The title is a little Fast Show reference - however the news I just read is no joke. Rez - arguably the best thing to come out of Sega since Sonic 2 – is getting the Xbox Live Arcade HD treatment with Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s Q Entertainment doing the honors.
Oh Rez, how I have missed thee so … some game design trivia – Dead Eye mode in Red Dead Revolver was based on the Targeting System from Rez, and the “bullet time” of Max Payne.
Here’s a YouTube video of some gameplay from the DreamCast version:
Stolen from the NeoGAF thread about the annoucement:
Cult Classic Shooter Rez™ Comes Back To Life
On the Xbox LIVE® ArcadeTokyo, Japan (Sept. 12, 2007) – Tokyo-based video game developer Q Entertainment, Inc. today announced that the critically acclaimed video game title “Rez” is being developed for the Xbox LIVE Arcade with a target release date of Q1 2008. Originally released by SEGA in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, followed by a North American release only for the PlayStation 2 and European release on both platforms in early 2002, Rez was developed by SEGA’s United Game Artists (“UGA”) division. Tetsuya Mizuguchi, former president of UGA and current chief creative officer of Q Entertainment, conceptualized and produced the fast-action shooter, which is known to be one of the most unique, offbeat and eccentric games ever released.
“We are excited to announce that Rez will be given a new life, this time in digital form,” said Mizuguchi. “The game will be presented in hi-definition and will be accessible to those who did not have a chance to experience Rez the first time around. Personally, Rez has been and will always be a lifelong concept. I hope to take what I learned from the experience of creating the original game and look forward to taking it to a whole new level in the future.”
Carrying the slogan “Rez will open your senses…let’s go to synaesthesia,” the dynamic, total integration of visual presentation, sound and player’s input provided a rich aesthetic experience that was difficult to describe in words. While the basic gameplay was simple, critics called Rez “the ultimate audiovisual experience” and emphasized that “it must be seen and heard to be fully understood.” The old-school vector style graphics, sensory response and beat synchronization presented by the game set aside the title apart from the rest of the games that were released during that time.
Rez consisted of five different levels, each with its own unique visual theme and style, musical track and a boss battle at the end. The game also featured several different modes and plenty of unlockable elements, giving it a higher replay value. To further enhance the Rez experience, artists including Coldcut, Adam Freeland, Joujouka, Ken Ishii and Keiichi Sugiyama (SEGA’s Wave Master) contributed tracks to the game.
Rez HD (title pending) for the Xbox LIVE Arcade will be a direct port of the original, delivered in hi-definition and 5.1 surround sound. Further details on Rez HD for the Xbox LIVE Arcade including pricing will be revealed at a later date.
About Q ENTERTAINMENT, Inc.
Formed in 2003, Tokyo-based Q ENTERTAINMENT, Inc. creates, produces, and consults in digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles, PC broadband and mobile units. It is best known for their critically acclaimed music and luminary action puzzle game series “Lumines,” which was released worldwide in 2004/2005 for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and has now developed into mobile (“Lumines Mobile”), Xbox Live Arcade (“Lumines Live!”) and PlayStation®2 (“Lumines Plus”) platforms. Q ENTERTAINMENT’s impressive line-up also includes the action puzzle title “Meteos” for the Nintendo DS™ and fantasy action title “Ninety-Nine Nights” for the Xbox 360™.Founded by principal game creator and Chief Creative Officer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and industry veteran and Chief Executive Officer Shuji Utsumi (Sony Computer Entertainment America, SEGA, Disney), Q ENTERTAINMENT is comprised of experienced designers, programmers, and producers. Q ENTERTAINMENT collaborates with other creators, artists and development studios in Japan and overseas. With a large network and enthusiasm, Q ENTERTAINMENT is always on the “Quest for the future entertainment,” anticipating the trends and changes in times to come and brings new value to the game industry with fresh new content. More information can be found on the Internet at http://www.qentertainment.com.
