Eurogamer has confirmed reports that Ikaruga has appeared on Partnernet, the Xbox 360's closed debug network.

Treasure's wildly awesome (and difficult) schmup is listed under a Japanese name, but the bad news is that Eurogamer couldn't get the game to run. The game does however reach a Treasure logo screen and has a full set of 12 achievements already built in. Our own sources also indicate that Ikaruga has been sitting on Partnernet for awhile, but has remained unplayable for some time.

Whether or not this means Ikaruga is 360-bound is unknown, but Treasure had previously mentioned interest in working with Xbox Live Arcade. This would be great news for schmup fans in the US, as the GameCube version is harder to get than chlamydia from a Roman Catholic nun.

Here's to hoping that if the game sees the light of day, it will include an option to turn my 42" flat screen on it's side.