Hardcore 2D shoot-'em-up, Ikaruga, and trance music shoot-'em-up, Rez are coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade early next year, courtesy of developers Treasure and Q Entertainment. This, for a number of (well, at least two) SPOnG staffers, is truly wonderful news – the cream of their beloved SEGA Dreamcast, given a high definition makeover and re-released on LIVE Arcade.

Allow us to liberally quote from the Q press release just in, “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...”

Mizuguchi said (to the sounds of swooning and yelping SEGA hardcore), “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.”

No pricing has yet been set for Rez HD on XBLA. SPOnG is set to meet up with Q Entertainment’s Tetsuya Mizuguchi out at the Tokyo Game Show later this month, so we will be sure to find out directly from Miz himself more about the return his cult classic on the 360.

Other titles announced at the Microsoft press event in Japan yesterday include puzzle game Exit, Q’s, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Omega Drive and Trigger Heart Exelica.

A canny move from Microsoft in its ongoing (uphill) struggle to conquer the hearts and minds of Japanese gamers. If this doesn't work, nothing will.