DeathSmiles (Limited Edition)

The Limited Edition of DeathSmiles on Xbox 360 takes Cave's beloved gothic-horror shmup and sweetens the deal with a soundtrack CD and an Xbox Live Marketplace code for additional downloadable content. DeathSmiles is a side-scrolling shooter with a wonderfully bizarre aesthetic, mixing gothic lolita characters with demonic hordes in a way that only a Japanese arcade developer could pull off with a straight face. On the 360, Cave found an unlikely home for their arcade shooters, and DeathSmiles became one of the most accessible entries in their catalog.

The included soundtrack CD is a proper bonus for a game where the audio design is half the experience, all frenetic energy and dramatic compositions that match the on-screen chaos. That DLC code adds extra content that the standard edition simply doesn't include out of the box. For shmup collectors, the 360 is sacred ground.

It's where Cave's arcade legacy got its most robust console treatment, and DeathSmiles Limited Edition is a key piece of that library. The niche nature of the genre means these didn't exactly fly off shelves in massive quantities, which works in our favor now as collectors who know what we're holding.