Bangai-O Spirits set for March DS release

Okay, it's Friday evening, but even on a rainy Monday following the death of our favourite pet dog this would still be ultra exciting.

Treasure has announced a Japanese release date for Bangai-O Spirits, DS Fanboy has spotted, and it's March 19th.

Why the excitement? Because it's a remake of one of the most distinct and finest shoot-'em-ups ever created by a true master of the genre. Treasure originally developed the game for the Nintendo 64 and followed it with a version for Sega's Dreamcast.

How good is it? Well, despite the lure of very silly money to be made on eBay a few years back, some of us kept our Dreamcast and copy of Bangai-O, such is the emotional attachment to Treasure's treasure.

Our understanding is that Spirits (you can see new screenshots here but be prepared to squint) doesn't rely on the touchscreen function, but it does make great use of the DS's dual-screen set-up to simultaneously display close-up and zoomed-out takes.

And when we last encountered it, at the Tokyo Game Show, the action seemed as explosive as ever, with hundreds of bullets spraying out across the screen, swarms of enemy jetpack robots, and many pounds of power-up fruit salad bonuses. Trust us, it's a genius concoction.

The game was set for a December release but subsequently suffered a slight delay. Our little hearts fluttered, but without cause, it seems, because with a specific date confirmed its arrival is now all but guaranteed.

There's talk of a US release (D3 Publisher has reportedly picked up the rights) soon after, too, although absolutely no word on what is a very unlikely European version. Our suggestion is to import the Japanese release regardless – Treasure releases are as typically limited in numbers as they are brilliant.