R-Type celebrates 21st anniversary with UK release date for Tactics on PSP

Rising Star Games has announced it will be doing the honours later this year of publishing PSP game R-Type Tactics.

The game first came out in Japan in September 2007, then in the US (as R-Type Command) in May. So we're feeling a little bit neglected here in Europe. Still, better late than never.

The latest R-Type in the classic series comes 21 years after the original Japanese arcade game. It's still a side-scrolling shooter, of sorts, because the word 'tactics' hasn't been added to the title just for effect. Instead this newest R-Type has been created as more of a strategic shooter with a whole host of features not seen before in the series.

So you're able to upgrade fighters, customise aircraft and build fleets from a wide arsenal which includes warships, carriers and bombers. You'll even be able to capture enemy units, then integrate them into your own army or cannibalise them to make your own unique fighters.

Special bonus features in the game include hidden maps allowing access to secret stages and a Gallery Mode packed with artwork from the game.

"R-Type has one of the strongest brand heritages in the gaming industry. Many fans have grown up with R-Type, grown older and more mature," said Martin Defries, Rising Star's managing director, presumably while playing with a R-9 plastic figurine. "It's fitting that in its 21st year the franchise has acknowledged this and created a game for these fans that is both refreshingly new and familiar at the same time."

Well, we're certainly grown older over the past 21 years. More mature? That's debatable. Anyway, what you'll really be wanting to know is exactly when you can buy R-Type Tactics, and the answer is on September 26th. Prepare for a mighty blast from the past on your PSP then.