Black Inc. takes gamers on a highscore chase that's out of this world with the release of Ion Assault, the new space shoot ’em up (shmup) for Xbox LIVE Arcade. As the first German arcade game on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Ion Assault deploys players into the vastness of space as they battle asteroids and enemy ships on a perilous journey back home.

Created by Munich developer Coreplay, Ion Assault casts players as the sole-surviving human of an alien attack, delivering a spectacular display of classically manic shmup gameplay and stunning high-definition graphics with a twist: instead of using conventional weapons, players gather and convert energy particles floating in space into a totally unique means to fend off the alien assault. Focused into a single shot, these particles can destroy asteroids and enemy spacecrafts, making for dynamic gameplay that challenges players to search for the highest concentrations of particles and temporary power-ups, like shields or a black hole that sets the particles rotating and destroys enemies throughout the each level.

In addition to its unique weapon system, Ion Assault features highly detailed environments, unique boss fights and differently themed scenarios, utilizing state-of-the-art liquid tech systems to bring each challenging level to life with dazzling effects, all framed by an atmospheric soundtrack.

With both single-player and two-player gameplay, Ion Assault offers players several different ways to play including a variety of multiplayer modes like cooperative play pitting two players to cooperate to make use of a finite amount of energy particles to be victorious, and a versus mode where players need to protect their space stations from attack while simultaneously working to destroy the opponent's bases. Additionally, an online highscore table allows players to compare their feats with other Ion Assault players from around the globe.

Ion Assault is Rated E+10 (Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence) by the ESRB and is available now for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points.