2D shmups are back with a vengeance these days, while 3D shmup releases are at an all time low. For my money, the last truly great game in the genre was Panzer Dragoon Orta on the original Xbox. That's only if you don't count Sin and Punishment, which technically came out almost ten years ago, but wasn't available in the US until recently, thanks to the virtual console's allowance for a low-risk, cost effective means of game distribution.

Now S&P has a sequel, and from what I've played of it at E3, I have no doubt that it will be awesome. Don't believe me? Well, luckily for you, some upstanding citizen of the internet has uploaded a full run-through of the game on Youtube. You may not be prepared to watch every bit of it, as the totally run-time is almost four hours long. Oh, and I guess you could call watching the entire game played from beginning to end a spoiler, so if you're trying to stay pure before the S&P 2's release in the states next year, you may want to steer clear (at least, of the later levels).

Really though, with a game this fast paced and mind-numbingly destructive, there's not much of a chance that you'll even remember these videos in a few months from now. There's too many set-pieces, boss fights, and generalized insanity here for anyone to keep track of, let alone store in one's mind. Shooting saber-tooth tigers in the face, fist-fighting shirtless dudes Street Fighter style, tearing up giant chickens, and bathing in molten lava are just the start of it.

Hit the jump to see for yourself.

view full story + comments

Now this is awesome. Empty Clip Studios is hard at work on a new vertically scrolling shooter called Symphony, which creates enemy patterns based on waveforms generated by whatever music you have playing. The game uses custom soundtracks, and enemies are produced dynamically to match the song's tempo and so on.

In other words, Bach for easy mode and Slayer for hard mode. It's up to you. What comes out, how mean it is and how much of it there'll be all depends on what you're listening to. The game is slated for release sometime in 2010, but no platform has been specified as of yet. Obviously, it's got to be something that supports custom soundtracks, so PC is likely, and possibly PSN or XBLA as well.

Long story short, it looks like a hybrid of REZ and Audiosurf. Judging by the trailer above, it's also beautiful, with its simple yet flashy vector-like graphics. We'll be keeping an eye on this one for sure, and we'll let you know when you'll be able to attempt to 1CC Raining Blood.

[Via the Shmups Twitter, which you should be following.]

Thexder began life life in 1985 on the NEC PC-8801. Although regarded as a classic, the SHMUP never became a massive franchise. It gained international success when converted for the MSX system, and had a sequel called Fire Hawk: Thexder The Second Contract, but that was about it, and the series was forgotten. 

Fast forward to 2009, and Square Enix has decided to revive Thexder as Thexder Neo on the PSP. Sticking to the original game's roots, Neo sees players control a lazer-blasting robot that can transform into a jet and take on all sorts of mechanical foes. Is Thexder Neo a worthwhile revival, or was this one robot better left rusting on the scrapheap? Read on as we review the latest retro comeback.

view full story + comments

Up until yesterday, if you were to ask me about monkeys in videogames, I'd start off with Donkey Kong and then mention Super Monkey Ball, Samba de Amigo, and maybe those enemies in the Green Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog. I never would have thought of Toki, the titular character of Tun Corporation's 1989 run and gun platformer, because I'd never heard of his game until Golgoth Studios decided to remake it for Xbox Live Arcade and Games for Windows. When your sprites and animation are this good, I pay attention.

Toki will be getting a facelift, with beautifully hand-drawn 2D graphics courtesy of the young, six-man team at Golgoth Studios: "Our goal is to keep 2D gaming alive within this 3D world. We try to bring our small contribution in the Games industry and propose high quality content for digital platforms. 2D refuses to die!" France-based Golgoth (not to be confused with Golgotha) is keeping the arcade game's original 2D graphics and, by the looks of things, the power-ups (football helmet!) and enemies are also identical. 

In case you're fuzzy on the specifics of Toki's plot (the game's 20 years old, after all), here are some details: "Toki's mission is to rescue his princess Miho from the evil sorcerer Vokimeldo and get back his human form." Sounds pretty straightforward, until you realize that Toki plans to do this by shooting energy bullets out his mouth. Check out the first gameplay video above for a look at how shmup/platforming works. (You can also see some comparison shots in the gallery).

Personally, I think the game looks great, and I'll definitely be keeping tabs on Golgoth Studios.

[JeuxVideo.com via GameSetWatch]

If you're not familiar with the concept of asynchronously multiplayer games, then there are two games you would do well to try out: Tetris Friends, and George Buckenham's Hell is Other People.

Where the former merely tasks you with playing against recordings of other people's games in a sort of isolated way that doesn't feel very multiplayer-ish until someone dumps a bunch of trash blocks on you, every moment spent playing Hell is Other People is a moment in which you will (A) be directly competing against recordings of other players, and (B) feel your hatred grow toward the members of your own species.

I'll let the designer explain it himself: "You fight ghosts, which follow the paths of previous players. So you're fighting a recording, and that recording was fighting against a previous recording, all the way back to when I waggled the ship about in the editor."

Though you're not actually fighting against other players in real time, that probably won't stop you from cursing your bastard opponents every time they move out of the path of one of your agonizingly slow bullets at just the last moment, only to distract you from a horizontally moving shot from some douche you never saw. The game isn't terribly fun until the screen literally fills with recordings of others, but it's still interesting in a misanthropic sort of way.

You can play it for free here, or buy one of the wacky downloadable versions here. Depending on how much you pay, you can change the shape of your ship into an animal head.

The official blog for SNK's upcoming arcade title King of Fighters: Sky Stage was updated today, unveiling two new characters. If you haven't already solved this great mystery by looking at the picture above, they are Iori and Kula. (Yay Kula!)

The games goes on location test this weekend in Akihabara, and Iori and the new blog post says Iori and Kula will be playable. Andriasang reports that these two will take a bit more getting used to than the previously revealed Athena and Kyo, who are supposedly pretty easy to use.

You can check out a few screenshots of Kula and Iori in action below. Who else would you guys like to see join the roster for this weird shmup/fighter mash-up?

 

At this year's E3 Nintendo completely and utterly ignored Sin and Punishment 2. The game wasn't mentioned at their press conference and was tucked away so well at their booth that you literally had to be coming at the booth from a certain direction in order to notice it. The PR guy who took me around the booth didn't even mention that it was there. Who knows what was up since most people came away from the game with a very positive view. Since E3 we've heard next to nothing on the game either, and I would wager that it is one of the most anticipated Wii games of next year.

With this in mind, here's some news. The game is looking better -- much better. It actually wasn't looking that bad in the first place, but evidently the past few months have been used to polish it up to an even greater level of shinyness. Dengeki, got their hands on some new images from the game as part of pushing the game's Oct. 28 launch in Japan and they look great. The real interesting thing though is a comparison of one of the boss battle screens that was pointed out. The screen on the left was taken at E3, the screen on the right is from the Dengeki screens. Notice a difference? That's the magic of implementing bump mapping, and it's a magic that more Wii games need to use.

So who isn't excited for this game to finally come to the West?

Warning! A new brand game is approaching! Above you'll find the new trailer for Taito's upcoming Darius Burst on PSP, complete with fishies, lasers, and Engrish. The triumvirate of features essential to any good handheld STG. Okay, I just made that up.

This is our first look at the game in action after seeing some lovely screenshots a while back, and it's looking pretty good. I particularly like the way the ships have been rendered to match the ones from older Darius games, and the characters seem cool enough as well. The important thing, however, is that it still features giant mechanical fish, which you can shoot with lasers. 

The game hits Japan on December 24th, priced at 5,040 Yen for the hard copy or 4,000 Yen for the PSN Store download. Maybe you can play this new brand game on your new brand PSPgo.  

 

Put down that acid, Jimmy! You don't need drugs when you've got Llamasoft's Gridrunner Revolution.

The demo for the game is now available, as is the full $20 product. Similar to the studio's previous game Space Giraffe, summing up my experience with Gridrunner Revolution is tricky. At first, I thought I understood what I was doing; what a fool I was.

Weird shapes started flying at me, the sun's gravity decided to f*ck with my bullets, the number of sheep references and brightly-colored explosions tripled every passing second ... yes, this is a game I'm still talking about. It's hard to say if I had "fun" per se, but the game was at the very least entertaining.

I think everyone should try the demo if only because Gridrunner Revolution is so out of its mind that it can't be passed up. A word of caution, though: reading text on your computer after playing is not recommended.

Cave fans, give yourselves a round of applause. We told you a while back that Makoto Asada had said the region code for the company's upcoming Mushihime-sama Futari Ver. 1.5 for Xbox 360 had yet to be decided. Michael McWhertor over at Kotaku had a chance to speak with Asada at TGS, and asked if the game would be region-free. His response?

"We had a lot of good feedback from overseas users, so for this time, as a test, we're going to make the game region free so that overseas users can play it."

Hell yes. Not only will Mushihime's overseas sales directly affect the company's decision to knock off the region-locking in the future, but Asada went on to say that if it performs well outside of Japan, they may even localize and export upcoming projects officially.

"By making Mushihime-sama Futari region-free, what we're doing is measuring the amount of overseas users, this will have a direct impact on whether Espgaluda II and other titles will be localized for America. So it's probably a good idea to pick it up!"

Yes. Yes, it is. So if you've been emailing Cave and holding on to hope like I have, it was not in vain. Now you need only hit Play-Asia or wherever it is you import your games from, and enjoy. Thanks to everyone who joined the cause, and to McWhertor for popping the question. Hooray!  

 

With all the Japanese games on display at this Japanese event happening in Japan, it's about time we got to look at a shmup. To that end, Taito has released some fresh screenshots for the upcoming remake of Raystorm on Xbox Live Arcade.

The new Raystorm HD is playable at Microsoft's booth at the event, so hopefully someone from our team got a chance to tell us how it plays. In the meantime, you can hit the gallery for a look at its new visuals, which might not be the most impressive thing you've evr laid eyes on, but are still a great improvement over the old PS1 version. The original models are presented in high definition, and the game has never looked better. 

There's also a trailer that's being shown at the event, but you've seen that already because Uncle Topher takes good care of you. The game should be showing up on both XBLA and PlayStation Network very soon.

Every since Colette compared Square Enix's 0 Day Attack on Earth to Earth Defense Force 2017, I have been freakishly interested in the shmup. Quite frankly, I suck at the genre, but even that discouraging fact isn't enough to dissuade me.

Perhaps the game's new TGS-flavored trailer is expertly cut to make 0 Day Attack on Earth seem playable for unskilled individuals such as myself in order to trick us into surrendering our wallets. Perhaps not. Whatever the case may be, the footage shown looks epic for all the right reasons.

See guys, you don't have to make your shooter solely for the hardcore crowd. If the game is good, or at least appears to be good from the outside, we'll come play. It's as simple as that.

SideQuest Studios has announced that a sequel to its PC and PlayStation Network shooter Söldner-X will be coming exclusively to PSN this Winter. 

Called Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype (which is a hell of a lot easier to say than the original's title, Himmelsstürmer), the game expands upon the shmup formula of the first game. That means seven new levels (Underwater! Ice! Space!!?!?), new attacks and fancy original soundtrack. Final Prototype also introduces a "dynamic score-linked difficulty" system which in English means the game will auto-adjust to the shmup skill-level of individual players. (Read: Nearly nothing will shoot at me if I play, but if I watched Topher play I'll probably have a seizure.)

Outside of a quick hands-on time at a Tokyo Game Show cocktail party a few years ago, I didn't have a chance to play the original. Was it good enough to warrant a sequel? Is anyone looking forward to this?

Taito and Square-Enix have just announced that Space Invaders Extreme 2, the sequel to what was easily one of my favorite DS games of last year, will be arriving in PAL region territories on October 2nd. The game is slated for release in the US on September 23rd.

This new version boasts some cool new features like an enhanced Battle Play mode, a new "Bingo" round-clearing system, and a new score attack mode that acts as a beginner's course, with an infinite player stock. Even if you're quite skilled at games like this, that sounds like a nice opportunity to kick back and blast away at things if you ask me. Sometimes you just want to shoot stuff.

Thankfully, the game retains all of the qualities that made the first one great, like its download play function, varied stages and great soundtrack. Check out the gallery below for some screenshots and hit the jump for the full details.

view full story + comments

On its way to arcades this Winter is King of Fighters: Sky Stage, a new vertical shooter from SNK Playmore. The game features flying KOF characters, each with unique capabilit ... wait, what?

Apparently announced at Microsoft's Spring media briefing, this one flew entirely under my radar; ghastly pun not intended. Sky Stage was initially planned as an Xbox 360 title, and while there's no new word on that yet, Andriasang reports today that the game will be playable in Taito's booth at this year's Amusement Machine Show in Japan. The event is open to the public on September 17th and 19th.

Again, what? We'll keep you updated if there's any word on a 360 release, be it Japan-only or otherwise. Until then, check out a couple of screnshots below and head over to the game's official website for, among other things, a picture of Kyo circa KOF 2002 hanging in mid-air. Yeah.

 

Like any good Eastern underdog console, the Japanese Xbox 360 has proven itself this generation's machine of choice when it comes to shmups. With massive support from developers like Cave, it's become a magnet for STGs and the players who love them, and next in line to add to its already amazing library is a new shooter based on Fumikane Shimada's Strike Witches.

At an event in Tokyo today to promote the Strike Witches anime, attendees were given a pamphlet to confirm the game and its support for Xbox Live. A nekomimi, WWII Mecha Musume, low-leg panties, nopan loli witch anime STG is about as Japanese as you can get, and while many of us have been hoping and praying for more of these shmups to make their way stateside, you can bet your sweet ass this won't be one of them.

[Via Andriasang]

Yum. You may remember me telling you a few days ago that Cave's Mushihime-sama Futari Ver. 1.5 might not be subjected to the company's usual practice of needless region-locking when it lands on the Japanese Xbox 360 this November.

While any Cave fan knows that's probably wishful thinking, Makoto Asada says they're at least considering it, and backs that up by stating in a recent post on the developer's blog that he'll be meeting with Microsoft next weekend, and "would like to submit proposals in English in the form of a clear framework to deploy and support worldwide." Somebody wants this to happen, and for likely the first time in the developer's history, it isn't just their foreign devotees.

They've just released a trailer for the 360 port, which you can watch by clicking above. If that looks like something you'd like to be able to play without buying an entire console in order to do it, you can join the cause by sending Cave a quick email to simply say, "America wants your games."

Anyway, take a look at the video and click the HD button in the top left for the sharper version. Here's hoping this lovely trailer isn't the last we see of this game outside of Japan.

 

If you missed it when we first reported on it, Darius Burst is the latest entry in Taito's semi-classic robotic fish shooting series. It's set to revive the franchise after nearly a decade of quiet, and Taito has chosen the PSP as the platform it will call home.

In the screenshots below, you can see that the tradition of massive metal sea creatures is being proudly carried on. We get a look at two of the game's bosses, one of which is some kind of cephalopod ... thing. I don't know for sure what it's called, I just know that you get to shoot it with lasers. That's enough for me.

[Via Andriasang]

Following the not-so-HD trailer we saw from Famitsu the other day, here are some new screenshots for Taito's upcoming Raystorm HD for XBLA and PSN. They give us a look at some of the revamped action, as well as a closer look at the ships themselves.

The game is looking decent for a digital title, and nigh-on spectacular for what used to be a PS1 shooter. Even if you disagree, it still warms the heart to see the shmup revival picking up speed out there. Maybe we'll see it continue, similar to what's happening with 2D fightans lately, which would be splendid. Still no word on pricing or a release date, but you'll know as soon as we do. in the meantime, check out the gallery and let us know what you think.

[Via Andriasang]

Legendary shooter developer Cave is as famous for unnecessarily region-locking its games as it is for making them. But as a pleasant surprise, they're considering not doing so with their next disc-based retail release.

Cave's Makoto Asada recently posted on the company's blog, saying that the region for its upcoming Mushihime-sama Futari Ver. 1.5 has yet to be decided, and probably won't be until this year's Tokyo Game Show. He then says that Cave is very happy to have recieved so many emails from fans overseas, and being responsible for more than a few of those, I would like to say "you're welcome" and suggest that they heed them.

What the company fails to realize is that they've got a great many fans in other countries who are just as hardcore and dedicated as the ones they have at home, and they stand to profit greatly fom that fanbase by simply not region-locking. This is especially so when most (if not all) of the usual reasons to region-lock don't apply to any of their games. Many of Cave's already-published titles are too late, but with sevices like the Xbox 360's new Games on Demand, there's an opportunity for a lot more revenue from those of us who have yet to import an entirely separate console just to play them.

Either way, there's still hope for Mushihime-sama Futari and it would be a great door-opener, excellent shmup that it is. If you'd like to join the rest of us in pestering them until they give in, there's a simple image in the gallery which can be downloaded and emailed to Cave without needing to be translated. In the meantime, let's cross our fingers.

Additionally, the results of Cave's recent XBLA survey were part of this same blog post, and you can check out a list of the top ten most popular responses after the jump. Number one is probably all but confirmed to be on its way to Xbox Live Arcade shortly, be it region-free or not.

view full story + comments

As expected, word of a Raystorm remake coming to XBLA and PSN has turned out to be very true, and Famitsu has come through with the first video of the game in motion. The trailer was shown at an STG event in Japan over the weekend, understandably to much fanfare.

Check it out after the jump to get a look at the ships, system and some of the enemies and bosses you'll be facing off against. While the game itself is in delicious high-def, the trailer unfortunately is not, so you'll have to use your imagination a bit. Still, it's looking mighty fine to me, and I'm excited for this to finally hit both digital marketplaces. And if you didn't catch it the first time, yes -- Raystorm HD will indeed be coming to PSN as well as XBLA.

view full story + comments

While we in America and most of the rest of the world use DSiWare to increase our portable clock collection those wacky Japanese are doing something else with it. They're using it to play games! I know! This is why they're so ahead of the game people -- out of the box thinking. In fact next week they're getting what looks to be like an action packed shmup called Aa Mujou Setsuna (Oh Heartless Moment). Other then having the perfect name for a shoot em' up game the videos of it above and below look like the game could be really solid.

Aa Mujou Setsuna offers three modes of play. One where the enemies are on a locked pattern of movement, another where enemies move randomly and a third "record mode" for keeping track of stats. The DSiWare game also features online leader boards and the ability to download and watch replays of the top ten scores from anywhere. I doubt that it's a portable Ikaruga, but it sure is better than 90 percent of the stuff that lands on western DSiWare. Too bad we may never see it.

Hit the jump to see more video of the game and a video of Donkey Metronome, which has you clapping to the beat in order to play the original Donkey Kong. It looks strangely addictive and is also only landing in Japan at the moment.

DSiWare kind of sucks. There are a few cute games on it, but it's generally a big waste of potential that PSP Minis is going to totally upstage. Nevertheless, there's the occassional glimmer of hope, and Aa Mujyou Setsuna is one of them.

The game, translated roughly as Ah Cruel Instant or Oh Heartless Moment, is a classic top-down shmup full of everything that makes shmups good. Power-ups, attack chains and endless swarms of enemies. Nintendo is listed as the game's creator, although Arika is also credited. It's hitting the Japanese DSiWare store on September 2 and will cost a mere 500 Points. 

So, when does North America and Europe get this? Will we get it at all? I really hope so, because I'm sick of Japan getting things that make DSiWare worth having while the rest of the world is stuck with four downloadable clocks.

Hooray for Taito. After screenshots surfaced hinting at an HD remake of Raystorm on XBLA, a recently leaked Famitsu scan tells us the company is set to revive another of its classic shooter franchises with Darius Burst for PSP. Soon you can partake in the joy of shooting giant robotic fish wherever you may go.

Burst will reportedly feature more than 11 stages, and continue the series tradition of branching storylines and alternate paths. If you've played any of the earlier Darius games, you know how awesome and/or funny that can be, and what it can do for replay value.

Darius Gaiden was one of my favorite shooters on the Saturn, and it's been so long since we saw a new installment I'd almost forgotten about the series entirely. Nice to know Taito hasn't. Anyone else excited for this one? Check out the Famitsu scan in the gallery and let us know what you think.

[Via Siliconera]

Admittedly, I'm not the shmup guy on the Destructoid staff -- there aren't enough numbers coming out of heads for my tastes. I do, however, know enough to know that Cave means quality when it comes to shooters.

If you couldn't tell by the headline, Cave's Espgaluda II is being ported to the Xbox 360 and will hit Japanese shelves sometime next spring, according to SiliconEra. Like all good things Japanese, mum's the word when it comes to a Western release. What the deadline doesn't tell you though, is that Espgaluda II: Black Label will feature enhanced graphics, additional features, and a snazzy tagline, all of which will probably help the four-year-old game make a smooth transition.

While the Xbox 360 seems like a bit of an odd fit for newly-ported bullet-hell game, I doubt I'll hear too many people complaining -- variety is the spice of life, right? Actually, maybe it's not so odd after all: Cave has also brought its DeathSmiles to the 360. If you're as unfamiliar (as I am) with shmups in general and Cave in particular, I can save you a bit of legwork: Topher's got a nice rundown from this year's Otakon on a handful of relatively new STGs.

(As a side note, whenever I see the genre abbreviated as STG, I can't help but feel like I'm getting a sexually transmitted game; in hindsight, that's probably the best way to get anything.)

[It's time for another Monthly Musing -- the monthly community blog theme that provides readers with a chance to get their articles and discussions printed on the frontpage. -- CTZ]    

There are many genres of games I can't call myself adept in, but still enjoy with a reasonable amount of competence. I've lost my timing for platformers since the days I used to rock Mega Man 2, but I find myself plummeting into the abyss only occasionally. Sports games aren't really my thing, but I can still hold my own in some of the less stringent titles, such as Ice Hockey and Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES, or "gimmick" sports games like Mega Man Soccer and SEGA Superstars Tennis. Racing's never been completely my forte, though I will rock your face in Mario Kart (so long as snaking doesn't come up, as I've only got a 70% success rate on that) and ground my way through the first three Gran Turismos by repeating early races with a crappy car over and over for money.

One genre, however, has taken hold of my heart in many ways, despite (almost) never letting me get past the first stage in any of its games without burning a continue. Oh, scrolling shoot-em-ups, how I wish I could quit you. 

view full story + comments

Joy! Continuing its recent surge in remakes and re-releases on the digital marketplace, it's looking like Taito is set to bring its classic arcade shooter Raystorm to XBLA. There are two screenshots bouncing around on the NeoGAF forums, and if they're not real then somebody undertook one hell of a Photoshop project. I think it's safe to say we can expect this on Live Arcade before long.

From the looks of things, this is going to be another upscaling like Ikaruga was, using HD versions of the same models. Not a damn thing wrong with that, as the game already looked pretty decent as it was, and if you're wondering whether the gameplay holds up twelve years later, I can tell you I just played the PS1 version about three weeks ago, and it certainly does.

Details are understandably scarce at the moment, but we'll keep you updated when they start rolling in. In the meantime, you can check out the screens below, as well as a couple for Rainbow Islands back at the NeoGAF thread which you might be decidedly less happy with. But hey, at least Raystorm HD looks awesome.

[Thanks Adam!]

You may have noticed that I've been anticipating Taito's Space Invaders: Infinity Gene pretty heavily since it was first announced for the iPhone. Originally released in Japan on mobile phones that aren't sold anywhere else, I thought this latest installment of one of my favorite classic franchises was one I might never get to play. Thankfully, it's available now in the US and I've finally gotten my hands on it.

Nick Chester was kind enough to hand over his iPod Touch for a while to make that possible, and while I've always been somewhat skeptical about these devices as a real gaming platform, all it would take is one great title to change my mind. Was this it? Hit the jump and find out in my full review.

view full story + comments

Taito has just updated its YouTube channel with a new official trailer for its upcoming iPhone title, Space Invaders: Infinity Gene. This is the game whose announcement had my heart all aflutter a few weeks back, and now we're getting a look at the actual iPhone version instead of the Japanese mobile phone footage. Nice and vertical, just the way I like it.

Things are looking razor-sharp, and the pace has me drooling for it already. The video gives us a peek at how the touch screen controls will work, and shows off the game's Evolutionary Tree system, along with a few of its stages. Looks and sounds great so far, and judging by the trailer after the jump, the music alone is worth the measley couple of bucks you'll pay for it.

view full story + comments

There are plenty of reasons for a nerd to attend Baltimore's annual Otakon. Some go for the cosplay, some for the concerts, some to see the debut of the latest in anime, manga and related merchandise. Any of the above is fine and dandy with me, but the number one reason I wade through the sea of sweaty otaku every year is this: There's an enormous room downstairs full of Japanese consoles, rocking games that will never come out here.

It's always a glorious experience, but the recent release of so many great shmups on the Japanese Xbox 360 made this year's gaming room an especially tasty treat. After spending three days destroying my eyes and thumbs in said cavern of wonders, I've chosen a few of this year's most notable new shooters for some hands-on impressions. 

If you're an STG junkie like I am, chances are you're already filling your piggy bank for a Japanese 360. Oh, you want one. You'll want one even more when you see what's after the jump, and I'll tell you which games are worth importing when you finally get it.

view full story + comments

There are plenty of reasons for a nerd to attend Baltimore's annual Otakon. Some go for the cosplay, some for the concerts, some to see the debut of the latest in anime, manga and related merchandise. Any of the above is fine and dandy with me, but the number one reason I wade through the sea of sweaty otaku every year is this: There's an enormous room downstairs full of Japanese consoles, rocking games that will never come out here.

It's always a glorious experience, but the recent release of so many great shmups on the Japanese Xbox 360 made this year's gaming room an especially tasty treat. After spending three days destroying my eyes and thumbs in said cavern of wonders, I've chosen a few of this year's most notable new shooters for some hands-on impressions. 

If you're an STG junkie like I am, chances are you're already filling your piggy bank for a Japanese 360. Oh, you want one. You'll want one even more when you see what's after the jump, and I'll tell you which games are worth importing when you finally get it.

view full story + comments

At first glance, Retro/Grade looks to be a very ordinary and uninteresting shooter, and I admittedly let out a small groan upon watching the first few seconds of its trailer, thinking we had another Aegis Wing on our hands. That was, until, they said we'd be playing it backward. With rhythm-based movement. To a chiptune-inspired soundtrack. With a guitar controller, if that's your cup of tea. Now you have my pensive attention.

The first effort by developer 24 Caret Games, Retro/Grade has just been announced for release on PSN. You can play the game with a standard PS3 controller, or as mentioned, plug in your Guitar Hero thingy and rock it out that way, so to speak. No word yet on a date, but if the idea of a backward-retro-rhythm-shooter sounds like something you can't wait for, there's a demo available now, and more info on the game's Web site. Oh, and that trailer? You'll find it after the jump.

[Via PlayStation.Blog]

view full story + comments

Ok, if you aren't some sort of SNK enthusiast, bear with me here. Earlier this year, on April Fool's Day, SNK Playmore announced a game called Star Radish, an 8-bit Neo Geo shmup made by a "Mikadosoft." Everyone thought the game was a joke, but it's actually playable ... in Doki Majo Plus, a sequel to the notoriously NSFW Doki Majo Shinpan. Like the original, Plus is a witch-hunting game: players track down witches by looking for their "witch mark."

Except the witches are all junior high school students. And the "mark" is usually covered up by clothing.

In any case, one of the potential witches is a retro enthusiast named Renge Oda who will talk your ear off about games like Psycho Soldier if you let her. Enter Star Radish. I'm not sure how Doki Majo Plus makes the jump from "interrogating" Renge to playing her favorite new game, but it's there.

There's some gameplay footage after the break, but you'll have to sit through Renge's awful voiceovers the entire time, speaking some sort of moon-gibberish. The screen unexplicably goes dark at the 1:40 mark, though. Unfortunately, while it's a quirky bit of fanservice, Star Radish doesn't look interesting enough to sift through the hours of loli molestation required to get to it.

[via TinyCartridge]

view full story + comments

Being the massive Space Invaders fan that I am, I've had an ear open for any word regarding a little-known addition to the franchise, called Space Invaders: Infinity Gene. Originally a Japan-only release for mobile phones, it was looking like we'd never see this one come stateside, but Brandon Boyer over at the lovely Offworld has just received word from Taito that the company will indeed be bringing this delicious new addition to us via the iPhone.

It's quite a departure from the norm in terms of recent Space Invaders makeovers like the Extreme series, with a razor-sharp, monochromatic vector look more akin to the original from 30 years ago. What really sets it apart, however, is the gameplay. Infinity Gene features elements often seen in the more modern shooters it inspired: warning screens, huge bosses, rapid-fire weapons, navigable environments, and most interesting of all, freedom from the X axis.

A series first, you'll be able to move your ship anywhere on the screen using touch controls. That's kind of like walking into a room to find your grandpa breakdancing. Adding to both the awesome factor and retro appeal, Infinity Gene also features a low-fi, chiptune-esque soundtrack that ties the whole deal together into something that has finally made me want a goddamn iPhone.

Very exciting stuff for Space Invaders fans, and we'll keep you updated as more info surfaces. In the meantime, you can check out a video of some gameplay after the jump to get an idea of just how cool this looks.

view full story + comments

Originally 800 Microsoft points, some obscure game called Ikaruga has been declared Xbox Live's Deal of the Week from now until Monday, July 20th; available to XBL Gold members for a mere 400 points. Not sure what it's all about, but it looks to be some kind of scrolly, shooty thing with lots of bullets.

Ikaruga ... That's like a Greek word or something, right? I've never heard of it myself, but at half price it's probably worth checking out. You know, if you're into that sort of thing. I guess. Anyway, I suppose if you don't already have this, uh ... whatever this is, now would be a pretty good time to get it.  I'm also hearing that 7-Eleven has some kind of frozen drink which is supposed to be kind of good, I might look into that, too.

Germany-based developer Black Inc. wants you to know about its first foray into Xbox LIVE Arcade, Ion Assault. The problem with that, however, lies in the downloadable game's genre. You see, it's been painfully easy to write off twin-stick shooters on XBLA ever since the service was flooded with them.

But I think it's been just long enough since we have seen a worthwhile space shooter that I'm ready to start caring again. Also, Ion Assault looks surprisingly good. For me personally it wasn't until I saw the gameplay trailer when I became interested, mainly because the game's particle ammunition gimmick doesn't show well in still images.

Rather than having an infinite supply of bullets at your disposal, Ion Assault limits you to whatever particles are floating nearby, which are supposed to be dynamic. I get the feeling this has been done before in an indie game, but I suppose it's a new concept in the world of XBLA shooters.

Look for it this summer when the game launches at 800 Microsoft Points.

What is this? An iPhone game that controls perfectly fine, with no complaints connected to the lack of a d-pad or buttons? I know! I almost couldn't believe it myself. And a port of a classic game that, again, has no issues or drawbacks to being a mobile game? I'm surprised as you are.

It's nothing against the multitude if iPhone game makers, but I'm sad to say that much of what I've been playing/reviewing lately has been poor. That's not the case for Namco Bandai's Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod Touch. This is how mobile games should be done.

view full story + comments

This year, in our list of April Fool's Day jokes, you may have seen SNK's Star Radish, which was a fake Neo Geo game. No one was fooled by the webpage for the salad shooter, but some said that they would love for Star Radish to be a real game. Now it is...kind of.

It turns out that this vegetable-packed retro shooter will live as a game within a game. SNK has wedged it in the next in their line of inappropriate touching DS titles, Doki Majo Plus, letting you take a quick break from stylus actions that would normally have Dateline's Chris Hansen knocking at your door. 

In our gallery below you'll see some shots of this in-game game, courtesy of Famitsu. Carrot spaceships and raddish bosses!

[via Kotaku]

Our friends at Guili in Japan were kind enough to share these new screens from the upcoming Japanese Xbox 360 shoot-em-up Mamoru-kun wa Norowarette shimatta, or Mamoru-kun is Cursed. This is a vertical anime-styled shump originally released in arcades for Sega's Naomi arcade system, but is now coming home with a new story mode and characters (available via DLC). 

On top of some *cough* shota-kon action, the game has a cursing system that allows players to put a spell on enemies, putting them in a rage. This changes their attack pattern and temporarily makes them weaker, and also increases scoring items earned when they are taken down. Players can even curse themselves as a short-term power up.

Japan will see the release of this collaboration between Guilti and G.rev (makers of Senko no Ronde) in June 2009. It will come in both a standard (6,279 yen) and limited editions (8,925 yen), with the latter coming with a play guide DVD and soundtrack. 

I don't know if Mamoru-kun will come overseas, but we don't have enough cute-'em-ups yet, and this one looks really good. Maybe if we make enough noise about it, someone will take notice.

For now, check out our screenshots in the gallery below.

Doujin games, or Japanese fan-made games, are great fun if you know where to go to get them and have recommendations on what to try. There's an almost endless supply of games from just about every genre out there. While it may be hard to enjoy most of these without Japanese language knowledge, the shmups are pretty accessible to everyone. And now they'll be even more accessible thanks to Rockin' Android.

This Los Angeles-based publisher already has four 2D games lined up for distribution here in the US. PC games Suguri Perfect Edition, Gundemonium Collection, Flying Red Barrel: Diary of a Little Aviator, and Qualia will be available via digital download and DVD this summer, complete with English translations. On June 30th, Suguri Perfect Edition and Qualia both launch -- both look great...and hard.

The one I like most is Gundemonium Collection (pictured above), set to release this August. It comes with three games: Gundemonium ReCollection, GundeadliGne, and Hitogata Hapa, and looks to be absolutely insane. Check out a video of the insanity after the jump.

Good news! Rock on, Rockin' Android. 

[Via GameSetWatch]

 

view full story + comments

The HD upgrade of shooting classic series R-Type is coming to Xbox Live in February. Last year at the Tokyo Game Show, we brought you a hands-on preview of R-Type Dimensions, which takes both R-Type and R-Type II and slaps a sexy new 3D face on them. 

Another addition is online co-op play. If you're co-op-ing with me, you're going to be carrying all of the weight, because I'm going to die frequently. As I said before, I suck at this game.

The dudes at IGN say that a global release has been confirmed. All we have now is a "later this month" date. More specific times are supposed to be announced later today. 

As a genre, shmups remain largely unchanged since their inception. I've never believed this to be a bad thing, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but a little variety now and then to keep things fresh is always welcome. In fact, some of the best shooters out there are ones that more or less keep the traditional framework and introduce just a little something new that changes the way the game is played.

Big Bang Mini attempts to achieve this by utilizing the unique hardware of the DS, making the most of the touch screen in order to add some new spice to an old recipe. How does it fare? Hit the jump for my full review. view full story + comments

Yes, yes, you can make cool things using LittleBigPlanet, we KNOW. I gaped and slack-jawed as people recreated some of my favorite game songs of all time using the creation tools available in LBP, but it's not really news that people are creating cool stuff in the game -- that was the whole point.

So, I acknowledge that this isn't exactly breaking news, but it's GRADIUS. Freaking Gradius, in all its badass, sidescrolling glory. I feel ashamed at how little I've created in LBP, but this makes me want to go home and start hammering out some awesomeness right now. I could recreate Shadowgate (which, by the way, would be the most amazing thing ever)!

[Via SilverDragon1979's c-blog]

It was a year ago this month that I first laid eyes on Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer, a beautiful shoot 'em up with multiple levels of parallax scrolling and eye-popping graphics. It was being shown to me via a laptop PC at a Microsoft party in Tokyo, where I probably already had a bit too much to drink. I gave it a spin and died quickly due to mild drunkenness, but I was impressed with the title, and said right away that the PC game would be right at home on the PSN or XBLA.

Today eastasiasoft announces that the lovely shooter is coming the North American PlayStation Network in October. It will contain features not originally available in the 2007 PC release, including new graphics and audio. Oh, and Trophies.

New hotness:

• Visual improvements including y-scrolling, new background animations, newly added effects and more
• Contains new enemies, including newly crafted standard foes and larger sub boss battles
• Additional boss battle and berserker mode background music (seven brand new tracks in total!)
• New sound effects added for an enhanced gaming experience
• Rebalanced game play with an easier default difficulty
• Rebalanced high score system, including new victory screens
• DUALSHOCK®3 / SIXAXIS / Trophies support

The press release also states that other territories outside North America should hear their release dates soon.

Be sure to check out the gallery of new screenshots below.

Does Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer look like something you'd dig?

The results are in. Grant Poock and his team at BudCat, developer of the modern shmup masterpiece Blast Works, have finally completed their judging in our Destructoid/Blast Works custom level design contest. For those that haven't been following along, Blast Works is a game on the Nintendo Wii (now available on sale at the low price of $20) that allows you to create your own 2D shmup levels, complete with custom enemies, ships, bullet patterns, and backgrounds, and upload them to the Blast Works depot, where they can be downloaded by anyone around the world. The concept was so great that we just had to throw a contest to celebrate it.

Four people entered, and three of them are walking away with prizes. Hit the jump to see who won and why.

view full story + comments

If you're among those to have been disappointed by the news that Triggerheart Exelica was on the list of games Microsoft would be sweeping under the XBLA rug, here's some sunshine for you. According to a magazine scan spotted ... well, somewhere, the game is on its way to PS2 this Winter, with the title Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced.

A translation of the scan doesn't reveal a hell of a lot regarding what they mean by "Enhanced," but it does say that the game's original sassy enemy, Faintear, will now be playable in addition to Exelica and Crueltear. The port will include the standard arcade mode, as well as the story mode that was available on the Dreamcast version but ripped violently from the XBLA game like that dude's heart in Temple of Doom. Or your own heart that one Valentine's day. I don't know, that's your business, emo kid.

Anyone interested in giving the full game a shot might want to keep an eye out for this one. Personally, I'd import it just for a chance to play as Faintear, how about you?

[Via Shoot the Core - Thanks Buster!]

Coming to LIVE Arcade this week are 1942: Joint Strike (800 Microsoft Points), a remake of Capcom's classic WWII shmup, and Go! Go! Break Steady (800 Microsoft Points), a combination puzzle/rhythm breakdancing game.

XBLA has seen its fair share of shoot-'em-ups, but come on! It's 1942 for crying out loud! This remake isn't just a visual one, as co-op is introduced online and locally, allowing you and a friend to combine powers to create "joint strike" attacks.

Featuring 20 different songs, Go! Go! Break Steady is not unlike the rhythm games from before Guitar Hero's time. As with 1942, this one will include multiplayer modes (online and off).

Hit the jump for a video of each game.

view full story + comments

Only one entry in the contest this week, but it doesn't matter because it would have beaten any other competitors anyway. Zxcyzyx, previously only available in preview form, is now complete, and it's fantastic. Two bosses, multiple power ups, hidden "Score bags", amazing art direction, and three Legendary Wings inspired ships made specifically for this level make the total package equal to or greater than anything found in the Blast Works main game. BudCat, I think you just found a new employee. 

Please don't let the greatness on Zxcyzyx intimidate the rest of you from entering the contest. You still have a chance to win it all, little guy! I'm still waiting to see a level with a playable SpaceCat ship and a Mr. Destructoid boss fight. 

If you're unfamiliar with Konami's latest STG, Otomedius, go here and be amazed. It hurts my heart to think about it, really. The game looks to be a delicious shmup experience, combining the same style of mecha musume character design found in games like Triggerheart Exelica with gameplay and level design reminiscent of Konami's hilarious (and hard) classic cute-em-up, Parodius. Why would that make me sad, you ask? Well, it's slated for release on Xbox 360 in Japan this September, and Konami has yet to breathe a word of it ever coming out anywhere else.

That sucks especially hard when you hear that Hori is releasing a sexy new arcade stick, designed specifically for use with Otomedius. Harder still? The thing has a goddamn touch screen on it, just like the original arcade version. I want one. We all want one. Purchase of this beauty will also score you a bundled-in copy of the 360 game itself, as well as six character badges, whatever the hell that means.

Moonspeakers can pre-order one at Konamistyle for what roughly converts to about $270 American, and everyone else can expect to be raped by an importer, likely for well over $300. We've already geeked out about the Otomedius toys over at Tomopop, and you'd think with the way Konami is pimping this game to death in Japan, they might consider letting the rest of the world give them some money for it, too. Here's hoping. 

[Respeck knuckles to Buster for the tip]

See that Mr. Destructoid graphic up there? I made that in about five minutes with the ship creation tool in Blast Works' level editor. Then I uploaded it to the Blast Works Depot, where a grand total of two people have downloaded it so far. I know...pretty impressive, right?

Think you could do better? Want to win some fabulous prizes? The road to true fortune and glory may be staring you in the face right this very moment.

Hit the jump for details.

view full story + comments

Most people associate the Nintendo Wii with three things; motion controls, market dominance, and last-gen graphics. Diehard gamers know better. The Wii is not all about waggle packed budget titles. The console also plays host to more old-school, skill based 2D shooters than any home console since the Sega Dreamcast. Less than two years after it's initial release, the Wii has been been graced with Metal Slug Anthology, Geometry Wars:Galaxies, Heavenly Guardian, The Mokey King: The Legend Begins, Castle Shikigami III, and now Blast Works: Build Trade Destroy, all 2D shoot 'em ups, all firmly grounded in the traditions put forth by the original videogame, Computer Space.

Does this latest entry in videogame's oldest genre join classics like Ikaruga and R-type Final in the upper pantheon of SHMUP gods, or is it just more Wii shovelware for the fire?

Hit the jump to find out.

view full story + comments

Two games are prepped and ready for action on Xbox LIVE Arcade this week, the first being Aces of the Galaxy (800 Microsoft Points), an on-rails shooter. The second is a puzzle game named Roogoo, which will also be priced at 800 Microsoft Points.

Aces of the Galaxy promises to be an "old-school arcade thrill-ride." With local and online co-op, crisp visuals, and the ability to go into slow-mo mode during firefights, it just might live up to its own hype.

To be honest, Roogoo didn't look all that appealing to me until I heard multiple testimonies about how wildly addictive it is. Sure, the concept of the game is pretty straightforward -- match falling peices with the appropriate hole -- but sometimes the simplest of puzzle games end up being the best.

Are any of you thinking of checking Roogoo or Aces of the Galaxy out?

According to a listing on the USK's (Germany's classification board for games) Web site, a game called Galaga Legions is pending release on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

At this point, all we know about the game is that it's being published by Namco-Bandai, the company responsible for publishing the much-loved Pac-Man: Championship Edition.

Could Galaga Legions be in the same vein as Pac-Man: CE or possibly even Space Invaders Extreme? We're right alongside XBLAH in hoping so.

At the very least, I think we can assume that Legions will pit us up against a legion of insect-looking aliens, whether it ends up being an innovative new take on Galaga or a collection of Galaxian, Galaga, Galapus, and Galaga '88 (Please God, no!).

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

In case you forgot, here's a quick reminder that Assault Heroes 2 (800 Microsoft Points) is scheduled for release this week on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

What's different this time around? Enemy vehicles are now hijackable, there's a greater variety in the types of environments you'll run around in, and new weapons are thrown in for good measure. If you've got any more hard-hitting questions, just ask CTZ.

For those of you who bought the original Assault Heroes, will you be buying the sequel? How about those of you who are new to the series?

Ikaruga frightens me. I tried to play it once and it smacked me and told me I am terrible at videogames and also not a very good human being. Other people make Ikaruga bow down to them, and I envy their majesty. One such champion has not only bent the XBLA version of Ikaruga to his almighty will, he has also verbally humiliated it, pouring salt into its shmuppy wound. See, he absolutely detests the Xbox Live Arcade port, despite becoming the top scorer on its leaderboard.

"The XBLA version of Ikaruga is a horrible port," states Kingoro58k on his gamertag bio. "This isn't Ikaruga, this is Ikaruga LOL."

Kingoro58k is offended by the number of changes found in the XBLA version versus the Dreamcast version, such as different enemy placement and the mirroring of certain elements so everything's backwards. Our resident Ikarugauthority, Topher "Mothershmupper" Cantler, considers the game a worthy port, and wasn't nearly as upset by the changes as this particularly peeved gamer.

What do you think? A case of a purist completely over-reacting because he's a knobhead, or is this port indeed worthy of the subtitle LOL, whatever he actually means by that?

After a great deal of anticipation and a painfully long wait in the certification line, Ikaruga finally arrived on Xbox Live Arcade last week. Boasting new high-definition graphics, online co-op, and the ability to save and share game session replays, it's not difficult to understand why so many 360 owners have been eagerly awaiting this classic title's rebirth.

As most of our readers know, I am certainly no exception. My love for Ikaruga runs deep, and thusly makes this simultaneously the easiest and most difficult review I've ever written for Destructoid. On one hand, I know this title inside out, and I'm both thrilled and honored to be writing about it. On the other, I'm faced with a dilemma. How does a man objectively review his favorite game of all time?

My intention, therefore, is not to review Ikaruga, but to review the XBLA version of Ikaruga. I'll do just that after the jump. view full story + comments

Let the happiness ensue, for this is the week that Ikaruga (800 Microsoft Points) makes its grand entrance on Xbox Live Arcade in not only Japan, but elsewhere around the world too.

Additional features for this port of the popular shmup include 2-player co-op (on and offline), the ability to record and share videos of your gaming prowess, and of course, prettier graphics.

Finally, Poker Smash fans will be pleased to hear that 2 downloadable content packs will be out on Wednesday, each priced at 100 points. One features 15 additional puzzles, while the other includes  2 new action mode environments.

How many of you are going to get Ikaruga? Raise your hand high! I've got points loaded onto my XBL account and my Hori arcade stick dusted off in preparation.

view full story + comments

Finally being the operative word there. According to our friend Postman over at Shoot The Core, Ikaruga is finally ready to make its way to Xbox Live Arcade on April 9th, 2008. Turns out the April issue of UK Xbox magazine has been sporting an "Available now" graphic with their info on the game, and this is backed up by the Ikaruga product details page on the Japanese Xbox web site.

Are we looking at a worldwide release? They'd be stupid not to do just that. Shmup fans have been clamoring for this game ever since it was announced, and I've been at the front of the line. From the looks of things, the wait is just about over. It's about f*cking time.

[Thanks to Buster.com, who is totally not going to beat my score, for the tip] 

This week, the Virtual Console gets one amazing game and one game that shouldn't even be called a game. Luckily, that amazing game is Super R-Type so it totally makes this week an awesome week.

From the NES days, Nintendo brings back a game that sounds like a sexual position. Spelunker (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) is an adventure game where you explore caves in your goal to find an underground pyramid for treasures. You collect items along the way while avoiding dangers such as bats taking shits on you. Oh, and the game can be beaten in around five minutes. 

Second Virtual Console release of this week is Super R-Type (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points). It's R-Type, I don't need to say a damn thing about this game. Just buy it. You'll thank me. 

Now, R-Type alone should definitely warrant five out of five sharks. However, the fact that Nintendo is selling a game that can be beaten faster than it takes to download causes me to take away two sharks. So three out of five sharks this week. The PR, that none of you cares about, is after the jump. 

view full story + comments