Eidos today announced that it shipped R-TYPE FINAL, under its Fresh Games label, to stores across North America for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Developed by IREM Software, R-TYPE FINAL is the last installment of the classic R-TYPE series that originally hit arcades in 1987.

"The R-TYPE franchise has a legendary reputation and an entertainment value that we expect to surpass with R-TYPE FINAL," said Tom Marx, producer at Eidos. "With the goal to create a classic shooter experience and up the ante to a new level of gameplay, R-TYPE FINAL truly lives up to being one of the greatest all time classic shooters in gaming history."

R-TYPE FINAL takes players into the future where the galaxy is under attack from evil biological weapons gone awry, called the Bydo. The Bydo is taking control of life forms in the galaxy to wipe out human kind. The fate of the universe is counting on the player to defeat these creatures of ecological destruction.

A new feature in the R-TYPE shooter series, R-TYPE FINAL allows players to customize their ships with over one hundred unique body styles and weapons features. Ultimately, the player will learn how to use these design elements to create the best fighting machine to destroy their enemies.

R-TYPE FINAL also includes numerous gameplay modes to select from beyond the initial Shooting Mode. The AI vs. mode allows the player to pre-design and program a ship and send it into battle against the game’s AI. The Score Attack mode stores gameplay stats so the player can go back to a stage and beat the original scores. Whichever mode is chosen, R-TYPE FINAL’s environments are the most colorful, and fantastic of the series as a whole. And with the most ships and gameplay modes of the series, R-TYPE FINAL truly delivers to the player the richest experience of the R-TYPE franchise.

R-TYPE FINAL is available on retail shelves February 4, 2004 under the Fresh Games label.