Irem Collection Volume 1 Collector's Edition (PlayStation 5)

Three of Irem's most legendary arcade shooters just got the physical treatment they've always deserved. The Irem Collection Volume 1 Collector's Edition for PlayStation 5 bundles Image Fight, Image Fight 2, and X Multiply into a Strictly Limited Games exclusive capped at just 999 individually numbered copies worldwide. That alone should have your trigger finger twitching.

The games themselves are pillars of the SHMUP genre. Image Fight landed in 1988 with a weapons system so flexible it became one of the most played arcade titles in Japan. Its sequel pushed further, weaving voiced anime cutscenes between stages years before that was remotely standard. And then there's X Multiply, the one where you pilot through a parasite-infected human body using weaponized tentacles. These three titles didn't just follow the shoot-em-up playbook. They rewrote it.

But we're collectors, so let's talk about the box. The premium magnetic-latch enclosure uses a 4:3 aspect ratio designed to channel CRT-era vibes right on your shelf. Inside you'll find a visual compendium that doubles as an art book and game guide, a three-disc original soundtrack spanning all three games, the first of five collectible Irem arcade coins, marquee stickers modeled after actual cabinet art, a reversible poster, DIY reproductions of the Image Fight NES and Famicom packaging, and faithful reprints of the original arcade flyers. The craftsmanship here isn't just thorough, it's obsessive in the best possible way.

With no physical retail version planned outside of Japan, this is quite literally the only way to own these classics on disc. The serialized cover sheet, the compendium, that coin series just getting started. This is the kind of collection that anchors a SHMUP shelf and makes everything around it look better.