The trumpets have been blasted! Mana has fallen from the heavens! The gaming gods have delivered unto us a true sequel to the Genesis classic Gunstar Heroes, and it's releasing this Fall for the Game Boy Advance! Gunstar Super Heroes features everything that made the original so much fun to play while incorporating tons of brand new and original content that's supported by some old school surprises! I had a chance to go one-on-one with this soon-to-be classic. Game of the Year candidate? It's money in the bank!

The original Gunstar Heroes is still to this day a very solid shooter that's worth going back to and its sequel will follow in this tradition. Developed by Treasure, who just so happened to create Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun, and Alien Soldier, Gunstar Super Heroes is a 2D side scrolling blast fest that features exquisite graphics, fast-paced arcade style gameplay, and the largest sprites you'll likely ever see. A true sequel to the original, its story is based on the two characters Red and Blue and their fight to keep a powerful crystal from an evil empire. While both of these heroes embark upon the same adventure they take separate paths, so what we're being treated to is two very different games for the price of one.

Bottom line, this is classic Treasure. They've managed to max out the GBA hardware and the result is quite simply one of the best games that I have ever played. From the get go I was plunged into this cool flying sequence that required me to obliterate enemies while being treated to some sweet Mode 7-esque scaling effects. The screen twists, there are explosions everywhere, and all the while the theme music from Afterburner rocks on in the background.

Thankfully, that's not the only classic Sega reference. You'll also come across familiar bosses from Golden Axe and Altered Beast, some of which supposedly take up the entire GBA screen! I didn't get a chance to see any of these humongous creatures, but based on the enemies that I did kill, I'm eagerly anticipating laying my eyes on these abominations.

After I was through with the intro my character was reintroduced to the ground, and the similarities to the original were apparent almost immediately. Much like its predecessor, Gunstar Super Heroes is all about shooting anything that moves and watching it explode in grand fashion. Treasure hasn't strayed from this formula, so the game will feel like a great pair of slippers the moment you turn it on.

In addition to the sprites, the rest of the game looks super fantastic. Its visuals aren't leaps and bounds over the original's graphics, but the developers have definitely kicked things up a few notches. The scaling, for example, is a treat simply because the Genesis can't do things like that. However, for the most part the two games are similar looking.

2005 marks the tenth anniversary of Gunstar Heroes so this sequel's thunderous arrival comes at the best possible time. My time with it was limited, but I really love what I saw and I'm planning to import Gunstar Super Heroes as soon as it's released in Japan. I advise you to do the same.