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Trigger Heart Exelica Joins Ikaruga on Partnernet

Earlier this week, Ikaruga appeared back on Xbox Live Arcade's Partnernet for download. After speaking to an anonymous source via e-mail, I've been able to confirm that Warashi's discus throwing shooter, Trigger Heart Exelica, is also up alongside Ikaruga on Partnernet. Unfortunately, there isn't as much information provided about Trigger Heart's status on Partnernet like there was about Ikaruga's, so all information that I have is relatively old news. I've been promised a few more details about it, so once those are made available to me, I'll be sure to post them.

I find it interesting that the Xbox 360 is attracting so many shooting developers to the system for both the Xbox Live platform and retail releases. With games like Ikaruga, Trigger Heart Exelica, Raiden Fighters Aces on the horizon joining recently released games like Shikigami no Shiro 3 and Omega 5, it really is becoming the defacto console of choice for gamers wanting the arcade shooting experience. In a lot of ways, it has some parallels to the Dreamcast. Sure, the console isn't moving the most hardware, but even in Japan, its software numbers and ease of development are enough to attract attention.

It'll be interesting to see if it keeps the same trends.

Excellent news. I liked Trigger Heart Exelica when I played through it on DC last year. It gave me a very Raiden vibe. The catch & release gimmick was a bit annoying, and it relies on BS physics so it takes some getting used to, but it was fun.

http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1213206_1124.html

Messe Sanoh will have another one of their Xbox Live Arcade "experience" events, this time for Exelica, from Jan 31 'till Feb 3

And I just noticed that the XBLA version will have a new arranged soundtrack.

http://www.warashi.co.jp/exelica/exelica360.htm

Didn't notice the arranged soundtrack before.

I have some pictures I was sent from the Ikaruga "playtest" at Messe Sanoh that I've been meaning to post but I haven't yet. I should do that soon.

There wasn't much of a turnout at all, but the set up was nice.

RyanDG wrote:...

There wasn't much of a turnout at all, but the set up was nice.

Nothing along the lines of a Square Enix event, I'm sure. But how did it compare to an event like Cave's, or the Shikigami no Shiro III party/thing they had a few weeks back? That one wasn't even in a game shop or anything, just a regular bar, that might have helped attendance...

According to a new update to Warashi's Exelica general information page, the XBLA port will be available this Wednesday, 2/27.

http://www.warashi.co.jp/exelica/information.htm

I sort of wish we'd get these dates a little more ahead of time. We get news of an XBLA port or original title months/years before it launches, but we only get the actual release date only days before. I'm not amused by these surprises, and it wrecks havoc with budgeting.

lech wrote:I sort of wish we'd get these dates a little more ahead of time. We get news of an XBLA port or original title months/years before it launches, but we only get the actual release date only days before. I'm not amused by these surprises, and it wrecks havoc with budgeting.

This is part of the complaints that Jeff Minter really serviced against the current Xbox Live arcade set up. Essentially his argument was that even after the game is completed, it would end up staying in Microsofts "queue" for an extended time with little feedback from the company on when it will be able to be put up on their service. Even though Space Giraffe was pretty mediocre in the grand scheme of things, his point really rings true.

It also makes me wonder how well the freshly announced XNA program (which came out of GDC) is going to really work out. Even those are going to be limited to creator's club members until a certain quality control level is reached.