So is is a fully reprogrammed game or an emulation of the Dreamcast original? The game is actually less than 50MB in size on the DC so I wouldn't be surprised if it is just emulation. If that is true 360 owners could see more DC games coming to XBOX live. Yakumo
I suspect its a new port to the XBOX 360, I doubt Microsoft have written a Dreamcast emulator (considering that the 360 probobly doesnt have the power to emulate the Dreamcast)
jonwil: Theres a PC Dreamcast emulator called Chankast that ran Ikaruga (and others) full speed on my old 2.4GHz rig, so the 3 core, 3.2GHz chip inside the 360 could handle it no problem! Though it probably is just a port, since it's much easier than an emulator...
Badass, but the question is WHEN! I like how the hard to find/only arcade games are now downloadable for a decent price with added stuff like multiplayer. Alien Hominid looks cool too.
My guess is that they ported the gamecube version since it is running on a Power PC and an ATI graphic chip it should't be hard to port since the Xbox360 shares a similar architecture. Sabre
I don't understand why people care about these Live Arcade games and Nintendo's Virtual Console games that are just ports of older games. If you really want to play Ikaruga, why not buy a Gamecube? Or even better, a Dreamcast? They can be had for fairly cheap these days. It's a scam, in my opinion. People are either interested by the novelty of playing older games on a new console or they're too dumb and/or lazy to obtain an older console. Personally, I would much prefer to own the actual game because 1) I am guaranteed that it is presented in exactly the way it was intended and 2) I have some sort of physical artifact (a CD, cartridge) rather than just an icon on my dashboard. End rant.
I'd rather own the actual game and have an actual CD and stuff, but with games like Castlevania and Ikaruga, aren't they pricey to buy the original? The only reason I bothered with Live Arcade is because they have added multiplayer and stuff in them, and most of them have been ports of the arcade versions, which I could play on MAME yes, but I like the 360 ones still.
How about "It's easier than having 50 game consoles hooked up in my living room"? I like it because, in the case of arcade games, they are usually better than any availably produced home version, and it's much more convenient (you would say lazy) than scouring eBay and sendin money to some guy 2000 miles away then waiting by the mailbox. Also, most of those old consoles don't offer component hookups, and actually get a much cleaner picture on my 360 using my HDTV. Thirdly, some titles feature added online play. Just the other day I was playing 4 player Gauntlet online with voice chat and everything, and that's just freaking cool.
Because not everyone is a hardcore geek that likes to have tons of consoles in their room and would rather just have 1 console and they are willing to pay a little to play old games that they like? Or they just dont feel like spending money on another console? I would rather download games for free and spend my money on other things that will actually help me out in life such as clothes, cars and hoes.
the GC/Wii's graphics chip architecture is irrelevant to the 360's GPU. They are seperate projects and ATi cant make use of the know-how gained on the GC product, nor its technologies, or it would be in breach of contract and fiduciary duty to nintendo, as they wholy own the copyright to the Flipper and the Hollywood chips
I guess it flies in the face of "it's cheaper then the original" since the 360 is 400$, but still. I like how a lot of the Arcade games are enhanced with multiplayer and stuff. I like Nintendos VC but I think there prices are a bit steep for the games it has with no addons. HOWEVER, I will always think of stuff like iTunes as a flat out ripoff! 1$ a song VS buying the CD? Ridiculous! 360 Arcade is the only download service I've ever payed for.
I don't know about you guys, but I found the GCN version of Ikaruga for like $10 in a Toys R Us probably over 2 years ago.
Do you honestly think that tracking down the original copy of the game and buying a console to accompany it is a better option than paying a small fee to download it and play it on your XB360?
Personally, yes. If you buy a Gamecube or a Dreamcast along with Ikaruga, it will be more expensive, but you'll also be able to play many more games for that system along with it; whereas if you simply bought Ikaruge off Live, you'd effectively be buying a part of a Dreamcast (the part that'll play Ikaruga only), but without the Dreamcast, if that makes any sense. Now, if you were talking about a game that was released on a rare console or outside of my territory, then it would probably make more sense to buy it off of Live. The common consoles are sufficiently cheap, in my opinion, that it's better to pay for the whole thing and get a console than play less and get a game. It's like buying a single grape versus buying a bundle of grapes. This type of judgement is pretty subjective, though.
I would imagine the real question for most here isn't whether the DC is a worthy console of owning, or whether they'd like to own a physical copy of Ikaruga or not. I'd guess that most of you own a DC, and most of those interested in Ikaruga will have picked it up by now, one way or another. The real question is whether it's easier just to have a single hub for your entertainment, whether you object to paying a small fee to not have to dig out each console and hookups every time you want to play a game from a different system. I know I tend to play whatever's plugged in, and I also know I'd have no problems winging Treasure over a few more quid, despite owning the DC version, as I've enjoyed Ikaruga a lot.
Ikaruga on the 360 will feature 720p (cube and dc version won't do that) and probally some online mode's aswell. And probally the price will be around 10$, So I'm even interested in buying it again altough I have the Dreamcast version. (plus I can play it with an wireless controller )
