The weeks surrounding big trade shows are always exciting for gamers, especially those of us who don’t have industry contacts to whisper big announcements our way in advance. It’s these times when it pays off to monitor the news and video sites closely for even the smallest teases of information, and that’s especially true right now. With PAX just behind us and TGS now less than a month away, there are bound to be some surprises overlooked in the wake of the former and quietly leaked ahead of the latter.

But chronic anticipation can be a dangerous thing, as I found first-hand when I was made entirely too excited by a link to something called “Ikariam.” As you can see by the trailer, Ikariam is a free browser-based Greco-Roman RTS. Which is fine, I suppose, but about the furthest thing from my area on interest. (Or maybe that’s Touch Grind.)

[[image:nn_080913_ikari_01.jpg:Ikari IV – Leona’s Great Adventure is a fever-dream exclusive.:center:0]]
What got me so enthralled was the title, which to my old-school sensibilities could have implied nothing but a renewal of SNK’s ancient Ikari Warriors franchise. Not that Ikari is as fondly-remembered a brand as your Mega Men or even your Kid Icari, but it would make enough sense considering Capcom’s recent Commando revival. And as is becoming increasingly evident, retro revivals in any form are receiving more love now than ever before — to the point that even atrocious fare like The Legend of Kage can swing a sequel or two.

Even if Ikari is dead for good, its heroes, Ralf and Clark, have survived via assimilation into SNK’s The King of Fighters — and later, Metal Slug. Which, in the end, might be preferable to returning to the limelight, only for everyone to remember that their own games were never that good in the first place.