Irem Collection Volume 3 Limited Edition (PlayStation 4)

Irem's arcade vaults keep opening, and Volume 3 might be the most exciting dig yet. The Irem Collection Volume 3 Limited Edition for PlayStation 4 brings together three obscure shoot 'em ups on a single serialized disc, limited to 1,500 individually numbered copies. Strictly Limited Games is the sole physical publisher outside Japan, with no retail version in sight.

Mr. Heli takes multidirectional scrolling to absurd heights with a helicopter that fires guns upward, shoots missiles forward, and rolls bombs across the ground. Mystic Riders pairs two broom-riding magicians in a co-op fantasy shooter that was trapped in Japanese arcades for decades, finally reaching Western players for the first time. Dragon Breed is the crown jewel for shmup historians, letting you ride an invincible dragon who deflects projectiles with its tail while you handle crossbow duties, now seeing its first console release outside Japan. Quality-of-life additions like rewind and quick saves help bridge the gap between arcade punishment and modern patience.

The Limited Edition includes the game on disc with a serialized cover and colorful manual. It's the streamlined option for PS4 collectors who want these games preserved in physical media without the full collector's suite.

Fifteen hundred copies of three games that most Western players couldn't access for decades. The PS4 library is deeper than people give it credit for, and additions like this are exactly why collectors keep building it out.