Console Monster: Ikaruga Mini-Review

Console Monster writes: "If you have a passion for vertical shooters, the news of Ikaruga landing on Xbox LIVE will raise an eyebrow of nostalgia. This particular shooter has found home in the arcades over recent years, and later in homes via SEGA's Dreamcast and Nintendo's GameCube.

So why should you be flustered over this shooter in particular, well this reviewer classes this title as one of the best you will ever play (oh dear, there I go raising the hype flag). Let's be honest, the Xbox LIVE Arcade has already seen its fair share of vertical shooters, most of which have been pretty dated and to put it bluntly, terrible.

Ikaruga rides a similar wave found in most shooters today; you control your spacecraft within a vertical scrolling environment, shooting oncoming enemies that enter the screen from various angles. The difference that puts Ikaruga in a new light is its main polarity mechanic in the game. Each enemy craft comes in two polarities types – black (red) or white (blue)..."