The SNES might not have had as many solid-gold shmups as its rivals the Mega Drive and PC Engine, but it was nonetheless home to some incredible examples of the genre – one of which was the sublime Axelay.
Released in 1992 and developed by some of the same talent that would later leave Konami to form Treasure, Axelay is robust demonstration of the SNES' processing power; offering visuals and sound that rivalled the best coin-ops of the era, it remains a beloved classic, even today – and the fact that the end credits tease a sequel that we never got still pains us.
That might be about to change, as Konami has just renewed its trademark for the game in Japan.
Now, before you get too excited, this could mean absolutely nothing; companies renew trademarks all of the time.
However, we'd like to offer a counterpoint to that – holy crap, my dude, just imagine if we're getting a new Axelay?!
Konami has also renewed trademarks for Parodius and Xexex. Let's hope something is afoot, right?