Someone still cares about the fate of the Japanese shmup: his name is Maruyama.
Last time I spoke with G.Rev’s head honcho Maruyama he just wouldn’t shut up about his undying love for Metal Black, but I forgive him. He is, after all, in charge of one of Japan’s last few shmup specialist softcos and therefore deserves every bit of veneration he can get. Even if he is obsessed with some old Taito gem. So thank your lucky stars that his crack team have prepped Senko no Ronde DUO for a Japanese Xbox 360 release on April 28th.
In case you haven’t been keeping up and are out of breath, this is the 360 version of DUO, which itself is a bit of an underground hit here in Japan right now, and it features online battles, a full-on story mode, and a unique “commander mode” in which you can issue commands using the left stick in a strategy-meets-action blamange. Mmm.
There’s a “special box” version of Senko no Ronde DUO RRP-ing for a whopping 9,240 yen, which includes a 60-minute-long drama CD featuring the game’s entire cast (true) and a suggestive Maruyama idol pose photo book (not so true). Or you could just buy The Game for 7,140 yen – probably significantly less via Amazon.co.jp. Happy shopper!
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I’m hearing it’s been delayed until May 20th to fix the net code – one week before Deathsmiles II. Apparently to “make up” for the delay we get another drama CD. Kind of like making up for spilling somebody’s pint by poking their eye out. The OST would’ve been nice instead.