Ikari Warriors 3: The Rescue
a game by | SNK |
Genre: | Shooting Games |
Platform: | NES |
Editor Rating: | 7.4/10, based on 5 reviews |
User Rating: | 9.0/10 - 2 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Arcade Games |
Late in the 20th century, the nations of Earth are caught in the grip of a deepening economic crisis. The resulting lapse in international power has allowed an evil organization known as Crime Ghost to infiltrate every country on the globe. When one president dared to stand against Crime Ghost, his small daughter Elise was taken hostage. The criminals' message to the president was clear: Resign or never see your daughter again.
Unwilling to surrender to Crime Ghost, but desperate to see his daughter safe and sound, the president called on the incredible Ikari Warriors, Paul and Vince. But on the way to Crime Ghost headquarters, the Warriors' tank was destroyed and all their weapons lost. Armed only with their bare hands and formidable martial-arts skills, Paul and Vince must destroy the Crime Ghost organization, track down and eliminate its leader, Faust, and save Elise.
The lack of weapons is the most striking difference between Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue and the previous two games in the series. It turns this installment into a punch-and-kick action game, rather than a shooter. This isn't necessarily bad, except that the number and variety of moves available is fairly limited. You can punch by pressing one button, unleash a spin kick with another button, and perform a jump kick by pressing both - and that's it. As a result, the action tends to get a little repetitive.
Weapons are available in the form of power-ups, but most of them are one-shot grenades. Since the button you press to throw grenades is the same one you use to punch, occasionally you'll find yourself in a situation where you can't use the grenade, but you still need to defend yourself. You either have to dump off the grenade and fight by hand, or take whatever punishment you can absorb until you're ready to throw. The Select button might have been a better choice for tossing grenades.
Despite these shortcomings, Ikari Warriors III is still worthwhile. The graphics are well-done, and there's a lot of variety in the enemies you face and the strategies you'll need to overcome them. With a little more thoughtful design, this could have been a great game, but it's still entertaining.
Download Ikari Warriors 3: The Rescue
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
- P-200, 32 MB RAM
Game Reviews
The third installment of this coinop classic is now in development and may appear sometime in 1990. More explosive sights and sounds and two-player simultaneous combat is guaranteed in this last chapter (?) of the Ikari Warriors saga.
SNK says that they're going to do some major revisions to this, the final installment, of one of the most popular war-time shooters ever made. Loosely based on the coin-op, Ikari 3 (sub-titled "The Rescue") takes Paul and Vince even further behind enemy lines to engage a stronger army!
- Type: Action
- Available: April 1991
- Difficulty:Avg.
Vince and Paul are back for another hard-nose, no-holds-barred mission of immense proportions! Starting with nothing but their fists, feet, and cunning, the Ikari Warriors must battle through an entire army of tanks, mercenaries, and snipers to reach their ultimate goal: permanent world peace! This game features two player simultaneous action and multiple techniques to blast the enemy away!
People say:
The qualities I had come to love in the previous titles in the Ikari series were missing Ikari 3! The overhead fighting scenes are ridiculous compared to other emerging titles. The play mechanics in Ikari 2 were much better than this, so I guess I expected a little more.
The first two games of this series were good games for their time and I had high hopes that the third would be even better. Unfortunately it is only about as good as the previous games and it just isn't enough considering how far games have come in just a year. Only average.
Ikari 3 is not what it should be. I was really looking forward to an intense overhead commando shooter but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I liked the previous games but the play mechanics in this version weren't as well defined and this kept me from really getting into the action.
Ikari 3 was a slight disappointment from the onset. Compared to the previous excellent sequel, this cart seems lazy and misguided. The graphics are a little too choppy to catch my eye, and game play is just as shaky. Not bad, but not spectacular, either.
If you thought the hottest SNK war game action was 'Nam '75 for the NEOGEO, well, you're right. However, for all you shoot-em-up fans, SNK has continued its action-packed NES Ikari Warriors series with Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue.
As if you couldn't have guessed, it seems a hush-hush terrorist group, Crime Ghost, has kidnapped the President's daughter, Elise. The first family has given up hope of ever seeing its pride and joy again, but fortunately Paul and Vince are on the job.
A View on the Kill
Paul (and Vince in two-player simultaneous mode) must traverse jungles, battlefields, enemy hideouts, and the like in this six-Act mission of blood and steel. Their campaign is displayed from an angled top-down perspective, and the screen scrolls vertically and horizontally. The graphics are above average but suffer more than most from flicker. However, there are some well-drawn intermission scenes to keep you updated on the plot. The tunes rock to the same compelling beat found in earlier SNK warfare games like P.O.W.
Fists of Fury
In their previous appearances, the duo of destruction blew away opponents with an awesome arsenal. This time around, they have to rely on fists and feet, though boulders, exploding barrels, rifles, and grenades come into play every now and then.
ProTips:
- In general, a rapid lire flurry of punches is your best offense. Often you can stun an opponent and quickly dispatch him with this tactic.
- When you wade through water, press A for a gorilla slam that would make even the Ultimate Warrior cringe.
Hit the Road, Paul
No blastathon would be complete without an army of devious soldiers. The Crime Ghosts attack in waves, and each wave possesses a different skill, such as flying karate, grenades, or sub-machine guns. To top it all off, super bosses are found at the end of every level, with a few thrown in at halfway points for good measure.
Acts l-lll take place on dry land, but number IV is an underwater scuba expedition! After rescuing Elise in Act V, you'll have to hijack a plane home and take on mega-commander Faust in Act VI.
- To scrap the boss tank at the end of Act I, blast it from the side. Keep moving or you'll be flattened by its treads.
- Todd Manor, the dynamite-totin' chief of Act II, isn't as tough as he looks. Stand behind him to avoid his explosives, and use the rapid punch technique when he lands next to you.
- Take on the Cheng Brothers of Act III one at a time with a close up rapid punch -- even their shields can't save them.
- The huge tank found at the conclusion of Act V has a vulnerable turret. Dodge in between its shots and lire when possible.
- Final boss Faust is as susceptible as anyone to rapid punches. Keep close and don't give him a chance to body-slam you.
Too Much Power to You
Remember when you breezed through Ikari I with the continue code and decided the game wasn't worth more than a rental? In Ikari III you get unlimited continues from the spot where you perish, so you may reach a similar conclusion.
It's a fairly fun two player contest, but only the first trip through. After that, this game is as dry as the Sahara Desert.