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怒
©1986 K. Amusement Lising Co.
©1986 SNK Electronics Corp.
Release: 1986-11-26 (¥5500)
Cartdridge KAC-IK
Shooter/Action
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Released in America as IKARI WARRIORS
( NES-IW-USA )
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Released in Europe as IKARI WARRIORS
( NES-IW-XXX )
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Ikari (aka Ikari Warriors) is an overhead military
themed shooter developed by Micronics and conversion of SNK's
arcade game originally released in 1986. The game revolves around two
Rambo-like warriors (complete with torso attached shorts and red
headbands) who crash in an enemy infested jungle. Their objective is
clear - they must now proceed towards the enemy headquarters, blow up
tanks, gun turrets, fortified bunkers and lynch the enemy leader. Our
commando-warriors, Ralf and Clark, come equipped with a
standard machine gun and throwing grenades. More weapons can be picked
up from downed enemies such as Fire Bullets (F),
Long Range gun (L), spread/triple shot gun or
bomb grenades (B). Other special and secret items are also
available for the picking such as Speed ups (S), kill all
enemies on screen (K), the rare mega-ammo (H) that fully
refills the player's ammunition supply or the knife that kills
enemies by simply touching them. All the ranged weapons have limited
ammo and must be continually resupplied. But the meat of the game
really lies in the vehicles - a tank and an helicopter
can be acquired along the way, they both are bullet-proof and deal a
fair amount of damage to enemy units. They however run on fuel and
simply self-destruct when depleted. Ikari features four gigantic
levels and a two simultaneous player mode.
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This Famicom port by Micronics shows many differences with the
arcade game. First of all, the game is split into four large areas whereas the
arcade was a long uninterrupted level. Players can also pilot helicopters and
new enemies have been added to the mix as well. Interestingly, the last boss
is also completely different. The arcade game ends on a rotting general - this
is also the case in this version, however, a hidden staircase leads to the
final and fourth level. There, players fight the final boss, a large smiling skull-face.
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Ikari (aka Ikari Warriors in the west) was an arcade game by
SNK originally released in 1986 (picture on the left). It was an instant hit and was ported
to countless home systems of the time - Commodore 64 (1986),
Amstrad CPC (1986), Famicom (1986), PC (1986),
MSX (1987), ZX Spectrum (1988), Amiga (1987),
Atari ST (1988), Atari 2600 (1989) and Atari 7800 (1990).
A sequel called Ikari II Dogō sōken (aka Ikari Warriors II Victory Road)
followed the same year, in 1986. It was also ported to several home systems
at the time, and sometimes simply named 'Victory road' - Commodore 64 (1987),
PC (1987), Famicom (1988), Amstrad CPC (1988),
ZX Spectrum (1989), Amiga (1989). The third (and last)
episode, Ikari III: The Rescue was released in the arcades in 1989.
It was then ported to the PC (1989), Famicom (1990) and
Commodore 64 (1990). Ralf and Clark reappeared in
SNK games though and they can be seen in the
King of Fighters series.
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Teaser text from the American version:
AMERICA'S ARCADE HIT
COMES HOME!
You and a friend are
warriors with secret
orders to invade an
enemy nation. Working
together as a team, you
must fight for survival
against a relentless
onslaught of enemies!
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G O O D I E S
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Japanese Guidebook
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O M A K E
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Click on picture to enlarge |
S E C R E T S
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Infinite continues:
When you lose a life, the screen holds for a few seconds right before
the dramatic 'Game Over'. To continue, press A, B, B,
A before the Game Over screen appears.
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LK
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Alter Ego
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P O V s
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Ikari is a difficult game to master, not only because of
the design of the levels (they are simply huge), but because the
controls feel floaty and slow to react. The original arcade game
had a rotary joystick that allowed players to move in one
direction and fire in another. This conversion tries hard
to give you the same amount of 'firing freedom', but fails
miserably. Controls are incredibly stiff and too slow to
respond to the continuous enemy threat. Levels are humongous
(each one take at least thirty minutes to complete) but there
is a price to pay for such indulgence - they are immensely
repetitive and the difficulty is very uneven. Visually the game
is correct especially considering its age, the gameplay is
simple, addictive and riding a tank is always fun. But, all
in all, Ikari is really basic and average, and I really
advise anyone who wants to play the game to use the
continue cheat (see the secret section).
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Think about all the qualities befitting a commando man - the pectoral muscles,
the strong shoulders, the characteristic headband, the pink tank... the
PINK tank ? What was Micronics thinking ? Sure, a tank has all the
manliness of a Hummer but come on ! Pink ? Purple would have been alright,
purple is a bit more manly than pink, but pink ? Then it suddenly hits you
like a burst of machine-gun fire. A closer inspection reveals the
frightening truth - Ralf's headband that we mistakenly believed
to be red is in reality pink, explosions are pink, fuel is pink even the
game's title is pink. Under a manly and tough exterior lies the gentle
and sensitive souls of two commando men who crash landed on their way to
their honeymoon. No wonder they are pissed and start shooting at
anything that moves.
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