I think Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun have done a lot...

[CStarFlare]

It's not really important. Both have been a net positive for the community, and hearing about one first doesn't mean the other wasn't as or more important for one's introduction to the genre as a whole. A poll would be a worthless pissing contest.

I played Ikaruga first, but was pretty casual about it. I played PCB later and enjoyed the hell out of it - liked it enough to actually clear the Extra stage (unlocked on my pirated copy by default, I was naughty) and learn the system to improve my score. I still play Touhou on occasion, I play Ikaruga once in a while and put the game down when I remember that stage 4 is a wall I'm not willing to work through.

[ACSeraph]

Don't get me wrong I've got nothing against Touhou. I think Ikaruga made a bigger impression on people in a certain age range who can remember around the time it first came out on GC and how hype the reviews and stuff were around it. It made an impression that has at this point mostly faded outside of the age group that remembers it. I think a lot of younger players who missed the GC Ikaruga release or were too young to appreciate it are the ones who see Touhou as "the big one". But then, I know a few older guys here in their 50's who like shmups, and if you asked this question to them their answer would likely be "Ikaruga and Touhou? No way, Xevious is where the hype is at!"

[Squire Grooktook]

Don't get me wrong I've got nothing against Touhou. I think Ikaruga made a bigger impression on people in a certain age range who can remember around the time it first came out on GC and how hype the reviews and stuff were around it. It made an impression that has at this point mostly faded outside of the age group that remembers it. I think a lot of younger players who missed the GC Ikaruga release or were too young to appreciate it are the ones who see Touhou as "the big one". But then, I know a few older guys here in their 50's who like shmups, and if you asked this question to them their answer would likely be "Ikaruga and Touhou? No way, Xevious is where the hype is at!"

Yeah, good point.

[replayme]

For me, it was never about Ikaruga on GC. I was a sucker for that game as soon as Treasure announced it for the DC.

In terms of hype: I remember opting for MD/SFC games like Gynoug and Axelay though. That first level for Axelay still brings a tear to my eye. Iuchi should make a sequel to that (or Einhander).

[yorgje]

i've very carefully read every single word that i can see in this thread, and thought about every little thing that could be implied before even trying to type out a reply.

[ozzie_owl]

It was Ikaruga on the Game Cube that got me back into shoot em ups, more recently started playing Radient Silvergun on the 360. Cave games have opened my eyes to shmups I never knew existed. I can see it been an expensive discovery.

[Krooze L-Roy]

I think only a small percentage of the total video game playing population are inclined to enjoy shmups to begin with. And, as with any skill-based activity, satisfaction runs parallel with skill, so for that small subset to get "hooked" would require a certain level of sustained exposure, so they can experience that gradual blossoming of skill which is so pleasurable.

A game like Ikaruga, which garners so much praise and hype as to become a "Next Big Thing," is gonna go a long way toward weeding out that tiny demographic. Most people just go with the crowd - in terms of everything, not just games - so when "the crowd" set it's sights on a shooter for a change, that's huge for the genre. Even among those whom it failed to hook, it hopefully planted a seed.

What would the fighting game scene be like without SFII (assuming/pretending it would even exist)? Granted, Ikaruga's time in the spotlight wasn't even in the same ballpark. But think; how many people would naturally have flocked to such a difficult and unapproachable genre as fighting games if there hadn't been a cultural phenomenon that forced the sustained exposure of millions of people to it?

Any shooter that becomes popular enough that the general public feel obligated to try it out is a good thing, and I think Ikaruga is the granddaddy as far as that goes. At the very least, it's nice to be able to say "you know, like Ikaruga" when you're trying to describe the genre.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I don't think more people even heard of Ikaruga than Space Invaders. The only shmup I recall playing in 2003 would be Chicken Invaders on the PC.

[gray117]

Not sure how much they 'have done', but they're both mighty fine games.

They'll contribute to a profile of a genre, but I don't know how many become paying customers/patrons. That being said if you're destined to be a niche genre and would rather a respectful profile I'd much rather ikaruga was the poster child than touhou...

... As far as a wide audience goes, you're going to need an accessible game, cheap/free, and a western friendly name.... and, no, 'radiant silvergun' is not a branding friendly... plus I'm not sure shmups have really developed along these lines anyway.

[Blinge]

Some of the arguments made here have been quite brilliant. Jus sayin'

Also, there's a new hi-score thread for Ikaruga right here, in case you wanted to show your appreciation that way =]

[Raytrace]

Ikaruga was also a Gamecube exclusive (a relatively unpopular console) in the West for years, while all the Touhou games are available on PC with low system requirements and have been very widely pirated.

I got the impression that Ikaruga was only a passing interest for most US/EU players, who then went back to playing typical console games. Not so for Touhou's rabid following.

and unless there was something wrong with my GC - the EU version of Ikaruga was terribly slow compared to the DC version.

[Pretas]

Ikaruga GC is very far from being the only game to suffer from a poor PAL conversion, though.

[Raytrace]

Ikaruga GC is very far from being the only game to suffer from a poor PAL conversion, though.

yeah and I suppose the pain was accentuated for me as I don't have a stick for the GC.

[qmish]

Silvergun's Varas looks so cool, is there a video of it only? Would be cool to have gifs dedicated to RSgun bosses

[MR_Soren]

I know it's anecdotal, but Ikaruga played a role in bringing me here. I was a devoted GameCube fan, so I hunted down any unique experiences I could find. Ikaruga caught my interest enough that I bought Chaos Field and was anticipating the North American localization of Radio Allergy before it got canceled.

With the Radio Allergy cancellation in 2007 and basically nothing else on the horizon, I decided that the GameCube was dead and started paying more attention to the PlayStation 2 that we basically just used for movies and my wife's Silent Hill games. Seeking more games like Ikaruga, I found Castle Shikigami 2, Gradius V, Silpheed: the Lost Planet, and others. Castle Shikigami 2 piqued my interest the most because the bullet grazing gimmick seemed like that game's equivalent to Ikaruga chaining - an optional way to play that is more challenging but causes you to score more points. That realization is what awakened my mind to the idea that shmups can have a lot of depth. (Like many, I began to prefer Zelda and Final Fantasy during the 16-bit era, and started assuming that action games were for simpletons.)

So, yes, I believe it is true that Ikaruga did a lot for the genre. Touhou maybe did as well, but this topic isn't about touhou. Also, pirating games doesn't really benefit the genre.

[MintyTheCat]

I know it's anecdotal, but Ikaruga played a role in bringing me here. I was a devoted GameCube fan, so I hunted down any unique experiences I could find. Ikaruga caught my interest enough that I bought Chaos Field and was anticipating the North American localization of Radio Allergy before it got canceled.

So, yes, I believe it is true that Ikaruga did a lot for the genre. Touhou maybe did as well, but this topic isn't about touhou. Also, pirating games doesn't really benefit the genre.

ikaruga was the reason why me and a mate both bought Dreamcasts. I bought three copies when it was released and to this day I think it is a solid and well produced Shmup. I like the look of it and how it plays and the unique polarity switch feature as it really brought something different to Shmups for me.

I buy what is worth buying or what can be bought if it is worth it, if not I simply don't play it personally. Mind you, I have enjoyed MAME over the years but very rarely.

Funny thing is that the NeoGeo Emulators in the late 1990s reminded me that the NeoGeo was still being produced for and I actually went out and bought a physical AES back in 1999 so Emulators although are a bit grey they still have their place and influence people to play and perhaps buy the games.

[Gamer707b]

This is an interesting topic, so heres my 2 cents. I will speak only for myself and say Ikaruga was my gateway shooter. It wasn't till I got this game when it came out on Cube, that I become a bit more into the genre. Eventually I bought and played games like Rtype, Gradius, Radiant Silvergun, Darius and a few more. While Im not as hardcore as some others here, I do have a respect and passion for the genre. Even if Im horrible at these games. So at least for me, some that say Ikaruga being a introduction game for some, lies true with me.

[gray117]

Both are great games. Any backlash is usually due to they're over/poor referencing by those unfamiliar with the genre at large...

It's like when a good song gets overplayed.

To be fair, it's also because as a genre we're slightly bereft of contemporary/alternative references... ikaruga's nearly 15 years old... it's not the only example of mechanic of that type, but it's still fairly unique and re-releases have kept it visible/available/current.