Xbox Live Arcade Ikaruga - confirmed, pictured, played, going to be AMAZING

via Xboxer

Microsoft sent out a few shots of Xbox Live Arcade Ikaruga today, the long-rumoured conversion of the must-have Dreamcast/Gamecube shooter.

Now, Microsoft also has a test version of Xbox Live, called Partnernet, that's not accessible to the general public. It's where developers upload test things and can play against each other without YOU PEOPLE bothering them. You can only access Partnernet if you have a development debug Xbox 360 - and you are NOT ALLOWED to talk about what appears on it, or Microsoft gets very angry.

BUT! The hardcore scrolling shooter fans over at the SHMUPS forum don't care and just just couldn't help themselves when a seemingly complete version of Ikaruga went up for test download recently. It is, after all, the best 2D shooting game of the last decade. And here it is on Xbox 360:

http://xboxer.tv/ikaruga-xbox-live-arcade-release.jpg

Happily, maker Treasure HAS totally upgraded it for Xbox Live - you're able to download replays of other players' goes and see exactly how they managed to score so many more points than you. Plus, of course, there are leaderboards - so no more lying about being able to "chain" all of level four on Medium. Proof will be viewable by all.

The only downside is the screen borders - they were big enough on a standard 4:3 TV "back in the day" on Dreamcast - on a widescreen TV you're going to end up with more border than actual usable playing area.

BUT! The option to stick your TV on its side and have the entire game flipped to vertical display mode is present in the Xbox Live Arcade remake as it was on Dreamcast, so if you fancy attempting to put your 42" Samsung LCD on its side you will have, by far, the most incredible shoot 'em up experience imaginable. The game also supports the less-famed 16:10 aspect ratio rather than the traditional 16:9, for those of you with odd-shaped pixels.

More screens of XBLA Ikaruga can be seen over at Gamersyde. Hopefully it'll be out very soon, seeing as it's clearly finished and ready to go.

Nice game... shame the borders on it make it look awful. :(

I'd personaly like to see Capcom's 'Giga Wing' or even 'Mars Matrix' on xbox live as these were also fantastic shooters and I'm pretty sure that they filled all of the screen without any borders (without the need of tilting your tv lol).

Radient Silver Gun, The PCEngines 'R-type' (complete CD version), The Amiga version of Silkworm and also all of the Parodius games would be cool on live. :)

I loved Silkworm and SWIV. So cool!

Midnight Resistance was great too :D

I agree about Radiant Silvergun. I've heard so much about it and would relish the chance to play it without shelling out loads of cash. Maybe if Ikaruga does well, Treasure may be happy to raid the rest of their back catalogue for XBLA. Here's hoping.

I just need a something now that will allow me to rotate my TV