Irem Collection Vol. 3: Three Enhanced Retro Shoot ‘Em Ups Arrive on Xbox

Sure thing, let’s dive in.

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Hey, remember those coin-op days? Irem Collection Volume 3 just dropped, bringing back some arcade goodies. Seriously, it’s like a blast from the past, but hitting the arcade was my weekend jam. Anyway, this collection’s got games from way back when—cue nostalgia.

First up, Mr. Heli. I mean, this game is… quirky? You’re piloting a little helicopter dude. Sounds odd, but it’s classic 1987 stuff with multidirectional scrolling. Oh, and Mystic Riders, from ’92—you’re on broomsticks. It’s like Harry Potter on steroids. And Dragon Breed, where you ride a dragon. DRAGON, seriously! Each game’s its own thing, like flavors of ice cream you didn’t know existed.

Now, these games were wallet eaters back in the day. We pumped quarters like it was going out of style, so don’t expect any hand-holding. Good times, good times. And hey, they’ve spiffed things up for today’s consoles. You get to remap controls—make it as comfy as your favorite hoodie.

Speaking of tweaks, they’ve added stuff like autofire. My thumb is eternally grateful for that, thank you very much. And the difficulty level is no longer stuck on ‘impossible.’ Plus, there’s a quick save/load—let’s be real, we all need that ’cause bosses in these games take zero prisoners.

But wait, there’s more! Visual upgrades are in, with those CRT monitor feels. It’s like turning your fancy TV into that old, clunky arcade screen—and I love it. If you’re competitive, worldwide leaderboards are there too, ready for you to show off.

This collection’s pure treasure for Xbox One and Series X|S. Oh, if you’re into it, Volumes 1 and 2 exist too. That’s what I call a hat trick. Go ahead, relive the arcade magic, or discover it anew.

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Whew, there it is. Hope it captures that unpolished, human touch!