Ikaruga and Rez revealed for XBLA @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on September 12, 2007

News: The XBLA is going to be shooter heaven soon.

Long rumored to be in production for the Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft confirmed in its Tokyo Game Show briefing that Rez and Ikaruga are indeed coming to the XBLA.

The classic Dreamcast shooters will be joined on the service by a whole host of other original games, which Microsoft has detailed below:

Every Extend Extra Extreme (Q Entertainment). The latest creation from Q Entertainment, "Every Extend Extra Extreme," or E4, is a unique action-packed shooter where the goal is to perfectly time your self-destruction to create chain reactions that explode surrounding enemies. With outrageous visuals and the ability to play your own favorite music, E4 puts a new twist on puzzle shooter games.

Exit (Taito). An addictive, frenzied puzzle game, "Exit" has players using their decision-making skills and wits to escape numerous obstacles, while rescuing people from more than 100 different emergencies. Players must save as many lives as possible while finding the fastest way out when "Exit" arrives on Xbox Live Arcade by the end of the year.

Ikaruga (Treasure). "Ikaruga" is a quick-paced shooter with strong strategy elements featuring a slow-motion training mode and co-op play for two. Available soon for download from Xbox Live Arcade, "Ikaruga" is the perfect combination of beautiful, manga-style storytelling and refined, ultra-challenging arcade heroics.

Omega Five (Hudson). "Omega Five" is a next-generation, high-definition shooter with awe-inspiring graphics. Players fly through dangerous 3-D environments in this side-scroller and try to avoid the enemies that come at them from all sides, even from behind.

Rez (Q Entertainment). "Rez," the legendary action-shooter created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. A fast-moving, wire-frame adventure backed by industrial beats, the story of "Rez" takes players deep into the world's computer network, where they must hack the system, altering the visual output and even taking over the music, creating their own rhythms and eye candy as they dig deeper into the dreamlike cyberworld.

Triggerheart Exelica (Warashi). A shoot'em-up game where players battle against hordes of enemy ships, "Triggerheart Exelica" dynamically adjusts the difficulty to match a player's skill level. "Triggerheart Exelica" launches on Xbox Live Arcade this year.

Braid (Number None). Arriving in early 2008 on Xbox Live Arcade, "Braid" is a platformer/puzzle game. The player journeys across seven worlds to rescue a princess; in each world, time behaves in its own peculiar way. The player must cleverly manipulate the flow of time to solve puzzles. "Braid" aims to provide a mind-expanding, filler-free experience.

Castle Crashers (The Behemoth). Arriving in early 2008 on Xbox Live Arcade, "Castle Crashers" is the second title currently in development by award-winning independent developer the Behemoth. The four-player RPG adventure will let players hack, slash and smash their way to victory. "Castle Crashers" delivers unique high-resolution illustrated visuals, including memorably hand-drawn characters that are cute and menacing at the same time. Gamers can play with up to three friends locally or over Xbox Live and discover mind-boggling magic and mystery in the amazing world of "Castle Crashers."

"Schizoid (Torpex Games). "Schizoid," from independent studio Torpex Games, is the first Xbox Live Arcade game to be created with XNA Game Studio. Debuting on Xbox Live Arcade later this year, "Schizoid" is an action-packed game focused on co-op gameplay in which players smash barrages of glowing enemies while cooperating closely to protect each other.

With all of these games incoming, it's a good time to be an XBLA gamer. We'll have more on all of these titles soon.