Raiden III
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| Raiden III | |
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| Developer(s) | Moss LTD, Seibu Kaihatsu (licensing) |
| Publisher(s) | Taito |
| Engine | Custom |
| Release date(s) | Arcade: 2005 PS2: September 22, 2005 PC: March 17, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Vertical scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, 2 player Co-op |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Taito Type X |
Raiden III (雷電III raiden?) is a revival of the classic Raiden series of scrolling shooter games. It was developed by the Japanese company Moss with some assistance and license by Seibu Kaihatsu which produced Raiden and Raiden II, and published by Taito in 2005.
Raiden III is also the first game in the Raiden series to use a new Taito Type X arcade system developed by Taito, instead of conventional arcade systems. It also features a "new 3D scrolling system" that involves the camera pointing down to the ground and sometimes points to any degree.
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[edit] Plot
Little known about the game's storyline.
[edit] Gameplay
After 11 years since the release of Raiden DX, players once again take control of the famous Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter. This time the game is in a full 3D environment and allows for the popular two-player mode; a new attack that is usable only in two-player mode is a beam attack that is usable whenever one player lines up in front of the other. Level design differs somewhat from prior Raiden installments, in that the first three levels are based off from the previous games, with the first is based off from the original Raiden. With the exception of the first space mission, the most noteworthy is the "green fog stage". Other than some minor-major level and enemy changes, the ship handles the exact same.
One of the significant features in Raiden III include moving away from the traditional 2-D gameplay, using more anime-looking 3D models, and incorporating a "flash shot system", which rewards players when they destroy enemies that appear very quickly. As for it is the shooting game where the bullet which can be excluded and with, for the upper-class kind of person who is called you are different from the shooting game, is set by the game kind of balance which can push down the enemy, can enjoy with ease even with the beginner.
Besides the normal dual simultaneous play mode, two players can use with one controller, starting the double play mode. Height of the degree of transplantation which is not inferiority in comparison with, arcade edition such as graphics and animation probably is to make the refreshing impression feel of being the taste of the shooting game.
The pace after completion of the mission is unlike those in prior installments. Instead of giving a 1,000,000 mission clear bonus and starting another mission back to the first level which is common to Raiden, Raiden II and Raiden DX, the game ends in a modern anime-style fashion like in anime series such as Gunslinger Girl, with the exception of the text saying "SEE YOU NEXT BATTLE" at the end screen.
[edit] Player ships
You play both the "Fighting Thunder ME-02" fighters[1], which are colored red and blue to represent 1UP and 2UP, or both in dual or double play mode. Although these ships are not nicknamed, but they are given the nicknames of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis or Death Thunder. In solo play mode, if you choose the 1UP side, you play as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and if you choose the 2UP side, then you play as the Death Thunder.
It is notable that the 1UP player ship is named after the former U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who had sought to preserve the cultural heritage of the United States.
[edit] Weapons
The ship fires simultaneously with two weapons: the main weapon and the sub-weapon. The power of the weapons depends on the level, which increases by collecting individual powerups. The bombs are used if only to destroy enemies widely, as well as to get players out of tighter spots in certain situations.
[edit] Main shots
When starting the game or each time the player ship dies, it starts out with a three-way main shot, instead of the normal one-way shot as in the last three Raiden installments. The main power can be reached into maximum by collecting individual main weapon powerups, instead of the traditional way involving collecting the same weapon powerups.
- Vulcan
- Shoots shots which spreads out in an arc with stretching barrage. It is useful for attacking the enemies from all sides. This weapon is suited for even beginner players. The powerup of this item appears red.
- Laser
- Shoots a stream of blue laser at the straight line, offers no defensive spread, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks from the side. However, this weapon can destroy tough enemies and bosses rather easily. This weapon is suited for intermediate players. The powerup of this item appears blue.
- Proton Laser
- Shoots a green laser that can swing in an arc while turning left or right. It can penetrate through enemies and bosses, but its damage is relatively slow and cannot 'lock' onto enemies as in Raiden II and Raiden DX. Overall this weapon is situated between vulcan and laser, and is suited for experienced players. The powerup of this item appears green.
[edit] Sub-shots
Unlike the main weapons, it starts out with no sub-weapons, when starting the game from the first level or each time the player ship dies. Instead of collecting the same missile weapon powerup four times, it can be powered up by collecting individual sub-weapon powerups three times.
- Nuclear missile
- Shoots dumb-fire missiles that spread out. The nuclear missiles' explosions cause damage as well. Enemies can be effectively attacked from every location by sweeping left and right shooting this weapon. The powerup of this item appears the yellow letter "M".
- Homing missile
- Shoots missiles that targets the closest enemy from around the player, and pursues automatically. The damage is weak, but it is ideal for attacking enemies around the player. The powerup of this item appears the green letter "H".
- Radar missile
- Shoots missiles that heads straight for the enemy. The radar missiles' explosions cause damage as well, just like the nuclear missiles. The powerup of this item appears the purple letter "R".
[edit] Misc items
In addition to these weapon powerups, there are miscellaneous items as well.
- Bomber Items
- The bomber is used from the last obtained bomber on the center screen first. When starting or restarting the game, 3 bombers or dispersion bombers are loaded on the craft. The craft can carry up to 7 bombers. If another bomber is obtained when the craft already has 7 bombers loaded, bonus points are accumulated. The powerup appears as a letter "B" on a inverted triangle. This bomb stock can be changed in home versions only, in arcade versions, it is defaulted to 3 bombs.
- Extra Life
- When picked up, the player receives another life.
- Full Power-Up
- This appears under certain conditions such as the player dies many times, and when obtained, the primary and secondary shots will reach maximum power. Bonus points are obtained when this is obtained when the player already has maximum power. The powerup of this item appears to be the cyan letter "P".
- Fairy
- The fairy is hidden somewhere, but in levels 1 and 4, and the fairy appears by shooting at a certain point on the screen. When the fairy is obtained, it will help the player when the craft is damaged, by giving you a power-up item. This fairy cannot be hit by the player's shots, so even don't worry about the fairy turning into a ten-point shot and disappearing.
- Bonus item
- When this item is obtained, bonus points are obtained. When a level is completed, the number of items multiplied by the remaining bombers becomes the level completion bonus.
[edit] Ports
Due to its design, Raiden III can be easily ported to different versions. The home versions have included features that are not present in original arcade versions: a menu boss rush mode, score attack mode, stage select, adjustable difficulty levels, gallery, an 18,457,740-point high score replay, and a player's high score replay. In addition, the player and bomb stock can be adjusted to 5 and 7, respectively, instead of the default 3. A Score Trial mode is somewhat identical to the original arcade version. Also, they do not have a "credit" system like in arcades, but a "free play" system.
On March 17, 2006, there was a port of Raiden III to Microsoft Windows, published by Cyberfront. Soft-World International corporation published the Windows port of Raiden III in Taiwan, which includes an English translation of the text originally written in Japanese.
Raiden III was also ported to the PlayStation 2 console system. On September 29, 2005, it was first ported by Taito in Japan, and similarly, by 505 GameStreet in Europe in July 2006. The PlayStation 2 version is notable for the double play mode that involves one controller with both sides, instead of two independent controllers. This feature allows for a better double play experience.
In addition, Raiden III was brought to several cell phones by Namco Bandai, through three different versions: Vodafone on April 5, 2006, DoCoMo i-appli fourteen days later, on April 19, 2006, and the EZ-Web version on November 15, 2006.
[edit] The Flash Desire Raiden III Game Capture DVD
The game capture DVD of Raiden III has been released on November 2, 2006. It costs about 6,090 yen each, and has approximately running time of 120 minutes for a DVD and approximately 70 minutes for a CD. Its features include:
- Contents 01 - Raiden III Normal Mode Capture Image (Kinomoto will not in charge of playing; it plays back one-coin capture images of the same work from start to the ending.)
- Contents 02 - Raiden III Double Play Mode Capture Image (Hattori will be in charge of playing; it plays back 1 coin capture images of the same work from start to the ending.)
- Contents 03 - OUT TAKE (Other than the score image which is higher than normal mode main part, wonderful phenomenon and income technique, you record the opening movie.)
- Soundtrack CD (see below)
[edit] Game-related Tracks
- Shoot like lightning (Opening demo)
- Takeoff with the suffer (Start demo)
- Lightning strikes (Level 1)
- Passing pleasures (Boss)
- Mission accomplishment (Level clear)
- Electric Resistance (Level 2)
- Dawn of sorrow (Level 3)
- A labyrinth of steel (Level 4)
- Intruder (Level 5)
- Invisible menace (Level 6)
- Last fear (Level 7)
- Fairy (Ending)
- Game Over for Raiden I (Game over)
- Carve your name (Name entry)
- Preparations (PS2 Main menu)
[edit] Trivia
- Near the end of the outro, the scene where the fairy exiting the landed aircraft looks identical to the first level in the original Raiden.
[edit] References
- ^ Sources: Fighting Thunder on the official Raiden III website of Moss and the official Raiden III website of Taito Corporation
[edit] External links
- Raiden III at the official Japanese website of Moss
- Raiden III at Taito's website
- Raiden III at Cyberfront's website
- Soft-World Raiden III page
- The Flash Desire Raiden III on the INH Group's website
- Namco Bandai's Raiden III Yahoo/Softbank mobile version page
- Namco Bandai's Raiden III iMode mobile version page
- Namco Bandai's Raiden III EZ-Web mobile version page
