Giant Bomb reviews Ikaruga (4/5)

Jeff Gerstmann reports:

''I'll never be a great Ikaruga player, and that's fine. I've come to terms with that. But that doesn't mean I can't stand at a safe distance and appreciate it from afar. While some people would claim that most 2D overhead shooter worship comes from a very pretentious place that's usually reserved for wine snobbery, you don't need to be some high-falutin' games-as-art nerd to appreciate Ikaruga.
Though, I feel it's necessary to say up front that Ikaruga certainly isn't for everyone. You may hear people go on and on about how it's an amazing, museum-worthy masterpiece. But if your brain isn't wired to appreciate a top-down shooter, no amount of praise is going to make this game seem as special as many claim, and it's likely that most people will find it completely impenetrable. Consider that your last warning on the subject.''