Ikaruga for the SEGA Dreamcast is a rare game, but I'm pretty sure this was not a result of its lack of success. Far from it really. I'm absolutely certain that things are simpler than that, and Ikaruga's rarity has something to do with the game's brilliance. People do not after all tend to sell off their dearest games, do they? And Ikaruga's brilliant shmup mechanics, jaw-dropping graphics, excellent soundtrack and two player options make it one of the best shoot-'em-ups ever released, meaning that only a handful of gamers are willing to let their copies go. As for the multitudes that would like to actually grab Ikaruga, well Play Asia does have the -always expensive- Japanese Dreamcast version of Ikaruga in stock.
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Man, this one's a mind-blaster, although some crazy Japanese guy on youtube managed to complete the game alone in two players mode using both controllers at the same time... crazy freak. Sometimes I put my, uhm, "unconventional copy" of Ikaruga on DC, but really can't go very far. I guess practice makes perfect.
ReplyDeleteThose ueber-gamers are a scary bunch indeed dear Mic. Can't really see the point myself, though can't help but being impressed. As for Ikaruga, I haven't finished it either but did make quite a bit of progress. RE-assigning the keys (color change to the right trigger, shooting to the left) did help immensely.
ReplyDeleteMy copy sounds a lot like Mik's. And so does my performance. Beautiful, awesome game and I love it - but it's pretty damn difficult so I never play for very long. Maybe I'll try the remapping you recommended Gnome. I sure would like to snag that Play-Asia copy but a hundy is a little steep for me for a legit switch.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen that new downloadable game called Outland for 360/PS3 that uses the same color switching mechanic but is a stylistic 2D shooter? Looks pretty cool.
er - I meant to say 2D platformer - not shooter...
ReplyDeleteJust had a look at Outland. It does look very interesting, but, lacking a PS2/Xbox, I don't see me giving it a try. Now, back to Ikaruga-training.
ReplyDeleteIkaruga really is a great game with a great concept, Treasure did a really good job, why cant more games by released like that!
ReplyDeleteOoh, how I wish they did. Besides, Ikaruga is one of the few games I still play on the Wii.
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