It’s been a long, harrowing wait, but Sega has finally deigned to offer official release details for the Xbox Live remake of classic beat ’em up Guardian Heroes.
I know you all clamored in here to learn when exactly you’ll be able to get your fisticuffs fix, but first, I offer a primer on why those unfortunate youths who never owned a Saturn ought to suddenly be salivating over this title.
Originally released in 1996 for Sega’s underloved Saturn console, Guardian Heroes was something of a hybrid of Final Fight-style thug punching and roleplaying game-style character progression. It was developed by the mad geniuses at Treasure — the same people who perfected the side-scrolling shooter on the Genesis with Gunstar Heroes — and as with all of their games, Guardian Heroes’ defining characteristics include massive bosses, gorgeous, colorful graphics, and characters who are equal parts implausible and implausibly awesome.
For more, see Hardcore Gaming 101’s detailed examination of the original.
The Xbox Live remake maintains all of the original game’s lauded gameplay, while adding HD graphics, online co-operative play and support for up to 12 players in the game’s Versus mode.
All that can be yours (assuming you’re an Xbox Live gamer) come October 12, for the bargain price of $10.
Alongside these crucial details, Sega has also issued a new trailer for the game that, while attempting to show off the game’s multiple, branching story system, is really only able to cover a small spate of the game’s total breadth.
That’s nothing I’m holding against Sega, mind you. The problem here is not developer apathy. The fact is, Guardian Heroes is just such an immense title that any trailer hoping to capture a reasonable amount of its content would be at least 30 minutes long.
For the record, if any of Sega’s PR angels are reading this, I would post that half-hour clip in a heartbeat. Call me, we can make this happen.
