Shooting, fighting, androgyny: Senko no Ronde coming stateside

Best described as a sexy, cocaine-fueled Virtual On gone 2-D, Senko no Ronde is one of the most original fighters to grace arcades in years. When it was released on the Xbox 360 last year in Japan, we figured it would stay on that side of the ocean like fellow Japanese wonders Tetris: The Grand Master Ace and The iDOLM@STER.

But when it popped up on a popular retail site about two months ago with UbiSoft's name plastered on it, we were giddier than a fat kid trapped inside a Ben & Jerry's shop. You can only imagine our pain when, after working our way through contact after contact, not a single person at UbiSoft would even talk about it. Heck, most didn't even know what a "Seiko no Rodeo" even was. Thankfully, the ESRB does.

Now titled Battle Storm: Senko no Ronde, we can rest easy knowing that we'll be busting up fools online soon enough, while silently weeping over what could be one pricey title. When last faced with an upscaled port, UbiSoft launched Import Tuner Challenge at the now standard $59.99. Senko no Ronde needs all the love it can get and for folks to take a chance a Naomi-based title in this day and age, they're going to need a little more motivation beyond unlocking pictures of Cuilan. For a simple rundown of exactly how Senko no Ronde works, check out this ancient preview, complete with control diagram.