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.)
Contest:
12:30 AM on 08.18.2009
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Unless it is, yay!
Someone somewhere really should make an investigative piece that finds out why japanese shmup lovers will only support the underdog system. Saturn, Dreamcast, 360 (in Japan), Xbox (had several shmups), etc. Even Virtual Boy had a shmup!
It's kind of like dealing crack. The only people who want it will go get it regardles of where it's sold. No sense in paying big cash to build a crack store if you can make the same money selling it in an alley.
That's why it seems like STG fans only support the underdog systems. It just happens that those usually end up being the systems that have the most games for them to play.
Lots of SHMUP love these days.