Bangai O HD Missile Fury due for Xbox 360 / XBLA this Fall

D3 publisher announced Bangai O : Missile fury for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. This is a HD version of Bangai O featuring over 100 levels as well as level editor. The original game was developed by Treasure for Nintendo 64 which later was ported to Sega Dreamcast. A sequel was also developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS titled Bangai O Spirits. Blast away for fruit in this awesome multi scrolling shooter.

King Of Fighters / KOF Sky Stage due Sept 15th on XBLA / Xbox 360

Snkplaymore plans on releasing King Of Fighters / KOF Sky Stage worldwide to Xbox Live arcade September 15th. The game is a change of pace from the usual KOF universe where it features vertical scrolling shmup action instead of the usual Arcade fighting. The game was original developed by MOSS for the Taito Type X and received a PSP port as part of "Neo Geo Heroes Ultimate Shooting" released earlier this year in Japan.
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Fast Striker announced for Sega Dreamcast due in Winter 2010

NG Dev Team announced Fast Striker for Sega Dreamcast due in Winter 2010. This is a port of their Neo Geo MVS title which was released earlier this year. They are selling both regular and limited edition versions and accepting pre-orders now. This is the second game that has gone this route with Last Hope being the first game that was sold for Neo Geo and then published on Dreamcast. FAST STRIKER is a 2D arcade shooting game with emphasis on scoring. You can choose between 3 game modes with different scoring systems. This game features six stages of excellent 2D arcade game play with over 40 unique enemy types, super smooth 3D scrolling backgrounds, and huge CGI bosses.





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Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA announced by Sega

Sega announced Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA will be shown September 9th at the AM show in Japan. The game runs on the Ringedge Arcade system and features Online Network play, new cars, characters and courses as well as Tag Battles for 2 v 2 play.

Transformers Animated Sega Arcade game preview video

Sega has released video of Transformers Animated Arcade gamesThe Shooting & The Chase. These games are only for sale in Japan currently but could have a over seas release due to the Transformers brand popularity all over the world. The games use a Card based system to track players game data like previous Sega released arcade games. Each game features unique gameplay with data swapped between the two games.

BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 announced by Arc System Works for Arcade and Trailer

Arc System Works announced that BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 will be shown at the AM show September 9th. The game is a upgrade to the previous titles with new characters added with gameplay balance tweaks. Like its predecessors it will be running on the Taito Type X 2 motherboard and will feature the standard four button layout. It was also announced that Valkenhayn will be joining the cast of characters as DLC next month in the home console port of Continuum Shift and will be a playable character in BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 as well. Seems like Blazblue is the new Guilty Gear with it's abundance of Arcade and console upgrades.




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5pb games Bullet Soul screenshots for Xbox 360 released by Famitsu

Famitsu released screenshots of the Xbox 360 original shmup Bullet Soul by 5pb games. The game features vertical scrolling gameplay on a 2d plane. The game is expected out this Winter. Character designs are from Akio Watanabe. Music composition is from Kenji Ito, with arrangement work from Kouta Takahashi.

Bullet Soul a new vertical shmup announced by 5pb games due this winter on Xbox 360

5pb's original Xbox 360 shooter Bullet Soul was formally announced in this weeks Famitsu magazine. Music producer Kenji Ito is doing soundtrack for it and Akio Watanabe is behind the character design. A programmer was not announced. The game features vertical scrolling action and character graphic style simliar to Blazblue. This is not 5pb's first venture into Shmups territory as the company previously ported the Cave developed Arcade games Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou EXTRA and Ketsui EXTRA to the the Xbox 360.

There is a scan below depicting the graphic style and gameplay.

Deathsmiles 2 X Xbox 360 review putting the haters in their place!

Being a top 50 player worldwide in this game (last I checked ) I think I have earned the right to review this title. Let me start off by saying that this is not your typical Cave Shmup as it features Polygonal graphics in lieu of the typical 2D sprites the developer has been known for the past 15 years. Like it's predecessor you are a Gothic Lolita with a familiar / option flying around destroying a evil horde of various creatures with each level ending with giant boss characters like a Evil Reindeer, Monster Snake , and SATAN CLAUS. The game is reminiscent in style graphically to Dreamcast shmups from the 2000's with scrolling 3d backgrounds and cool transparencies.

The gameplay is just as solid as the graphics but what really shines is the score system which has made a radical change for the better. It is easier to recharge your meter to 1000 by timing background attacks as along with using your tap shot for higher scores. The lock on shot has been changed to only attack enemies in the background adding a multi-plane like gameplay. The music is surprisingly catchy and fits the game well with its pseudo X-Mas theme. There are some really freaky and crazy designs coming from the imagination of the developers and this is a game that any Old-School Shmup player would surely enjoy. Some added features are online leader boards and 2x and Arrange modes that really change the way you approach the game. Unfortunately in order to play you must own a Japanese or Asian Xbox 360 but I can tell you it is well worth the purchase for this game and others exclusive to the region. Many people on online message boards have griped about this game but I have found no real faults other then a few visual options omitted. I give Deathsmiles 2 X a 9/10 and recommend it's purchase.

Did you like Deathsmiles on Xbox 360? Then play these Region Free Cave Shmup Gems Espgaluda 2 + Mushihimesama Futari

Deathsmiles was released in late June in the USA giving gamers in the States their first taste of a localized Cave shmup. Most gamers probally are not aware that you can also play Espgaluda 2 and Mushihimesama Futari on the Xbox 360. Both games regular editions are REGION-FREE which can be played on any Xbox 360 system. So why wait for Aksys Games to localize the next game. Go buy them now you can purchase both games from ncsx or play-asia.

Akai Katana / Red Sword Official Cave Arcade Jamma Kit Pictures

Here are some Official Kit pictures of the new Arcade game Akai Katana / Red Sword. As you can see the game is a Jamma PCB and has a Display of Low resolution 15K. The game can be ordered now from Japanese game distributors for $2,300.

Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu / Resurrection Iphone / Ipad / Ipod touch releases August 26th 2010

Cave announced on the Cave-World site that Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu / Resurrection for the Iphone / Ipad / Ipod will be released August 26th 2010. The game features touch screen gameplay as well as a few exclusive gaming modes not found in the Arcade version. The price will be $4.99 for the first 4 days, then $8.99 after that. This is simliar to the offer they had on their first Iphone game Espgaluda 2. The next game being released on the platform is Mushihimesama Futari which is due later this year.

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Cave Shmup Akai Katana now shipping to Arcade distributors

The new Cave produced Horizontial Shmup Akai Katana is now shipping to Arcade distributors in Japan. The game is a Pseudo Pro Gear No Arashi sequel featuring steampunk mech designs and the ability to switch between ship and human form. The game is based on the Jamma based SH-3 hardware with a low resolution 15k output. With the announcements of Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu and Muchi Muchi Pork / Pink Sweets this past weekend a Xbox 360 version next year is not out of the question.

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Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou Extra Xbox 360 patch due in early September

Cave game producer Makato Asada and Arika producer Ichirou Mihara announced at the Matsuri Festival Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou Extra would finally receive a patch in early September. This patch will fix bugs that caused the games recall last year. Some of the problems being addressed are the load times , bullet patterns, slow down, menu , and game freezing bugs. This patch has been long due since it was announced shortly after the games release almost a year and a half ago. For those unaware Aqua System used stolen Code for Xbox 360 version which was based on the port that was done by Arika on PS2. 5pb who was responsible for publishing duties issued a apology on their website which was eventually accepted by Mihara. He has since been working on the patch which has been rejected several times frustrating his life. Also he had so many emails from customers from outside japan displaying their displeasure of waiting for the patch that he banned most IP addresses outside of Japan from his blog. I look forward to the patch and hopefully this will fix everything that has bugged myself and countless others. This has probally driven Mihara insane since he is such a Shmup perfectionist evident by his perfect ports of Espgaluda and Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou on PS2.

I would like to thank Kotaku for the exposure

Seems like my site has had a spike in traffic thanks to Kotaku in the past day. I would just like to formally thank Brian Ashcraft for linking my site. As most of you can see I pretty much cover Japanese Arcade gaming news which is few and far between. Hopefully we can get some great announcements next month at the Tokyo Game Show and AM Arcade trade show. Please visit my site for more related news and be sure to check out some of my older posts.

Kotaku link to New Cave shmups story

Cave releases cover art for Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu and Muchi Muchi Pork / Pink Sweets Xbox 360 games.

Cave has released the cover art cover art for Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu and Muchi Muchi Pork / Pink Sweets Xbox 360. Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu is set for release November 25th 2010 and Muchi Muchi Pork / Pink Sweets in early 2011.

Radirgy Noah Massive announced by Mile-Stone for Xbox 360

Mile-Stone announced a port of their Naomi shmup Radirgy Noah for Xbox 360 at the Famitsu 360 event. The game will be released in October 28 2010. The 360 version has Classic Mode, Massive Mode and Death Modes. Massive Mode is a time attack mode where you play through two minutes and aim for the highest score. There's a boss at the end, and by killing it off you can get a higher score.

Muchi Muchi Pork / Pink Sweets Cave shmup combo coming next year to Xbox 360

Cave announced at the Matsuri festival that the two Shinobu Yagawa produced shmups Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets will be released as a combo package retail disc on Xbox 360 next year. The games will feature online score boards and arrange modes exclusive to the console port. It was also announced that these games would feature no Xbox 360 upgrade in visuals unlike previous Cave produced ports.

Dangun Feveron / Fever S.O.S. coming to Xbox 360 / XBLA next year

Cave announced at the Matsuri Festival that Dangun Feveron / Fever S.O.S. will be released as a downloadable game for Xbox Live Arcade in 2011. M2 who handled the Mushihisama Futari 360 port will be the developer. The game will include online score boards and arrange modes. Cave also said there is a possibility of the game coming to other platforms such as the PS3 or PC.

Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu announced for Xbox 360 November 25th 2010

Cave announced at their annual Matsuri Festival that Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu will be getting a Xbox 360 port November 25th 2010. The game will include Novice,360,Arrange A, and Arrange B modes. Also if you pre order you will receive a DLC card for 1.51 version which was shown at the festival as well. I am assuming the BLACK LABEL version will be released at a later time as downloadable content. Look forward to shooting up the place in November!