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ikaruga
review entry |
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With a game as difficult as Ikaruga, one would
assume that it would be a frustrating experience since it may at
first seem as if it requires luck to even get past the third level.
In reality though, it's probably the exact opposite. Ikaruga, above
all else, is probably one of the few games you will ever own where
you genuinely study it by using memory and close observation in
order to improve your skill as a whole, and not just "to pass
it". Using observation and memory, for instance, in the
beginning of the first chapter can mean the difference between
scoring 10,000 or 408,000 points for destroying all of the ships.
And when you score those points tactfully, you look really good
doing it. Ikaruga is THE material embodiment of space opera--when
you are blasting those ships in patterns of three white ships or
three black enemies, while positioning yourself in the right areas
to take them out without being overwhelmed, you are creating a
ballet of sorts--a perfectly choreographed performance of mayhem,
and you're manipulating all of it.
In spite of what it may seem, the game DOES NOT only rely on
memorization. You may discover that using one method of clearing a
screen is better than another, and as a result you end up changing
your whole strategy. As a gamer, you change along with Ikaruga, even
though you may at one point think that you have "the"
definitive strategy. This is an amazing feat, considering that after
a few weeks of play you will know when and where all of the enemies
show up.
Since Ikaruga requires EFFORT, it may very well be the only game
that will draw you to play the first level over and over again,
without even noticing that there are four other chapters. The
addictive nature of Ikaruga is not attributed just to the fact that
it's a shooter. Rather, perfecting your "ballet" becomes
an addiction in and of itself.
Ikaruga also succeeds in blending audio, visual, and gameplay
elements into each other as a whole entity. Each one is astonishing
in its own respect, but together they make a whole that is much
greater than the sum of its parts. Everything becomes integrated
into this huge space opera, and each are crucial to our own
understanding of the complex, strategic nature of Ikaruga.
It wouldn't be hard to imagine Ikaruga as a sort of revolution. A
revival of everything that made "old-school" so great.
People all over would discuss their "Ikaruga report
cards", where they flaunt the grades they receive for each
chapter. I can imagine two people discussing the manners in which
they acquired a B or an A on chapter 2, and then swapping strategies
to squeeze in those extra chain combos before fighting a boss.
Talking about videogames would become "fun" again--there'd
be no more "TEH MEGAT000N!" and "DIS GAME IS TEH SUCK
IT 2 HAR|)111!11!!!" nonsense. However, I guess one could
always hope that we would pass this phase...
In the end, Ikaruga is probably a video game that embodies what
every other one tries to be. It presents a very tough challenge, and
does not force you to merely beat it, but to savor every moment of
it and to constantly strive to master it. In this light, Ikaruga is
one of those games that separates casual gamers from real ones. Buy
it, or miss out on playing the title that has revived the lost art
of gaming.
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Alen Urena -
GameCubicle Reader |
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