Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta - New, In Stock

«©NCSX» The arcade version of Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta was released on Naomi cartridge last summer at the price of JPY178,000. There was no way we were paying nearly US$2000 for a cartridge-based game but we did pick up a used copy from an operator for about $600. The price of admission gets even better this week when G.Rev ships an Xbox 360 conversion for roughly US$60.

The game follows the adventures of a lad named Tomoka Mamoru who's been involved in a car accident. After he's hit by a speeding vehicle, his soul is immediately spirited to the underworld by a priestess who calls herself Fululu Jigokudani. As the story goes, the gateway to the underworld is under attack and the spirits who reside there have been cursed by malevolent forces. Since Fululu can't fight the oppression by herself, she has summoned Mamoru and three other heroes to fight on the underworld's behalf. The summoned protagonists are:

» Tomoka Mamoru - A grade school student who enjoys baseball
» Miyuki Mayuno - Passive girl with no memory of her previous life
» Narai Kinya - High school rebel with a yen for riding motorcycles
» Higatera Beniko - A posh young lady who seems to enjoy the underworld

Upon starting the game, the camera settles on a revolving tree which is what Fululu conspired with to bring Mamoru and company to the underworld. Players may select any of the five heroes who differ in their firing patterns which is shown on the lower right corner of the character selection screen. For example, Mamoru shoots straight ahead while Beniko fires her shots in a outwards radiating arc. Fululu is also a straight shooter but her shots are governed by orbiting spheres which give her shots a bit of a twist. Although Mamoru-kun is a shooter which features vertically scrolling stages, some stages share commonalities with the old school run 'n gun games such as Commando, Ikari Warriors, or Guerilla War. In these stages, the characters walk around on the ground and players move at their own pace instead of being continually forced upwards. You can walk left, stop, shoot, walk right, shoot, stop, and then move upwards towards the inevitable end-level boss.

The Xbox 360 home conversion will feature updated graphics, two new Arcade Mode playable characters (downloadable), a Practice Mode, a new Story Mode, and a Gallery. The regular edition arrived today along with a limited edition package which includes a Soundtrack CD and a Superplay DVD that's produced by INH of Insanity DVD fame.