Tozai Games, the company that created R-Type Dimensions, announced they have exclusive rights to manage Lode Runner and the Spelunker series in Japan.

Don’t get too excited, it’s a pachislot game.

Kazuma Kujo was one of Irem’s lead designers. He created R-Type Final, worked on the Disaster Report games, and made Steambot Chronicles.

Famitsu’s release calendar brings bad news about Irem’s sequel to Steambot Chronicles. According to the magazine, Steambot Chronicles 2 has been canceled.

Following the news that Irem canceled Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories, Japanese retailer Famicom Plaza reports the publisher will no longer re-publish past games from the series in Japan.

While Irem did not mention the current situation in Japan in their announcement, the publisher decided to cancel Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories was originally slated for a February release before Irem pushed their PlayStation 3 title back to March. Now, it’s a “spring” game.

R-Type developer Irem pulls of elaborate April Fool’s jokes like R-Type sweets and Disaster Report crowbars year after year. In 2001, their joke was a Doki Doki Suikoden dating sim game. Guess what Irem’s making ten years later.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories supports nearly everything the PlayStation 3 can do – PlayStation Move, 3D output, and even downloadable content.

Irem and DotEmu are releasing an 18-game Irem arcade compilation for $14.99 on PCs.

The bad news is Disaster Report 4 won’t make it into stores this February. Irem pushed the game’s release date back to March 10, 2011.

Starting today, you can fall off a small ledge and lose a life… in HD. Tozai Games is bringing Spelunker HD to North America.

Irem finally released more than a minute of Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories footage, but if you’ve seen all of the other teaser trailers some of this will be old hat.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories (or if you prefer The Desperate City 4: Summer Memories) has two lead characters.