Ikaruga
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Joyswag: Win a copy of Ikaruga (XBLA)
Update: Entries are closed. We'll be alerting the winners via e-mail soon, so please keep an eye on your inbox!Treasure's Ikaruga holds a special place in our hearts. If you're like some of us on the Joystiq crew, today's Xbox Live Arcade release will be the third time you pick up this classic shooter. At only 800 Microsoft Points ($10), this HD re-release is quite a bargain -- but, thanks to Microsoft, we're able to give three Joystiq readers a free download of the game. Just follow these rules for your chance to win: To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with the name of your favorite Treasure-developed game You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person This entry period ends at 12pm ET on Friday, April 11th. We'll randomly select 3 winners at that time (please check your email!) For a list of complete rules, click here For another chance to win, be sure to visit Xbox 360 Fanboy.
Ikaruga vertically scrolls onto the XBLA
Ikaruga, the Japanese arcade shooter that a few of our fellow fanboys have been salivating over, is now available for download off of the Xbox Live Arcade for a cool 800 Microsoft points. That means that the Dreamcast diehards among us no longer have any reason to track down an elusive Japanese copy of the game. Ikaruga supports two player co-op locally or over Live, video replays and (of course) the oh so unique and completely color coded polarity gameplay that we've all come to embrace. Go ahead and give Ikaruga a download already. Your inner vertical scroller will appreciate it.%Gallery-17189%
This Wednesday: XBLA gets Ikaruga, Poker Smash DLC
Hey, it's tough to keep the lid on an exciting secret. If we knew Ikaruga was coming to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, we'd probably blurt it out at every opportunity too. Sort of like what we're doing now. In case you haven't gathered, Treasure's mesmerizing shooter is finally, officially coming to Xbox 360 this week -- f'realz, confirmed and for 800 MS Points ($10). You're all smiles now, but just wait until the game crushes your ego to a pulp in its unrelenting, unforgiving bullet-hell fist. Those who prefer their gaming to be less hectic and humiliating should note that Poker Smash is receiving some downloadable content this week, with an "Environment Pack" adding two new Action Mode environments and a "Puzzle Pack" adding 15 new weapons. No, wait ... puzzles. Definitely puzzles. Each pack will set you back 100 MS Points ($1.25). Gallery: Ikaruga (XBLA)
Confirmed! Ikaruga to the XBLA this Wednesday
Treasure told us last week, but today Microsoft made it officially official. The highly anticipated arcade shooter Ikaruga will make its way to the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, April 9th for 800 Microsoft points. Ikaruga will feature five levels of shooter action, two player co-op gaming locally or over Xbox Live and include a video replay mode to watch all the destruction over, and over again. It's Ikaruga! It's releasing this Wednesday! It's Ikaruga!%Gallery-17189%
Treasure website: Ikaruga hits Xbox Live this week [update]
Treasure's maniacal shoot-em-up Ikaruga is coming this week, April 9, according to the game's website. There's no official word yet from Microsoft, but we wouldn't find the date surprising, as it was leaked once before on the Japanese Xbox site. The game was also "outed" for an April release by the UK Official Xbox Magazine and has reportedly been on PartnerNet since January. Our fingers are crossed that this release date will stick, and come Wednesday, we can enjoy some mind-blowing, color-coordinated space shooting.Update: Confirmed by Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog for this week.
Treasure site says Ikaruga flies this Wednesday
Long rumored, and even leaked, this week's big Live Arcade release is now officially Treasure's fan favorite shooter Ikaruga. Despite the fact that the official xbox.com page still says "TBA," Treasure's website has been updated with the game's release date, and if the developers are not to be trusted, who is? The screen scrolling shoot 'em up that made its original debut in the days of the Dreamcast is designed around avoiding geometric patterns of bullets while shooting enemies. Ikaruga changes things up by adding the ability to change your ship's polarity to become invulnerable to certain bullet types. This looks to be the next really big game on the XBLA horizon, we just have to hope that the netcode holds up to the craziness that is Xbox Live.
Cave shooters denied XBLA release by Microsoft
Recently Xbox Live Arcade has shown considerable potential as a home for shoot 'em ups, from the Forgotten Worlds-channeling Omega Five to monochrome shooter Ikaruga's looming release. However, to hear talk from 5pb, the devs charged with bringing Cave's nefarious DoDonPachi series as well as its latest shooter Ketsui to XBLA's digital frontier, the platform still has a few nagging hang ups keeping it from becoming a beacon for shmups.Echoing N+ developer Metanet's recent comments concerning what does and does not make it to the service, 5pb spoke out about similar frustrations in the latest issue of Famitsu, revealing that both of its ports of DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label X and Ketsui X had been summarily rejected for release over XBLA, with Microsoft claiming that it's "going to cut down on faithful arcade ports." Only faithful ones?We agree that there is certainly a glut of arcade nonsense on XBLA, but this is equivalent to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 5pb and Cave are reportedly now working to bring both games to market through traditional retail channels in a defiant effort to show Microsoft "that their decision was wrong." Now all we need is a publisher with an eye for niche Japanese releases to pick the games up for release outside of Japan. Altus, are you listening?[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Rumor: Ikaruga polarizing XBLA April 9
The Japanese version of Xbox.com apparently posted the release date for the long-awaited XBLA version of Ikaruga. Xblah reports a Japanese website caught the alleged premature posting showing the game had an April 9 date attached to it.Although the game still has no official release, UK OXM had a review of the game in its April issue with an image saying the game was "out now." Ikaruga has been on PartnerNet since January, so it'd be nice if it could make its polarity flipping public appearance sometime in the near future.[Via Xblah]
Ikaruga release date leaked
Update: It seems the xbox.com page has been taken down ... whatever could that mean? Date moved? Date confirmed? We'll have to wait and see.The screen scrolling shoot-em is a genre that's looking to more fully cement itself on XBLA soon, and Ikaruga will be one of the games that will allow it to do that. With a release date of 04/09/2008, April 9th 2008, fans of the incredibly hardcore co-op shooter will should be be happy, as thats the release date leaked onto the Japanese xbox.com site earlier today. We haven't heard much about this game so far, and with this info showing up on the Japanese version of xbox.com, it's possible that the English localization of the XBLA version isn't ready. We'll find out soon either way, now all we need is the game's price point, and since this isn't an original creation hopefully its not as expensive as another approaching-release XBLA game.
UK OXM's April issue: Ikaruga 'out now' on XBLA
The April issue of UK Official Xbox Magazine apparently believes that the XBLA version of Ikaruga is "out now," meaning the classic polarity-bending shooter may finally be close to release. Receiving a 9 out of 10 from the magazine, there's no clear release date for the game, but given the magazine's publication month, the only thing we can venture to guess is the title should be out by the end of April.We were impressed with the port of Ikaruga during our hands-on time with the game back at the Tokyo Games Show. Ikaruga's XBLA premiere has been a long time coming, first popping up on our radar in Feb. of 2007 and finally being officially confirmed much later in the year. Hopefully the UK OXM piece means the wait is almost over.
Ikaruga achievements revealed
Oh, Ikaruga. What can we say about you that we haven't said in the past? We've dropped rumor after rumor in the wake of your pending announcement. Lamented about the wait for your upcoming HD upgrade. We've even been teased by advertisements while we awaited your arrival. Today the teasing continues as your achievements have been revealed. From simple scenarios like beating bosses to unimaginable feats like completing your campaign on one continue - your achievements are no joke. Well Ikaruga, it seems we know everything about you that we can. So would you please hurry up and release already? These 800 MS Points are burning a hole in our pockets![Thanks, Morgon]
OXM hints at imminent Ikaruga
It seems the April issue of Official Xbox Magazine has some information about the highly anticipated XBLA release Ikaruga. Specifically, it sounds like the game will be coming out very soon, as the magazine notes the game is already available with a graphic that reads "Out Now." It doesn't get much clearer than that. Unfortunately, given the nature of magazine lead times (people get April issues in March, etc.) it's hard to say exactly when Ikaruga will show up, but it's probably safe to say it should be out before the end of April. Oh, and for what it's worth, OXM gave Ikaruga a 9 out of 10, so things are looking up.Update: Upon closer inspection, the review appears to be in the UK Official Xbox Magazine.[Thanks, Teddings]
Ikaruga: an announcement postmortem
After weeks of solid Xbox Live Arcade releases from such re-envisioned classics as RezHD to new-age addiction like Poker Smash, we can't help but wonder where one game in particular is. Ikaruga, from Treasure Video Games, has been at the top of our most wanted list since it was announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2007 but it still hasn't found its way into our hard drives (currently it's the only XBLA title announced at TGS07 that has yet to be released.)Visiting the official product page on Treasure's website (translated) we know that the game will ring in at 800 MS Points and that it's set for a winter '08 release. With March quickly approaching we can't help but wonder if Ikaruga will be hitting the Marketplace sometime in the next few weeks. Ikaruga's XBLA release checks off every major bullet-point for the service, such as: hi-resolution graphics and achievements, as well as added bonuses like 2 player co-op and support for both 16:9 and 16:10 widescreen.Kotaku ran a story in early January confirming that Ikaruga had made its way to Partner Net, an industry-only beta release of Arcade titles in development, so we're optimistic the classic shooter will go live very soon.%Gallery-17189%
Ikaruga back on Xbox 360 PartnerNet
Treasure's crazed, color-coded shoot 'em up Ikaruga has been found on PartnerNet, an alternate form of Xbox Live for developers to use for testing code, according to a poster at the SHMUPS forums. The game was reportedly a 49.04 MB download, and captured screenshots show menus for the leaderboard and replay system. Also noteworthy is that the game supports both 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios.Ikaruga's appearance on PartnerNet does not necessarily mean the game will be released anytime soon, although there does seem to be an indication that the game is nearing completion. Ikaruga was announced for XBLA alongside Rez, which is slated for release this month.[Via Arcade Renaissance]
TGS hands-on: Ikaruga (XBLA)
There are many gamers that don't know of, let alone know how to pronounce, Treasure's Ikaruga. Unfortunate, considering it's the definitive shooter of the last console generation. With its arrival on Xbox 360, a whole new set of gamers can enjoy Treasure's masterpiece, which was previously only available on the Dreamcast and Gamecube.Those that have already played the game can rest assured that the game is identical in every way to the original. Every enemy pattern that we've seen in our short time with the game remains exactly as it was years ago. There is one key enhancement: the video has now been upgraded to run in HD, making the game look as good as you remember it. Admittedly, you won't be concentrating at the backgrounds while playing the game, simply for the sake of staying alive. However, it's a good addition to know will be in this remastered re-release.Those that haven't played the game will find Ikaruga to be one of the games that's easy to learn, but difficult to master. The game only uses two buttons: A and B. One button will let you shoot a barrage of bullets, while the other will let you switch polarity. Polarity becomes the big theme of the game, as your ship changes strengths and weaknesses when changing affinities. Being a white ship will allow you to destroy black ships twice as quickly, but it will leave you vulnerable to any attack from black fire. The opposite is true for black ships. Your ship can absorb the bullets of the same color, which you can then throw back at enemies. These rules are the construct for devilish enemy patterns and level designs that will have you memorizing each level just for fun. It's brutally difficult, but immensely satisfying, and easily one of the best additions to XBLA.
Radiant Silvergun gunning for XBLA?
In an interview with 1UP, Masato Maegawa, president of Treasure (shooter developer extraordinaire) talked about the company's current and future plans for Xbox 360. Firstly, Maegawa mentions that Ikaruga will have many new features on Xbox Live Arcade, including online co-op and the ability to record and share movies. Also, Maegawa spoke about the 360 shooter that was first announced back in January. Apparently, development for the unnamed shooter has been slow because of the resource-intensive nature of developing for 360. Also, it seems that part of the shooter team is also busy porting Ikaruga to Xbox Live Arcade. Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, Maegawa notes the possibility that Radiant Silvergun may be headed to XBLA complete with high definition visuals. The sound you just heard was the jaws of millions of shooter fans hitting the floor.
New details on Treasure's Wii project, Ikaruga XBLA
Die-hard fans of Treasure's shooters probably already own Ikaruga for either Dreamcast or Gamecube -- possibly both. So why would they buy the title yet again for the Xbox 360? According to Treasure president Masato Maegawa speaking to 1UP, new features to the game include online co-op, worldwide rankings and the ability to share replays.Given Ikaruga's frantic pulsations of laser shots, we're hoping there's some code in place to fix any lag issues. There's a lot of quick, minute movements required in the shooter and being out of sync at all with your partner would lead to a very frustrating experience (see: Contra XBLA).Maegawa also told 1UP that they are in the midst of developing a title for Nintendo Wii. The project is being handled by the "action" team (other teams include shmup and fighting) who also made one of our favorite Virtual Console titles, Gunstar Heroes. No other details are available, though we expect the title to retain much of the side scrolling action style as its spiritual ancestors.
Don't expect any Treasure games on PSN anytime soon
On the cusp of Tokyo Game Show, the 1up crew tracked down Treasure president Masato Maegawa to ask him all sorts of questions regarding his company's future. Treasure, of course, is the company behind such great titles like Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes.While we're sure plenty of you would love to download any of those games via the PlayStation Network, it doesn't look like it'll be happening ... at least not for awhile, anyway. Maegawa said that Treasure is just now "fully up and running on developing for Xbox Live Arcade, so to move resources to PSN just now wouldn't make much sense."Ouch, did you hear that? That's the sound of my heart being crushed under Maegawa's steel-toed penny loafers. You'll rue the day for this decision, Maegawa. RUE!
Rez and Ikaruga confirmed for XBLA
Proving that the Tokyo Game Show is about more than just announcing Ninja Gaiden 2, several new (and notably Japanese) games have been announced for Xbox Live Arcade. First and foremost among these are Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Rez and Treasure's Ikaruga. While Ikaruga's appearance on XBLA shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, Rez comes as a pretty big surprise. If you're not familiar with Rez, you're probably better off watching the video embedded after the break than having us attempt to explain it.Microsoft also touted several other games for XBLA including EXIT (previously announced), Every Extend Extra Extreme (ditto), Omega Five (impressions), and Triggerheart Exelica (a shooter apparently). Things are looking up for XBLA, no?
Rez, Ikaruga, Exit confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade
If you missed out on our liveblog of Microsoft's pre-TGS conference in Japan (it does, after all, require an excessive and strenuous amount of scrolling to access), you may appreciate and respond with delirious joy to some of the pertinent news to emerge from it. You should also appreciate the amount of effort that went into the preceding and vaguely professional sentence -- we really just wanted to blurt out that REZ ON XBLA YAY. Ahem. Microsoft confirmed that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's melodic shooter will soon make you hear everything you see and see everything you hear on Xbox Live Arcade. Other things you'll see are waves of hypnotic bullets (Ikaruga), saviors adorned with fine hats (EXIT), pulsating geometric shapes (Every Extend Extra Extreme), flying robots (Omega Five) and... er, some sort of Japanese car (Triggerheart Exelica)? No release dates have been announced for any of the games, though we suspect none of them are likely to come soon enough.
