Japanese developer Treasure's side scrolling shooter, Ikaruga, is set to hit Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow.

It's an arcade shooter. It has a twist. The twist, in Microsoft's words, is that "players must constantly switch their ship’s polarity to maximize their damage output and avoid incoming enemy fire of the opposite polarity."

A version of the game was first released on these shores for the GameCube back in 2003.

The game comes equipped with a two-player mode which can be used either locally or online. If you don't feel quite ready for that, you can make use of the game's slow motion training mode. New to the Xbox Live version of the game is the option to relive your most triumphant moments with a record and replay function.

Microsoft promises us "manga-style storytelling", "challenging arcade heroics" and "a gorgeous HD environment". SPOnG doubts we'll ever feel as heroic in an arcade-related way as when we got beaten up trying to stop Gemma Jackson's little brother having his change nicked, but that's just us...

The game will be available at 9:00am tomorrow for 800 Microsoft Points.

Also up for grabs this week are two new downloadable content packs for Void Star Creations' Xbox Live release, Poker Smash. We'll let Microsoft give you the details - "The new content includes two Action Mode Environments in the Environment Pack and an additional 15 Puzzles in the Puzzle Pack, giving Poker Smash players a total of 13 immersive environments and 70 mind bending puzzles. The Poker Smash Environment Pack and Puzzle Pack will each be available for 100 Microsoft Points."