bangai-o spirits
Bangai-O Spirits Circumvents DS Codes, Blows Minds
1:20AM Leigh Alexander | I stopped by D3Publisher’s hotel suite yesterday to check out some of their stuff. I hadn’t heard much about Bangai-O Spirits (remember, Dreamcast fans?) which has been out in Japan since March and is hitting here sometime in the fourth quarter, but that’s because I generally don’t follow shooters. Even I sat up and took notice, though. Bangai-O Spirits, developed by Ikaruga creator Treasure, is hardcore oldschool, from what I could tell by looking, with richly-detailed 2D sprites and both horizontal and vertical scrolling. The awesome thing about it is the full realtime level editor – if you’re having a hard time, you can build yourself a little wall, or plow yourself a new path. More »
Treasure Tackling Two Wii Titles
12:40PM Michael McWhertor | The latest issue of Nintendo Power, which is in the hands of subscribers right now features an interview with Masato Maegawa, the president of the beloved action game developer, whose Bangai-O Spirits is due to hit the Nintendo DS stateside this quarter. The Xbox Live Arcade remake of Ikaruga just went live, but Nintendo Power wants to know when Maegawa and crew will get some WiiWare titles out. Maegawa says that they’re looking into it, but that they already have two unannounced Wii games in development. Details are nonexistent other than the Treasure president teasing that “both games will have a lot of impact.” Who wants to make some wagers? More »Bangai-O Spirits DS Trailer Is Somewhat Explosion Heavy
11:39AM Michael McWhertor | We got a chance to play an extremely early version of Bangai-O Spirits for the Nintendo DS at the most recent Tokyo Game Show, but it really didn’t do the game justice. You really do need fully functioning full-screen missile barrages and excited Japanese voiceover narration to properly understand Treasure’s Dreamcast to DS port. Hence, this nearly perfect trailer. More »
Bangai-O Spirits Coming Stateside
3:20AM Mike Fahey | A happy day for fans of the Dreamcast classic Bangai-O, as D3Publisher of America and lovable, cuddly Japanese developer Treasure announce the DS version of the game for North American release later this year. Combining two of Treasure’s greatest strengths – puzzle games and shooters – the original Bangai-O was one of the developer’s most definitive titles. The DS version features local wireless co-op gameplay for 1-4 players, a powerful level editor, and probably the neatest feature of all – level transfer using sound. The level editor saves files as sound, which can then be transmitted to other DS systems via the built-in microphone, or save them on a PC for upload and sharing via the internet. Players can even use this Sound Load feature to transfer gameplay footage, which means someone needs to come up with a flash app that translates the sound files and set up a website ASAP. Bangai-O Spirits should be hitting US shores sometime in Q2 2008. More »
Bangai-O Spirits Hands-On Impressions
8:00PM Michael McWhertor | Treasure’s Nintendo DS sequel to the offbeat Dreamcast/Nintendo 64 shooter Bangai-O was available to play at a single kiosk at D3 Publisher’s TGS booth. Just one Nintendo DS! It almost seems criminal. Clearly D3 underestimates the rabid demand for this fruit collecting puzzle-shooter sequel to the game that sold well into the tens of thousands. However, despite the broad appeal of shooting stuff, Bangai-O Spirits was surprisingly simple to get your hands on at Tokyo Game Show. Wrapping one’s brain around the concept may take a bit more work. More »
