Cave strikes again
And does it perfectly - now you can have the cabinet and then some at home! Amazing shooter. If you need to import than do it!

Friendly for even beginners
While most shmups have crazy difficulty that require godly reflexes and are way unforgiving to beginners of the genre (Ikaruga / Dodonpachi), Deathsmiles has several difficulty setting that even casual players could enjoy. Unlimited continues from the start also enables everyone to at least see the game's ending if one sticks w/ it w/o repeating stages over and over, of course all the Xbox achievements would encourage you to work on your skills and strive for beating the game on one credit. The world is very colorful w/ a touch of gothic design and the soundtrack is very catchy as well. This is a fun shooter through and through for gamers of all skill levels.

one of the best shooters ever made!!
This game is simply one of the best reasons to have a japanese 360... amazing, and just one thing that was missing: a widescreen mode... everyhting else is superb!!

Must-have
If you own a Japanese 360 console and don't own this game, you should feel ashamed. One of the best pieces of work that is still exclusive to the system, everything about this game just oozes charisma and uniqueness. The action is fast and fun, the art design is amazingly unique, the soundtrack is out of this world awesome, and there's a lot of different game modes and difficulty settings to keep you coming back for more. Something you just have to experience for yourself if you even consider yourself a casual shmup fan.

Excellent and unique
Deathsmiles is very refreshing. The gothic theme and story are quite unique, and so is the gameplay. It's not a typical horizontal shooter; like Sidearms or Forgotten Worlds, you can shoot and move in opposite directions, and enemies can come from all corners of the screen. There aren't many games like this, especially modern ones. Each character has a "familiar" that acts as an option, and positioning this little creature is often a key strategic element. The enemy shot patterns are also very fun and satisfying to weave through. The great art style and music are the icing on the cake.