While I'm excited for some the year's releases, I'll be mainly sticking to last year's plan of finishing up my backlog games. More specifically, I'm aiming to play more PC, 3DS, and retro games that I've bought on sales but haven't gotten around to playing. That and there's some RPGs that I've been meaning to play for ages, so I think it's going to be another busy year. So without any delays, here are two games I've been recently playing:
Ikaruga (PC)
From Treasure, makers of shooter classics like Gunstar Heroes and Sin and Punishment, came Ikaruga for the arcades in 2001. A shoot 'em up where you control a young man named Shinra, who pilots the titular ship Ikaruga in an attempt to fight-off an enemy invasion while navigating through a pseudo-philosophical plot. I've always wanted to talk about the since I'm a fan of Treasure's games and Ikaruga's my favorite of theirs.
The main mechanic of the game is that Ikaruga can switch between black and white polarities as you shoot enemies. Staying in white polarity shields you from white projectiles and vice versa. Better yet, shooting a black-colored enemy while white polarity deals double damage with the same being true in black polarity. It's a fun and extremely challenging mechanic to master as the game itself is hard, showering you with enemies and bullets from all over the screen. It's often regarded as one (if not the hardest) shoot 'em ups out there since surviving the game with five lives is taxing. Thankfully, there are multiple difficulty options to choose from and an infinite continue system if you're simply planning on experiencing the game.
The boss fights were awesome and require careful pattern memorization to beat, though the last two weren't as fun. That said, the controls felt slow given that you're constantly trying to evade the nonstop action. Replay-value is high as in addition to leaderboards and multiple difficulties, you get an extra ship to play and a "prototype" mode where you only have a fixed amount of bullets to shoot. I've been playing and enjoying Ikaruga for years due to its fun gameplay hook and tough difficulty. That and few games come close to matching its fun gameplay, neat visuals, and memorable soundtrack. Fans of the genre should definitely give it a look.
Tekken (PSN)
The first Tekken was a standout in the early 3D fighting game scene back in 1994. Focusing around a group of fighters who enter the "King of Iron Fist" tournament. The roster includes over 17 characters including series mainstays like Kazuya, Nina, Heihachi, and King to name a few. The gameplay while fun at the time, has aged considerably, and it's a chore to play through today. Combat is stiff and sluggish, with little in the way of combos. Getting back up from falls take ages and worse yet, the AI is cheap as hell, being able to quickly read your moves and floor you with attacks before you get a chance to act. That and the balancing was terrible as attack damages were inconsistent.
Time didn't do Tekken any favors; from the primitive gameplay to ancient visuals, it's only worth a play for fans of the series, looking to check-out the one that started it all. With the fun factor being on the low side, you're better off playing the later games in the series.
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