Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury heading to Xbox Live this Autumn

For those who remember the Sega Dreamcast with dewy-eyed nostalgia, or for acolytes of Japanese developer Treasure’s warped, imaginative brand of videogames, the name Bangai-O will almost come with its own weight of significance.

Initially released for the N64 in limited numbers back in 1999, it was Bangai-O’s Dreamcast incarnation that most will remember. A multi-dimensional shooter that cracked along at an insane pace, it was memorable for the mind-boggling number of explosions and tiny enemies it packed into every screen, and played like a latter-day Robotron.

Shooting enemies and collecting fruit may seem like a laughably archaic pastime to modern ears, but there’s a verve and unhinged glee at the heart of Bangai-O’s execution that makes it a game worthy of wider attention outside the usual sphere of retro enthusiasts.

Fans of the Burnout series will immediately understand Bangai-O’s incredible risk/reward system, where pulling off a special attack just before you’re about to be destroyed by an enemy bullet will trigger a counter strike of devastating proportions.

While Treasure squeezed the game’s explosive anarchy into the Nintendo DS with Bangai-O Spirits, what most players really wanted was a proper, high definition sequel that could be enjoyed a big screen.

With the forthcoming Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, fans of the original will finally have their prayers answered. And with the original game pushing the Dreamcast to its technical limit, it’ll be fascinating to see how much devastation Treasure will unleash with the extended processing power of the Xbox 360.

Bangai-O HD will, like the DS version, come with a level editor to allow players to create and share their own chaos-filled stages. And while the apparent lack of a multiplayer mode is a surprising omission, we can’t wait to get our hands on Treasure’s 21st century update of its bullet hell classic.

Bangai-O HD is due for release in November for Xbox Live Arcade.