A legend dies....IREM is closing it's doors!

[Rozyrg]

Metal Slug 4...

Metal Slug 4 mostly just had a hodgepodge of the older games' graphics. The difference between it and later ones is that most of newer art assets really stand out in a bad way, so you could tell that it was probably company's (Mega Enterprises) first attempt at something like that. That and the KOF series' brief departure to another Korean developer, Eolith, all happened during SNK's bankruptcy limbo.

Say what you want about how the later games play; but graphically, the consistency is still there, so I could easily believe remnants of the orginal team are still working behind the scenes. I will admit the old assets still look better on the whole; but given how much time has passed since the NEO GEO days, I think that's understandable. Despite having an immensely talented staff, a company like SNK just cant afford to put tons of time and money into a project like they could back in the 90's when they were cooking up one smash arcade hit after another.

...and MS3 drives me to insanity.

[S20-TBL]

Metal Slug 4 mostly just had a hodgepodge of the older games' graphics. The difference between it and later ones is that most of newer art assets really stand out in a bad way, so you could tell that it was probably company's (Mega Enterprises) first attempt at something like that. That and the KOF series' brief departure to another Korean developer, Eolith, all happened during SNK's bankruptcy limbo.

True. And we know how well *those* KOFs fared...

Going back to Irem, Japan's economy really hasn't been shining bright since the start of the Lost Decade, so I have a feeling their falling along with the domino effect that started with the economy bursting in 1991 is inevitable. Japan's national debt is ridiculously high and their population growth has slowed considerably. The recent disasters just made it worse--if they hadn't released money into the financial markets like they did around a few days after the tsunami, they'd be in squalid conditions now. And this whole thing is affecting their entertainment sector. Capcom was wise to shut down Clover Studios in this light, and now Irem is reeling from the pressure. And let's not forget Konami's axing of Hudson Soft's U.S. subsidiary. It's a huge tsunami on its own that is just as relevant to Cave's recent corporate restructuring plans (hopefully their history with Toaplan proves useful).

...and MS3 drives me to insanity.

Lol, hardest game of the bunch. It feels epic in its hugeness, but the game felt a teensy bit disjointed. Shell-shocked Japanese WW2 vets holed up in an underground bunker beneath a South American (?) desert infested with hostile man-eating alien vegetation, insects and an Aztec statue UFO boss that barfed plasma dragons? What were they smoking?

[Sumez]

True. And we know how well *those* KOFs fared...

2002 is one of the most loved in the series.

[Mills]

Its a sad end, but that is life im afraid.

[S20-TBL]

2002 is one of the most loved in the series.

My mistake, forgot that one. However, note that 2002 is a Dream Match game that tried to recapture the success of '98. Can't say the same for the glitchy installment that came before it, though.

[Sumez]

Yeah 2001 didn't know what it was doing. At least all the women in it have crazy enormous breasts in the artwork, including King who was supposed to be posing as a guy in AoF.

The end bosses are seriously cliché SNK bosses, though, so I'm sure there were at least a few original SNK people involved with its development.

[S20-TBL]

The end bosses are seriously cliché SNK bosses, though, so I'm sure there were at least a few original SNK people involved with its development.

I did some research: Brezzasoft, a team composed of ex-SNK members created after their dissolution, co-developed it alongside Eolith. However, I think 2002 picked up speed compared to 2001 because it was produced and developed after Eikichi Kawasaki (founder of SNK) acquired the rights to SNK under his new Playmore brand. Having major members of the original team on hand alongside Eolith for game direction certainly helped, and looking into past successes as inspiration for future titles (in this case using '98 as a reference for 2002's gameplay) is a generally smart move.

Tying this into the IREM issue, I wonder if they might pull off a similar comeback somehow, but looking at their titles during and after PS2, I noticed a severe hiccup. They've been hung on making the Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series, as that comprised like 5 of 13 titles developed after 1999 if this MobyGames entry is complete. It's like their heyday ran only from 1988 to 1995 (when most of their well-known titles came out) and stopped almost abruptly.

[Randorama]

It's like their heyday ran only from 1988 to 1995 (when most of their well-known titles came out) and stopped almost abruptly.

That was already a previous incarnation of Irem, which bankrupted in 1995 or so. Please see my previous post.

[mrsmiley381]

So were these games only pulled off the Japanese PSN? Because the US releases by Irem seem to be fine. I might get R-Types and R-Type Command just for the ease of digital availability. Already have Delta, so might as well grab some more while I can.

[Estebang]

Can we change the thread title? Irem isn't actually dead yet. If they do "die", it'll just be an exile into pachinko land.

Which may have already happened, I know.

[Elixir]

I'm looking at the Japanese PSN store at the moment. Irem's still listed (under メーカー名でさがす) as well as R-Type for PC-Engine, Pachinko Paradise 2, Pachinko Paradise 3, Sanyou Pachin okay fuck this. Just take my word for it.

Gussun Paradise (PS1) is gone, searching by character returns nothing. It's still in my download list and I can still download it, I just can't find it available to buy any more. R-Type Command and R-Type Tactics are gone, searching by character returns R-Type for PC-Engine though.

[E. Randy Dupre]

The removal of specific games, but not all games, could be taken to indicate that a compilation is on the way, no?

[TrevHead (TVR)]

FYI Altus is selling their irem psp releases at 50% off. looks like its the last call before they pull them http://www.destructoid.com/atlus-irem-g ... 2004.phtml

[Edmond Dantes]

Irem has been dead to me for a good long time. Now it can RIP.

Pretty much my thoughts on the matter. Hopefully the IPs end up somewhere that will use them for good.

Hopefully someone makes a truly arcade-perfect port of X-Multiply and releases it for the PSP or one of the current-gen consoles (actually, I'd like to see a comprehensive Irem collection on the PS2, I don't care how dead that console is). I'm kinda saddened that I'm the only one who cares about X-Multiply (which lest we forget is also an Irem property) but I guess its understandible since it never became as big as R-Type did.

Also njiska... is that Rainbow Dash in your avatar?

[Klatrymadon]

I'm kinda saddened that I'm the only one who cares about X-Multiply (which lest we forget is also an Irem property) but I guess its understandible since it never became as big as R-Type did.

It's definitely underrated, but take heart - you're far from being the only one who cares. There are plenty of big X-Multiply fans here, and most of us have single-credited it (Saucykobold conquered both loops not long ago). I'm halfway through uploading the soundtrack to YouTube for others to enjoy, and I think I welcomed you to the forum as a fellow fan when you first posted.

[Edmond Dantes]

Were you the guy who was surprised a newbie was asking about something so obscure? I think I remember you.

[Klatrymadon]

I think I was more pleased to see a Monte Cristo fan here!

Unless that's just your name.

[Edmond Dantes]

I've read the book too! I like the D'Artagnan chronicles a little more though.

Getting back on topic, ya know what I'd like to see? A "Complete Irem Collection." Honestly, this year I started liking Irem so much that it honestly made me want to buy arcade PCBs, just for their games that never had decent home versions (I'm looking at you, Armed Police Unit Gallop, R-Type Leo, Undercover Cops and Gunforce I and II!)

Incidentally, I'm kinda confused about the Gunforce II/Geostorm thing. Was Gunforce II an example of what TV Tropes calls a "Dolled Up Installment" (IE they took an originally unrelated game and made it a sequel for the overseas market) or was it always intended to be Gunforce II? Also, do those games actually have plotlines (even just blurbs on the flyers)? I know most shooter fans don't care, but I honestly am fascinated by such things.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I hope the worsening economy will give game developers, producers and publishers some creative kick. I don't wish anybody got fired, but maybe making two humble games instead of one fat game, that sort of thinking, shall lead the industry towards the end of the tunnel.
Not that Irem has been making any real fat games by today's standards.

[Estebang]

I hope the worsening economy will give game developers, producers and publishers some creative kick.

Why would you ever think it wouldn't do exactly the opposite?

[Edmond Dantes]

I hope the worsening economy will give game developers, producers and publishers some creative kick.

Why would you ever think it wouldn't do exactly the opposite?

I don't know why but it always seemed to me like creativity flourishes in bad times and then kinda flatlines in good ones. Like how most American pop culture icons were invented during the Great Depression (Superman, Popeye, Perry Mason etc) vs how when we had a stable economy every other movie was a remake.

Japanese companies have always been pretty creative though, so I'm not sure what to think there.

[Mills]

Would love to see an android port of IREM titles on my phone.

[Bloodreign]

I'd love to see a massive Irem collection for PS 3 (now that I have one) and 360, Irem's got a lot of good big name games, and some lesser known ones, I'd love to see a mixture of both.

[Estebang]

I'd like to think that whoever ends up with the full rights to Irem's stuff after they inevitably fold will make good use of them, but I really don't see that being the case.

[Edmond Dantes]

Well, if Irem folds and whoever ends up with their IPs does nothing with them, then it's time to party on MAME!

Though I'm still going to buy as many as I can find on physical media.

[Skyline]

Can we change the thread title? Irem isn't actually dead yet. If they do "die", it'll just be an exile into pachinko land.

Which may have already happened, I know.

http://www.irem.co.jp/official/pp3d_preumi/index.html

While the Irem that we remember of R-Type fame seems to be dead, the company itself doesn't seem to be defunct, as seems to be the case with companies like Takumi.

[Chaos Phoenixma]

I'd love to see a massive Irem collection for PS 3 (now that I have one) and 360, Irem's got a lot of good big name games, and some lesser known ones, I'd love to see a mixture of both.

Are any of them even good?

[Moniker]

I'd love to see a massive Irem collection for PS 3 (now that I have one) and 360, Irem's got a lot of good big name games, and some lesser known ones, I'd love to see a mixture of both.

Since we're talking, do people recommend R-Type Dimensions? If, for example, I don't give a toss about the gfx gimmick, is there anything else in the package besides the arcade R-Type I&II to make it worth $15?

[Estebang]

No. There's nothing of interest besides the games themselves, with the exception of co-op, which I'll explain below.

Irem had nothing to do with Dimensions, it was entirely outsourced to Tozai Games.

It's a shitty pair of conversions, anyway. You can switch between the new and old graphics with a button press, but this just emphasizes how lifeless and plasticine the new ones are. There's the addition of co-op (with online support), but did anyone stop to consider that the R-Type games were never designed to accommodate more than one player? The most hilarious screen setting in any shmup, where the games are reduced to a tiny fidgeting box in a virtual arcade cabinet, should make the complete absence of love in the collection apparent.

Really, they should have just done a pack of all the games up to Final, maybe throwing in Gallop and X-Multiply, even if they had to be emulated.

[Ghegs]

I'm going to have to defend the Dimensions release. They're pretty good as ports, when I was working on clearing R-Type's first loop I actually played it on Dimensions but practiced it a lot on PS1's R-Types and the only difference I noticed was that the Stage 3 Battleship's rear cannons are a bit less eager to fire in Dimensions. And of course Dimensions has leaderboards if you care about playing R-Type for score. On a negative side, Dimensions lacks button configuration which is bit of a bummer.

There's the addition of co-op (with online support), but did anyone stop to consider that the R-Type games were never designed to accommodate more than one player?

Have you tried the co-op mode? It's actually quite fun and works remarkably well, considering the game was originally designed for single player only. There's no additional powerups so the players have to coordinate who takes what, and since you can activate player collision (so the ships will push each other around) new tactics need to be devised. Here's a vid of me and Zaarock playing R-Type's co-op mode, I still plan to return to it one day and record a co-op clear of the game. Sadly the netcode isn't as good as could be hoped, the non-host player will experience slight input lag.

The most hilarious screen setting in any shmup, where the games are reduced to a tiny fidgeting box in a virtual arcade cabinet, should make the complete absence of love in the collection apparent.

If there wasn't a standard screen setting or it wasn't the default one I could understand how there's no love or respect in the collection, but since that's not the case this is a pretty silly statement. Probably just something a marketing person thought up. There's a similar setting in Final Fight: Double Impact and that's a competent collection as well, as far as I know.

Overall though I'd say R-Types is still the better choice, but if you lack the hardware to play it Dimensions is a worthy option.