While top down shooters seem to be a dime a dozen these days, fans of side scrolling shooters like the classic game Gradius or the more recent Omega 5 haven't been so lucky.  Enter Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer.  I can't even begin to understand how to pronounce that, but my guess is it sounds something like saying Soldier Him Less Storm with a mouth full of bratwurst and beer.

The game is set for an October release on the PlayStation Network and will feature 2 player co-op play through the entire game.  Joystiq has a video of the game in action.  The PSN version of the game is actually an update to the 2007 PC version.   So what new features do you get?

• Visual improvements including y-scrolling, new background animations, newly added effects and more
• Contains new enemies, incl. newly crafted standard foes and larger sub boss battles
• Additional boss battle and berserker mode BGM (seven brand new tracks in total!)
• New sound effects added for an enhanced gaming experience
• Rebalanced game play with an easier default difficulty
• Rebalanced high score system, including new victory screens
• DUALSHOCK®3 and optional SIXAXIS™ support
• Trophies support

The game looks absolutely gorgeous in motion...I just wish I could pronounce it.  Two additional screenshots are posted after the break.

Further key features:

* 12 stages of beautiful parallax graphics and animations, staged across 4 fantastic world/space settings
* High definition graphics in up to 1080p
* Beautiful weather effects (such as rain, fog and lightning)
* Classic design, yet state-of-the-art shooter technology
* Unique upgrade weapon system with five standard weapon types
* Never before seen tactical elements such as chaining, effectiveness system, ‘berserker’ mode and more
* Plenty of hidden bonus features
* More than 20 extras (with both positive and negative effects!)
* Addictive collection quests
* Over-the-top boss fights
* Features a superb soundtrack and sound effects
* Up to fix modes of difficulty
* Easy to learn, yet tough to master
* Online high score ranking

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