As the market and appetite for downloadable content continues to expand, we're starting to see more and more companies experiment. An exciting development for gamers is non-localized content. It costs money to localize even the smallest of games, a price tag that prevents a great many from ever arriving.

Sony recently partnered with MonkeyPaw Games for a series of non-localized (read: no English, all Japanese) releases through PlayStation Network, and Microsoft joins them on Tuesday with Cave's Deathsmiles IIX. Like most Cave games, Deathsmiles IIX is all about dodging streams of bullets, and gamers will have a chance to pick up the game in its original form for $29.99 via Games on Demand.

According to Cave's official Facebook page, the studio's Xbox 360 producer, Makoto Asada, was "approached by Microsoft with the opportunity, and we will be giving this format a try for getting some of our Japan-only shooters released overseas." Makes it sound like Deathsmiles IIX won't be alone.

Right now, Deathsmiles IIX is only going to be available in North America, though a representative on Cave's Facebook page noted that could change, depending on the response here and demand abroad.

As the market and appetite for downloadable content continues to expand, we're starting to see more and more companies experiment. An exciting development for gamers is non-localized content. It costs money to localize even the smallest of games, a price tag that prevents a great many from ever arriving.

Sony recently partnered with MonkeyPaw Games for a series of non-localized (read: no English, all Japanese) releases through PlayStation Network, and Microsoft joins them on Tuesday with Cave's Deathsmiles IIX. Like most Cave games, Deathsmiles IIX is all about dodging streams of bullets, and gamers will have a chance to pick up the game in its original form for $29.99 via Games on Demand.

According to Cave's official Facebook page, the studio's Xbox 360 producer, Makoto Asada, was "approached by Microsoft with the opportunity, and we will be giving this format a try for getting some of our Japan-only shooters released overseas." Makes it sound like Deathsmiles IIX won't be alone.

Right now, Deathsmiles IIX is only going to be available in North America, though a representative on Cave's Facebook page noted that could change, depending on the response here and demand abroad.

Link is busted on the front page.

Yay, more bullet-hell shooters! Hope it will be available for us in Europe too.

Link totally busted on the front page.   

Played the Japanese version on a friends Xbox and the game is way easier than the first one. But man is it fun.

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

Link totally busted on the front page.   

Is there really a market for this type of game though?  I don't see it personally.

Deathsmiles Christmas Edition, cool. 

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

Need some good bullet hell/shmups in the meantime?  Check out Shoot 1up, Score Rush, and Vorpal on the xbox live indie channel.  Good times...

@Soap said:

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

I thought the same thing. If they really mean 8, I might check this game out.

it's not as good as the original game, but it's still better than most games available on the 360.

But yeah personally I don't see the appeal of them either. A lot of the hard work seems like them just having to create sprites. I kind of doubt much work goes into bullet pattern besides like oh you can get through here since your characters hitbox is only a pixel. Everything else on the screen will be bullets and we'll even put in slowdown to make the game seem more crazay. But eh dunno.

Cool to see some of this stuff over here but I don't wanna play it.

Is there really a market for this type of game though?  I don't see it personally.

@Soap said:

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

I thought the same thing. If they really mean 8, I might check this game out.

AWWWWW YEAH. 

Loved Deathsmiles.  One of the most (if not the most) well balanced shmups this console generation.  Always intense, but never really cheap.  The game's only a half hour long, but I still put more time into replaying that half hour again and again then I have with most "full length" games.  Especially with the various modes you can play.

I don't know if I want this yet, though.  I haven't been following the news on it too much, so I don't know if "original" means the arcade version, or if it means a japanese Xbox version with upgraded graphics and black label mode.  (If the console ports even had that added this time.)  If it's got the extras, then must have.  If not, must think.

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

Is there really a market for this type of game though?  I don't see it personally.

Probably won't be getting it tomorrow because of LA Noire, but sometime in the near future I will.

Excited to hear this being a DLC!

@LeetBalla said:

@Soap said:

IIX? as in....8? Surely they mean VIII? or can it be the same thing?! ahhhh so confused!

I thought the same thing. If they really mean 8, I might check this game out.

It's Part 2 X, Learn your Roman numerals dawg!

IIX? As in VIII?

Maybe I'm mistaken, but this seems awfully expensive.

I like this idea and hope to see it expand. 

It's worth buying just to see the first boss.

It's worth buying just to see the first boss.

Couldn't they just... you know... get rid of the region locking and let people purchase games off of the Japanese store to play on their North American consoles? Perhaps even just have one big global store with tags that say "English Game" or "Japanese Game"?

Why is this being done now rather than before? I am glad something like this is going on but can we get past region locks. Look devs want to make money and we want to play there games. So why cant we buy jap games to play. The fact that most Americans that watch anime prefer Jap with english subtitles.

Why is this being done now rather than before? I am glad something like this is going on but can we get past region locks. Look devs want to make money and we want to play there games. So why cant we buy jap games to play. The fact that most Americans that watch anime prefer Jap with english subtitles.

Sweet! Just bought the first game and loving it. Let's hope this sets a precedent (buy it!) so we see more great Cave shooters (and don't have to pay $70-$80 to import them). Espgaluda

Great! I hope to see more indie games or low budget high creativity games soon.

hmmm, got myself a Seimitsu arcade stick with a sqaure-gate, so I'll probably be picking this up :-)

My prayers have been answered! 

look at those bullets.  LOOK AAAAT THEM.  FUUUUUUUCK.  I want to play more of this!

where do I pay my money?  Can I get a subscription to this?  Can I get automatic bank account deductions?  I'll work a second job for this shit!  GIVE ME MORE!

Sweet initiative!

I think the image caption encompass well most people reaction to what is going on.

wait wait, only available in North America? Does that mean that even people in Japan can't pick up this game on demand?

the first deathsmiles is amazing. :D i can't wait.

dumb, i dont care if they dont localise it but release it as an XBLA title for 800 points, if they dont want to pay the money why should I?

What everyone seems to not understand is they do just release these types of games in Japan without region locking but they're $80-$90 and take weeks to arrive. I'd much rather pay $30 and get it in an hour on my couch.

Keep em coming. If you don't like these types of games, don't buy them and don't comment on news stories about them.

Stupid Internet.

dumb, i dont care if they dont localise it but release it as an XBLA title for 800 points, if they dont want to pay the money why should I?

@buft said:

dumb, i dont care if they dont localise it but release it as an XBLA title for 800 points, if they dont want to pay the money why should I?

Because it's a boxed, full-price retail game in Japan and you're getting it for less than budget price.

Since they are not localizing and only releasing digitally I'm baffled that they aren't putting this out in Europe as well.

Since they are not localizing and only releasing digitally I'm baffled that they aren't putting this out in Europe as well.
It carries literally no risk.

Where's my precious iDOLM@STER games?!?

@Icemael said:

@buft said:

dumb, i dont care if they dont localise it but release it as an XBLA title for 800 points, if they dont want to pay the money why should I?

Because it's a boxed, full-price retail game in Japan and you're getting it for less than budget price.

its a less than budget price game, hardly surprising that these Niche games would sell for that kind of price but i would still expect the localisation if its being charged at a retail price.