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03/03/2012 (2 of 2 found this helpful)

Yeah, I said it: Episode IX

The 2D shooter (frequently nicknamed “shmup”) is one of the oldest genres in existence, and for good reason. It was a perfect mixture of easy to understand (don’t get shot by the lasers, shoot anything that moves), easy to build, and easy to STEAL MONEY FROM PEOPLE IN ARCADES.

“Okay, so here’s the plan. A quarter buys you three lives. We make a game that’s impossibly hard (but technically beatable if you’re some kind of savant) so that people will play briefly, die quickly, and then put MORE quarters into the machine. Sound good?”

It was perfect for the arcade. People at the mall wander in randomly because, well, it was either that or going to shop for earrings with their girlfriend. They see a game that seems simple enough to become instantly appealing and has...

Rating of
4/5 

03/25/2011 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Intensely Difficult and Fun

Ikaruga is short, but it's intense, difficult and a heck of a lot of fun. It's your basic space shooter, much like Gradius and R-type except for one major point. You can either shoot black ammo as a black ship or white ammo as a white ship. When you're black, you can kill white enemies and you're immune to black ammo. When you adsorb enemy fire, you score goes up too.

With only a few levels, this game is not about beating it, but trying to die as little as possible and getting high combos and high scores. 2 player co-op mode is even more insane and fun as long as your partner is up to the task.

Here's a somewhat rare game that I don't think a lot of people have played, but if you like space shooters you should give this one a try.

Rating of
4/5