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Irem
アイレム
Irem deserve a special mention. They were some of the greatest craftsmen of videogame history, responsible for some of the most unforgettable games ever devised. From the pioneering Moon Patrol (1982) and Spartan X (1984) to the lavish design work of R-Type (1987) and Katei Daisenso (1993) they always delivered the goods in a style that was uniquely their own, and went on to release numerous 4-star home console releases. From their humble beginnings in the 70s right through to their 'rebirth' in 1997, Irem are still going today - but only just. With a bit of luck, they might still have a bit of the old magic up their sleeve.



PAGE CONTENTS
             
 
HISTORY
A quick look at Irem's origins and arcade chronology
 
GOODS
A small selection of Irem-related merchandise on sale
 
SOFTWARE
The complete Irem home consumer software catalogue
 
             


IREM HISTORY

 
Irem was founded in 1974 as 'IPM Corporation' in Hakusan, Japan. Like most of their contemporaries, the company's initial purpose was to produce and rent out electronic leisure machinery to various sections of the entertainment industry. With the advent of arcade videogaming and the hugely popular Space Invaders (1978), Irem opted to move into the development and manufacturing of their own titles. They rapidly released their own 'invader clone', the aptly named IPM Invader (1978).
IPM Invader was a crude and shameless copycat of Taito's milestone, but yet the sheer popularity of arcade rooms at the time saw the game do well enough to convince the company that games were a viable business opportunity.
In 1979 they changed their corporate name to Irem Corporation, an acronym for 'International Rental Electronics Machines'. This would stand until the mid-80s, when it would then be changed to 'Innovations in Recreational Electronic Media'.
For their first few years, Irem's output was average at best. If anything it could almost be considered poor: random invader clones and poorly produced action games disappeared amongst the numerous other titles of the day. It wouldn't be until the arrival of Moon Patrol (1982) that Irem would make any mark of their own.
 

 

IPM Invader (1978)
 

Moon Patrol (1982)
 

 
As Irem's only release of 1982, Moon Patrol made a huge mark for itself: it was a sharp, fun, and addictive side-on racing game that involved guiding a small lunar buggy across a dangerous terrain, while avoiding and gunning down a variety of obstacles and flying saucers. It was an instant hit, that was rapidly picked up by US game company Williams for distribution in the US.
1983 also proved to be a fruitful year for Irem: 10-Yard Fight and Zippy Race became cult hits in Japan, and in 1984, Spartan X made sure that Irem's name would be on the map for good.
Released as 'Kung Fu Master' in the West, Spartan X was loosely based on the Jackie Chan film of the same name - and following a hugely successful run in the arcades, went on to become a massive worldwide hit on the Famicom, converted and distributed by none less than Nintendo themselves.
The success of Spartan X was rapidly followed by Irem's clever licensing of Broderbund's Lode Runner (1984) and Spelunker (1986) for arcade distribution, both of which would become massive hits for Irem.
Well off the mark in the arcade market, Irem swiftly moved into home console development, becoming one of the Famicom's leading publishers thanks in great part to a hugely successful 1985 port of Spelunker. Irem were building up to a massive crescendo - the late 80s would prove to be the company's golden years, and the main reason why they are featured on this site: between 1987 and 1990 they would release no less than 8 arcade masterpieces.
 


R-Type (1987)

 
R-Type (1987) is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important shooting games of all time: its clever gameplay design, sumptuous visuals and tense atmosphere make it the definitive shooting game of the 80s, a benchmark that few managed to equal. It is hard to fault it in any way, except maybe that its extraordinary success managed to overshadow Irem's other two shooting games of the period, the quirky Mr. Heli (1987) and the excellent Image Fight (1988).
Irem also struck gold with Vigilante (1988), a sharp, violent and entertaining successor of sorts to Spartan X and the sumptuous Saigo no Nindo (1988), a smooth and phenomenally playable action game that went on to become a huge worldwide success as 'Ninja Spirit'.
 

 
And it just didn't stop: Irem continued to produce excellent work: Legend of Hero Tonma (1989) is a criminally under-rated action platform game, R-Type II (1989) delivered on every front, and 1990's Daiku no Gen-san became a massive worldwide cult.
Known as 'Hammerin' Harry' outside of Japan, Gen-san's clever architecture and memorable characters won hearts the world over. Irem would go on to produce no less than six home releases based on the character - but then never relased them outside of Japan.
And that marked the first of a series of very bad decisions made by the company, that sadly would cause them to crumble and fall in the space of a few years.
 

 
TO BE CONTINUED...
 
1978
IPM Invader
IPMインベーダー
IPM Mahjong
IPM麻雀
Color Circus
カラーサーカス
Star Dust
スターダスト
Table Block
テーブルブロック
Nyankoro
ニャンコロ
Power Block
パワーブロック
Piccolo
ピッコロ
Line Ball
ラインボール
1979
Commander
コマンダー
Mahjong DX
麻雀DX
New Block X / New Block Z
ニューブロックX / ニューブロックZ
Space Beam
スペースビーム
Space Command
スペースコマンド
Andromeda
アンドロメダ
1980
Panther
パンサー
Sky Chuter
スカイ シュター
Ginga Teikoku no Gyakushū
銀河帝国の逆襲
Green Beret
グリーンベレー
1981
Demoneye-X
Demoneye-X
Oli - Boo - Chu
Oli - Boo - Chu
Red Alert
Red Alert
1982
May
Moon Patrol
ムーンパトロール
1983
Tropical Angel
Tropical Angel
1984
The Battle Road
The Battle Road
Wily Tower
Wily Tower
1985
Battle Bird
Battle Bird
Horizon
Horizon
Feb
Lode Runner II
ロードランナーII
バンゲリング帝国の逆襲
Sep
Lot Lot
ロットロット
Nov
Lode Runner III
ロードランナーIII
魔神の復活
1986
Feb
Spelunker
スペランカー
May
Yō Jyu Den
妖獣伝
Oct
Spelunker II
スペランカーII
23の鍵
Nov
Lode Runner IV
ロードランナーIV
帝国からの脱出
Dec
Kaiketsu Yanchamaru
快傑ヤンチャ丸
1987
1988
June
Meikyu Jima
迷宮島
1989
June
Dragon Breed
ドラゴンブリード
1990
Air Duel
Air Duel
Daiku no Gen-san
大工の源さん
べらんめ町騒動記
Major Title
Major Title
Pound for Pound
Pound for Pound
1991
Gunforce
ガンフォース
July
Cross Blades
クロスブレイズ
Hasamu
Hasamu
Ken-Go
Ken-Go
Thunder Blaster
Thunder Blaster
1992
Hook
Hook
Major Title 2
Major Title 2
Mahou Keiditai Ganhooki
Mahou Keiditai Ganhooki
Quiz F-1
Quiz F-1
1993
Air Assault
Fire Barrel
Apr
Kaitei Daisensou
海底大戦争
Perfect Soldiers
Gussun Oyoyo
Yakyu Kakuto League Man
1994
Dream Soccer '94
Geo Storm
ジオストーム



IREM GOODS
 
Irem Arcade Classics
アイレム アーケード クラシックス
SEGA SATURN
DETAILS
Format Sega Saturn
Released 26 Apr 1996
Publisher I'MAX
Product ID T-22403G
Size (cm) 14.2 x 12.4 x 1
Weight (kg) 0.10
PRICE
STATUS

Celebrational 3-in-1 'Arcade Classics' compilation that features:
- 10-Yard Fight (1983)
- Zippy Race (1983)
- Spartan X (1984)
All three games are arcade perfect, the only downside is that there is no backup / save feature for high scores.

CD case, Sega Saturn CD-ROM disc, 20-page colour booklet, spine card.


Irem Arcade Classics
アイレム アーケード クラシックス
PLAYSTATION
DETAILS
Format PlayStation
Released 26 Apr 1996
Publisher I'MAX
Product ID SLPS-00341
Size (cm) 14.2 x 12.4 x 1
Weight (kg) 0.10
PRICE
STATUS
The PlayStation also gets its share of classic Irem action, with three timeless arcade gems from the 80s:
- 10-Yard Fight (1983)
- Zippy Race (1983)
- Spartan X (1984)
Again, no memory card feature. But aside from that this is a great package, that has steadily been gaining a little more value than its Sega Saturn counterpart.

CD case, PlayStation CD-ROM disc, colour booklet, spine card.

 



IREM SOFTWARE
 
Featured below is a detailed chronology of every Irem home consumer release!
Click on an icon below to skip to a certain format:
 
------------
--------
 
Don't forget!
If you are searching for a specific title,
use your browser's CTRL+F function anytime to search
 

IF-01
18 July 1985
Racing
IF-02
30 Aug 1985
Sport (American Football)
IF-03
Spelunker
スペランカー
7 Dec 1985
Platform / Puzzle
Licensed from Brøderbund
IF-04
Sqoon
スクーン
26 June 1986
Shooting
Licensed from Homedata
IF-05
Mashō
魔鐘
15 Dec 1986
Action RPG
Licensed from Lenar
IF-06
Spelunker II - Yūsha e no Chōsen
スペランカーII 勇者への挑戦
18 Sep 1987
Platform / Puzzle
Licensed from Brøderbund
IF-07
Kaiketsu Yanchamaru
快傑ヤンチャ丸
2 Oct 1987
Action Platform
aka 'Kid Niki - Radical Ninja' (US)
IF-08
Guardic Gaiden
ガーディック外伝
5 Feb 1987
Shooting
Licensed from Compile
IF-09
Napoleon Senki
ナポレオン戦記
18 Mar 1988
Strategy Wargame
Licensed from Lenar
IF-10
Hototogisu
不如帰
19 Aug 1988
Strategy
Developed by Tamtex
IF-11
Nishimura Kyōtarō Mystery
Blue Train Satsujin Jiken

西村京太郎ミステリー
ブルートレイン殺人事件
20 Jan 1989
Murder Mystery
IF-12
Holy Diver
ホーリーダイヴァー
28 Apr 1989
Action
IF-13
Major League
メジャーリーグ
27 Oct 1989
Sport (Baseball)
IF-14
16 Mar 1990
Shooting
IF-15
Gekitotsu Yonku Battle
17 Nov 1989
IF-16
Shinsenden
15 Dec 1989
IF-17
Super Express Satsujin Jiken
2 Mar 1990
IF-18
Meikyu Jima
29 Jun 1990
IF-19
?
?
IF-20
PaMan
14 Dec 1990
IF-21
Metal Storm
24 Apr 1992
IF-22
Kaiketsu Yamchamaru 2
30 Aug 1991
IF-23
Spartan X 2
27 Sep 1991
IF-24
Daiku no Gen-san
15 Nov 1991
IF-25
PaMan Part 2
20 Dec 1991
IF-26
Firebird
11 Jan 1992
IF-27
Watashi no Hoshi
26 Mar 1993
IF-28
Kaiketsu Yamchamaru 3
30 Mar 1993
IF-29
Daiku no Gen-san 2
22 Oct 1993
IFD-KIN
Kineko - Kinetic Connection
28 Nov 1986
IFD-KI2
Kineko Vol.II - Kinetic Connection
15 Feb 1987
IFD-SLR
Super Lode Runner
5 Mar 1987
IFD-MJK
Mahjong Kazoku
4 Aug 1987
IFD-SL2
Super Lode Runner II
25 Aug 1987
IFD-YOK
Yokai Yashiki
23 Oct 1987

?
Panther
パンサー
1986
MSX
Shooting
IM-01
Spelunker
スペランカー

1986

MSX
Platform / Puzzle
Licensed from Brøderbund

IM-02
1986
MSX
Sport (American Football)
IM-03
1987
MSX2
Platform / Puzzle
Licensed from Brøderbund
IM-04
Dec 1988
MSX
Shooting

IC01001

Vol.1

14 Jan 1989
Action

IC01002

Vol.2

1 Dec 1989
Shooting

IC02003

Vol.3

27 July 1990
Shooting

IC02004

Vol.4

6 July 1990
Action
aka 'Ninja Spirit'

IC03005

Vol.5

13 Mar 1991
Action

IC03006

Vol.6

Racing Damashi
レーシング魂
19 July 1991
Racing

IC04007

Vol.7

Gekisha Boy
激写ボーイ
2 Oct 1992
Action

ICCD1001

20 Dec 1991
Shooting

ICCD 2002

Image Fight II
イメージファイトII
18 Dec 1992
Shooting

ICCD3003

Eiyuu Sangokushi
英雄三国志
26 Mar 1993
Simulation

ICCD3004

Sol Moonarge
ソル モナージュ
7 Jan 1994
RPG

IX68-01
June 1989
Shooting
IX68-02
Image Fight
イメージファイト
14 Dec 1990
Shooting

DMG-MAA
IG-01
Shisensho
13 Jul 1990
DMG-SXJ
IG-02
Spartan X
11 Dec 1990
DMG-REA
IG-03
R-Type
19 Mar 1991
DMG-RDJ
IG-04
Racing Damashi
28 Feb 1991
DMG-YMJ
IG-05
Ganso!! Yancha-maru
11 Jul 1991
DMG-TYJ
IG-06
Firebird GB
20 Dec 1991
DMG-DIJ
IG-07
Daiku no Gen-san - Ghost Breeding Company
31 Jul 1992
DMG-NWJ
?
Nu-Bo
11 Dec 1992
DMG-QGJ
?
Kizuchi da Quiz da Gen-san da!
18 Dec 1992
DMG-RZA
IG-10
R-Type II
11 Dec 1992
DMG-IFJ
IG-11
Irem Fighter
30 Jul 1993
DMG-UJA
IG-12
Saigo no Nindo
18 Dec 1993
DMG-UZJ
IG-13
Undercover Cops Gaiden
10 Dec 1993
?
IG-14
?
?
DMG-D9J
IG-15
Daiku no Gen-san - Robot Teikoku no Yabo
25 Mar 1994

SHVC-SR
Super R-Type
13 July 1991
SHVC-DW
Dino Wars
17 July 1992
SHVC-GU
GunForce
27 Nov 1992
SHVC-MT
Major Title
4 Dec 1992
SHVC-NP
Nitro Punks - Might Heads
30 July 1993
SHVC-ER
R-Type III
10 Dec 1993
SHVC-EZ
Ganbare! Daiku no Gen-san
22 Dec 1993

SLPS-00588
Gussun Paradise
22 Nov 1996
SLPS-01236
R-Types
5 Feb 1998
SLPS-01688
R-Type Delta
19 Nov 1998
SLPS-02164
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise
29 Jul 1999
SLPS-02389
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise 2
18 Nov 1999
SLPS-02633
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise 3
9 Mar 2000
SLPS-02935
Carton-kun
21 Sep 2000
SLPS-02988
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise 4
12 Oct 2000
SLPS-03190
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise 5
10 May 2001
SLPS-03310
R-Types [ R's Best ]
25 Oct 2001
SLPS-03311
R-Type Delta [ R's Best ]
25 Oct 2001
SLPS-03312
Sanyo Pachinko Paradise DX
25 Oct 2001




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