IREM Collection series

[hamfighterx]

So Vol. 3 will include Mr Heli, Mystic Riders and Dragon Breed. I wonder why the hint they posted months ago, mentioned "get ready to fight". The hint for Vol. 4 says "further arcade shmup adventures" and Vol. 5 "platform fun".
I think vol. 3 will be the further arcade shmups collection and we wont get R-Type Leo or Gallop.

That... seems like a reasonable prediction. Feels like "get ready to fight" would include stuff like Undercover Cops, Ninja Baseball Bat Man, Blade Master (that would be one heck of a trio, IMO!)

I guess if you're looking for a bright side, maybe that means Hamster will get R-Type Leo and Gallop sooner on Arcade Archives? And possibly higher quality, as Hamster is pretty consistently good and we have yet to see how these Irem collections turn out.

There are lots of Irem games missing on ACA, sadly, including R-Type, R-Type II, R-Type Leo, and Armed Police Unit Gallop. At least Kaitei Daisensou, Saigo no Nindou, Image Fight, X Multiply, and Moon Patrol are there. Don't skip Moon Patrol; it's awesome.

For anyone who's curious, there are currently 11 IREM games on Arcade Archives:

10 Yard Fight
Heroic Episode (Youjyuden)
Image Fight
In the Hunt (Kaitei Daisensou)
Karate Champ
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja (Kaiketsu Yanchamaru)
Moon Patrol
Ninja Spirit (Saigo no Nindou)
Traverse USA (Zippy Race)
Vigilante
X-Multiply

[Lemnear]

On Ratalaika website there's no mention about this.
Damn the Vol.2 is so cool! But i can't get the 2 without the 1, it will hurt the aesthetic of my library.
This is PURE FURY!!!

Spoiler

[Bar81]

So Vol. 3 will include Mr Heli, Mystic Riders and Dragon Breed. I wonder why the hint they posted months ago, mentioned "get ready to fight". The hint for Vol. 4 says "further arcade shmup adventures" and Vol. 5 "platform fun".
I think vol. 3 will be the further arcade shmups collection and we wont get R-Type Leo or Gallop.

I got the email confirming this. Yes, no more shmups.

[Bassa-Bassa]

So Vol. 3 will include Mr Heli, Mystic Riders and Dragon Breed.

And they indeed are calling it "Mr. Heli" instead of "Battle Chopper", which was the game's official name for the West:

https://www.iningames.com/games/irem-collection-vol-3

A homage this time to the extraneous Euro computer versions by Firebird (which made up the name from the original "Mr. Heli no Daibouken" just because)? Most likely, but to me it serves to confirm that sadly this is definitely an Inin project where Tozai just kept the rights to publish the games in Japan, and, at any rate, that neither M2 nor any other no-nonsense developer which really respects the games' history is on board. Which is too bad because there're many games here which run originally at 55hz, and that deserves special care and knowhow to emulate without noticeable drawbacks.

[Bar81]

So Vol. 3 will include Mr Heli, Mystic Riders and Dragon Breed.

And they indeed are calling it "Mr. Heli" instead of "Battle Chopper", which was the game's official name for the West:

https://www.iningames.com/games/irem-collection-vol-3

A homage this time to the extraneous Euro computer versions by Firebird (which made up the name from the original "Mr. Heli no Daibouken" just because)? Most likely, but to me it serves to confirm that sadly this is definitely an Inin project where Tozai just kept the rights to publish the games in Japan, and, at any rate, that neither M2 nor any other no-nonsense developer which really respects the games' history is on board. Which is too bad because there're many games here which run originally at 55hz, and that deserves special care and knowhow to emulate without noticeable drawbacks.

They're just being lazy on the naming:

Versions included:

Mr. Heli/Battle Chopper: Arcade (English/Japanese), PC Engine (Japanese)
Mystic Riders: Arcade (English/Japanese)
Dragon Breed: Arcade (Japanese)

[Bassa-Bassa]

They may end up including Battle Chopper, but they even created a whole rethoric and high res logo for the promo at least - it's not out of laziness:




Also, Japan version only for Dragon Breed? How come?

[Jucksalbe]

Also, Japan version only for Dragon Breed? How come?

Are there any differences? As far as I could tell (from a quick search on YouTube) the ending is in English in both versions.

[Bar81]

They may end up including Battle Chopper, but they even created a whole rethoric and high res logo for the promo at least - it's not out of laziness:




Also, Japan version only for Dragon Breed? How come?

That's the JP logo:

[BrianC]

Unmask the muddy!

[Lemnear]

How they can miss R-Type (any) in a 5 Volume collection dedicated to Irem?

[Bassa-Bassa]

Because you can somehow get the first two with Tozai's own R-Type Dimensions. And likely they think they deserve their own collection, anyway.

That's the JP logo:

I know, but it still takes some effort (at least a bit too much to think they're just "being lazy on the naming"). Now, if you mean that they are being lazy on the graphic arts, I think that's indeed the key here - there's no Battle Chopper logo available on the web as there's no arcade flyer publicly available nor any other related material to extract it from and call it a day. Which again validates my point - this will not be a collection for the hardcore crew.

[Sumez]

R-Type is such a powerful franchise by itself that I totally respect the decision to make a collection to celebrate all the other things that Irem also made. Honestly, it's exactly what I want. But it might also be a licensing issue.

My only regret is all the interesting less famous Irem games that are no doubt still gonna be passed over. 5 volumes with 3 games in each isn't nearly enough to cover all their greats, even when ignoring R-Type.

Btw, looks like I was 100% on point with one of my guesses, curious to see how well the other two fare:

Either way here's my guess for the remaining volumes:

Blade Master - Undercover Cops - Ninja Baseball Batman
Mr. Heli - Dragon Breed - Mystic Riders
Ninja Spirit - In The Hunt - Tonma

[Steven]

More people should get the chance to play Saigo and Kaitei Daisensou. Those are some of the best games Irem ever made and easily of the same quality as any R-Type. I'd pay the 7480 yen for M2 ShotTriggers Kaitei Daisensou if they made it even though I already have it on ACA on both PS4 and Switch. Same for Saigo, even though it's not a shooting game.

[Sumez]

If ACA availability plays into their choices, Saigo and Kaitei might get passed over as well, but those are two games I personally think would be a must in a collection like this.

[Lemnear]

How is possible that the Volume.1 will be released on 21 November, without any gameplay video?
They talked about extra features but never showed them...i mean their trailer show nothing...NOTHING! nor a menù, background images or anything, only a "multi-version" of each game when possible.

[doodledude]

How is possible that the Volume.1 will be released on 21 November, without any gameplay video?
They talked about extra features but never showed them...i mean their trailer show nothing...NOTHING! nor a menù, background images or anything, only a "multi-version" of each game when possible.

Where did you get that date from?
Strictly Limited Games just mentions a 'vague' Winter 2023/24.
Looks like it releasing in Feb 2024 in Japan, I wouldn't expect anything before that released in the west

[Lemnear]

How is possible that the Volume.1 will be released on 21 November, without any gameplay video?
They talked about extra features but never showed them...i mean their trailer show nothing...NOTHING! nor a menù, background images or anything, only a "multi-version" of each game when possible.

Where did you get that date from?
Strictly Limited Games just mentions a 'vague' Winter 2023/24.
Looks like it releasing in Feb 2024 in Japan, I wouldn't expect anything before that released in the west

Here:
https://store.playstation.com/it-it/concept/10008412

Isn't the volume 2 release date "Feb 2024"?

[doodledude]

How is possible that the Volume.1 will be released on 21 November, without any gameplay video?
They talked about extra features but never showed them...i mean their trailer show nothing...NOTHING! nor a menù, background images or anything, only a "multi-version" of each game when possible.

Where did you get that date from?
Strictly Limited Games just mentions a 'vague' Winter 2023/24.
Looks like it releasing in Feb 2024 in Japan, I wouldn't expect anything before that released in the west

Here:
https://store.playstation.com/it-it/concept/10008412

Isn't the volume 2 release date "Feb 2024"?

Looking at Amazon Japan https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/アイレムコレクショ ... 38051&th=1, they state the physical version coming out on 22nd Feb 2024.

I'd imagine that PSN date changing to a later date, but who knows?

[Lemnear]

Where did you get that date from?
Strictly Limited Games just mentions a 'vague' Winter 2023/24.
Looks like it releasing in Feb 2024 in Japan, I wouldn't expect anything before that released in the west

Here:
https://store.playstation.com/it-it/concept/10008412

Isn't the volume 2 release date "Feb 2024"?

Looking at Amazon Japan https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/アイレムコレクショ ... 38051&th=1, they state the physical version coming out on 22nd Feb 2024.

I'd imagine that PSN date changing to a later date, but who knows?

Weird, digital release on 21 Nov 2023 and physical in 22 Feb 2024 with the digital version of the Volume 2?
Who knows at this point ...release in chain , digital for who can't wait the physical copy

[Lemnear]

https://store.playstation.com/ja-jp/concept/10008412
52 Minutes Remaining.
No Price.
No Gameplay.

[Steven]

Unless you REALLY want Image Fight 2, ACA will probably be the better and cheaper option for X Multiply and Image Fight, especially since ACA has special autofire options to take advantage of the oddities of how autofire works with those games.

[Lemnear]

Unless you REALLY want Image Fight 2, ACA will probably be the better and cheaper option for X Multiply and Image Fight, especially since ACA has special autofire options to take advantage of the oddities of how autofire works with those games.

Yes, i know, but i don't want any regrets, so i'm waiting for this Volume 1 to come out before choosing between this and the ACA
Price: ¥3,520

[SeafoamGaming]

Pure pain.

That’s all i’ll say until tomorrow morning.

[Samuray]

Pure pain.

That’s all i’ll say until tomorrow morning.

What?! Did they screw it up?

[Sumez]

So did anyone have the guts to take the plunge yet?

[Ghegs]

I went for the physical copy so it'll take a while for me, but I found this video from someone who had somehow got the game early and streamed it.

Looks to be very similar to their Cannon Dancer / Osman release. Several versions of the arcade games available, button remapping, tons of options for tweaking the visuals, tate mode for Image Fight. Of course it's difficult to say anything regarding input lag from the video, but the aforementioned Cannon Dancer release was fine and the guy did show his controller when inputting credits into Image Fight, and looked fine there.

There's the same minor complaint that Cannon Dancer had, which is that there's no clear option for playing the arcade games in their original form. You have to make sure yourself the settings are correct for that, which is weird but not a huge issue, just something you need to be aware of, and the game does tell you what's available in the original games. There are "enhancements" available here, like there's an option to use the right analog stick to aim red pods in Image Fight / arms in X-Multiply, and that one's enabled by default. I think that's a cool addition and I want to try it out, but it's something that should be disabled by default. Having a clear separation between "Original arcade game" and "Remixed version for this release" would solve that neatly, I don't know why they do it like this.

I didn't watch through the whole video, but I hope there are multiple slots for save states. Would make practicing easier. That's my one annoyance with the Hamster release.

I don't see anything glaringly wrong with the package, at least.

[Lemnear]

I went for the physical copy so it'll take a while for me, but I found this video from someone who had somehow got the game early and streamed it.

The game is available now, 24,99€/$ (499MB), on every store, for Nintendo Switch was released a few hours earlier.
For 14€/$ you can get 2 ACA (X-Multiply and Image Fight)...for 21€/$ you can add In the Hunt....sure the rewind function is really useful , but the lack of backgrounds or some sort of gadgets hurts...

[Steven]

Price: ¥3,520

Yeah no lol. Not when ACA is that much cheaper, and then you can make up the difference in price by tossing in Kaitei Daisensou or Big Tournament Golf (not an Irem game, but it's close enough since it was made by some people who used to work at Irem) or whatever.

Pure pain.

That’s all i’ll say until tomorrow morning.

You got sent to the penalty zone, didn't you~ Yeah, you probably shouldn't go there unless you are insane. Even if you are insane like me, you probably still shouldn't go there.

[Lemnear]

Price: ¥3,520

Yeah no lol. Not when ACA is that much cheaper, and then you can make up the difference in price by tossing in Kaitei Daisensou or Big Tournament Golf (not an Irem game, but it's close enough since it was made by some people who used to work at Irem) or whatever.

Pure pain.

That’s all i’ll say until tomorrow morning.

You got sent to the penalty zone, didn't you~ Yeah, you probably shouldn't go there unless you are insane. Even if you are insane like me, you probably still shouldn't go there.

The problem is the ugliness of a "incomplete" collection (waiting for the Vol.2)

[SeafoamGaming]

I got a review copy and was able to play it a bit before launch. A “bit” because switch codes didnt activate until yesterday. Sorta spent last night crunching on it because jesus christ a lot of it was wrong, at least on switch and i had to lay it out

My big annoyances-

-shimmering on Image Fight Arcade. (can be mitigated with CRT filter or pixel perfect resolution) It also didnt work quite right on the leaderboards and keeps thinking you have enhanced controls on even if you disable the right checkboxes. Otherwise it seems OK…?

-NES/PCE image fights change your speed if you press shot/pod at the same time. I never played the nes port but when I played the pce ver in an emu once i swore it didnt do that. Yes, this even applies if you use the rapid fire (and yeah only one speed option for it.) so your ship will just keep swapping speeds. speaking of, rapid fire doesn’t even work on NES image fight except for pods. Joy. This basically made them unplayable.

-image fight ii is completely unsubbed. And the pause button is borked so it doesn’t actually work in-game, and is somehow mapped to the shot button. It only kicks in when you die or beat a boss, so… hope you aren’t using a rapid fire controller when either one happens or you’ll be pausing rapidly outta nowhere. I threw in a video clip.

-X multiply i had zero familiarity with but it seemed OK. You cannot disable the right analog stick in it though, even after using the menus.

Zero bonus materials at all. Also rewind/fast forward makes the games run like shit, even the NES game for some weird reason. Rewinding works better than fast forwarding though but jesus christ do not use the latter in x multiply lol

I may have been a bit snap judgmenty but considering ratalaika made a jajamaru set with a big bug that they still never patched, i am very pessimistic about this set lol. Otherwise AMA and i’ll answer on my work breaks. TLDR: just buy ACA versions and skip IF2.