IKARI II DOGŌSŌKEN
( Ikari Warriors II Victory Road )
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怒II 怒号層圏
©1988 K.Amusement Leasing Co.
©1988 SNK Electronics Corp.
Release: 1988-04-16 (¥5500)
Cartdridge KAC-DS
Action game
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Released in America as
IKARI WARRIORS II VICTORY ROAD
( NES-VR-USA )
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Ikari II Dogōsōken is an overhead military themed shooter developed by SNK and
conversion of the arcade game originally released in 1986. Ralf
and Clark are back, and shortly after completing their last mission, an emergency
transmission reveals that a new threat is rising and is far worse than their prior job.
Zang Zip, the War Dog, has enslaved the people of Earth and our two heroes
must now travel to a strange alien world to save humanity. They come equipped with a
standard machine gun and can pick up a range of new weapons along the way, such as
the powerful bazooka (useful to also destroy obstacles), the boomerang (kill all
enemies on its way) and the sword (close range). Weapons can be changed at anytime by
accessing the status screen, and the warriors can also carry grenades and land mines
which are primarily used to clear obstacles or defeat strong enemies. Each time the player collects
a new weapon, the power gauge for that weapon increases and its attack level upgrades automatically.
It is also interesting to notice that, unlike the first game, each weapon comes with unlimited ammo.
Finally, a myriad of items are available throughout the game that can be stored and used at any
time - they range from special temporary powers (Thunder, Wing and Arrow) to
invincibility armors or extra health. Interestingly, each stage features a shop called
a 'Bar' (or 'barshop' in the American version, which is apparently a strange mix between a shop
and a bar). There,
bounty hunters can be defeated in duel to acquire Hearts (the game's currency). As a side note,
these hearts are also left behind by defeated enemies. Although Ikari II consists of five stages,
special warp tiles are also scattered around each level and give access to small mini-games or
mini-boss battles.
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Ikari II Dogōsōken (aka Ikari Warriors II Victory Road in the west) was an arcade game
by SNK originally released in 1986 (picture on the left). It was the sequel of Ikari, released the same year,
and also featured a rotary joystick allowing players to shoot in one direction while moving in another.
The Famicom port tested here shows several differences (or added features) with the arcade game.
Stores are now scattered throughout the game and odd looking hearts left behind by defeated
enemies can be used as currency. Ralf and Clark have a life meter unlike the arcade game
which featured a one-hit death (and three lives), and they can store any weapon they have collected, and use the status screen to
switch from one to another. Some of the special power-ups are different too (and can be stored as well),
and an exclusive flying wing was added to the Famicom port.
See Ikari (Fc) for more information about the series.
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Teaser text from the American version:
When we last saw Paul and Vince, they had saved
the Colonel and were about to head for home in
a special plane given to them by the General.
But then, while in flight over the ocean, the sky suddenly
blackens - the ocean beings to churn - and the plane goes
spinning! A booming voice fills the cockpit : "Hear me,
Warriors! Zang Zip, the War Dog, has enslaved the people
of Earth. Only you can save us from this grip of evil!"
Caught in a time warp,
hurled thousands of years
into the future, Paul and
Vince know they have no
choice but to meet this
impossible challenge
head-on. After all, they are
professionals... they are
the Ikari Warriors!
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Game Staff (Copied from the game's end credits) :
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STAFF
Tama
Kita
Hamach
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Tuka
Keiko
Presented by SNK and KAC
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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Continues (Japanese version):
Press A,B,B,A,A,A,A,A,A and B
right after you die to continue. It however only works three times for the final boss fight.
Continues (American version):
Press A,B,B and A
right after you die to continue. It however only works three times for the final boss fight.
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Display glitch:
Switching to the status screen during the game actually removes all the
destructible obstacles from the screen, as well as the
annoying warp tiles. However, it also removes all uncollected items
and weapons.
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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It is not really clear if the Dogōsōken arcade game was
originally designed to be a sequel to Ikari, or just to
cash in on the game engine. They were released the same year and
they both have completely different settings (and except for the
first Kanji in Dogōsōken, they also have a completely different name).
Anyway, back to the Famicom conversion - this port is an oddball.
The first stage and its army of green alien
leprechauns really sets the tone of things to come. Granted, the alien setting gave
the developers a chance to show off creative new enemies and locations, and all
kind of creepy spiders, flesh eating bugs and flying critters await for the players
at every corner. But the animation is still as choppy as the first game and controls,
despite being a significant improvement, are still terrible and cumbersome. The characters
are just impossible to steer and are agonizingly slow.
Then levels are boring and unexciting,
the graphics are monochromatically dull, and the music follows the same routine, repetitive
and unmemorable. Maybe I should retract my first statement - Ikari II
is in fact a dull ball. The original arcade game was really average, but this conversion is
outright below average.
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