength bar(which fills automatically with time, killing enemies, and grabbing a powerup). Enemies killed with the beam chain; the more you kill, the bigger the chain's bonus points are. In addition, the lower the border path you are on, i.e. the closer to a game over, the more points each enemy is worth, so you can rack up some big points staying on the lowest course, red path.

Visually, the game is beautiful-easily the rival of contemporary shooters like R-Type Final, or those screenshots of Gradius 5. The music is a mixed bag, some songs rock, others are kinda lame. As far as ship designs, I think they look rather unique, and it's a nice touch that you can control the speed of your ship (an option all games need). Be warned though, the game isn't a cakewalk, and although you do earn more credits, I have no idea how you do it exactly.

If you like shooters, and you have a dreamcast and the desire to import, there's no reason NOT to pick up this game.

[kainemaxwell]

If I remember right, Ikaruga's a small dl on Bittorrent. Anyhow, this is one beautiful and unforgiving shooter for DC and GC. I have the DC version and I can barely pass Stage 1 right now, though I don't play SHUMPS too often.