Raiden (series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Raiden series of arcade games developed by Seibu Kaihatsu. For other meanings of the name Raiden, see Raiden (disambiguation).

Raiden (雷電, raiden^?) is a scrolling shooter and a popular series of arcade games by Seibu Kaihatsu initially available in arcades in Japan and later distributed to other countries by Fabtek. It is ported for the PlayStation as The Raiden Project, and other ports, including Amiga, PC, and the mobile phone.

1 Overview
2 Differences
- 2.1 Boss differences
3 Games
4 External links

[edit] Overview

In each installment, there is a threat to humanity posed by the invasion of Earth by an alien race known as the Cranasians. In the wake of the Cranasian invasion, the World Alliance Military must launch a daring counter-attack with their powerful weapon, a Raiden supersonic attack fighter, for the future of humanity. The first two Raiden installments had eight stages, and if all stages are completed, a mission clear bonus is given and the players will start another mission. The third installment has seven stages each. The fourth installment blends classic gameplay with new ideas in one package.

[edit] Differences

Its distinguishing feature was the simultaneous double player mode where one player can play like two players at the same time. Players can get high score by quickly destroying the enemy which appears, with the new flash shot system. But this feature is not new, players did play with two-player mode

The level design of the first two installments consists of five Earth-based levels and three space-based levels:

Farm (in Raiden the player starts from the coast, but in Raiden II, the player starts from inland)
City
Ocean
Ruins
Enemy in-land remote base
Floating Planetoids
Giant enemy battleship
Final attack goal (in Raiden the final attack goal is the alien command battleship, but in Raiden II, the final attack goal is the Cranasian headquarters)

However, in Raiden III, level design appears to consist of three basic Earth-based missions and four space missions:

Farm, City
Enemy in-land remote base
Ocean with platforms
Giant Battleships
Battleship Interior
Connected Planetoids
Final attack goal

The enemy's insignia appears to be a shape of a diamond in later Raiden installments.

The bosses in Raiden has normally a octagonal shape of a glowing crystalline being, but in the sequels, they have a diamond shape. In Stage 8 of Raiden, the octagonal being is concealed with a green module which moves back and forth in one direction, while in Raiden II and later installments, it appear exposed.

[edit] Boss differences

Raiden	Raiden II	Raiden III
2 rail tanks	Death Walkers	2 giant tanks
Huge aircraft	Ichneumon	Ichneumon II
Large battleship	Shadow Submarine	Battleship boss
Armed fort	Fort Cyclops	Space rocket
Ground Tank	Dread Bomber	Battleship interior boss
Two walking statues	Manticore	Space boss 2
Forward module of the battleship	Whisper	Final boss
Red crystal in a green module	Cranasian Headquarters	N/A