Raiden III

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Raiden III

Developer(s)	Moss LTD, Seibu Kaihatsu (licensing)
Publisher(s)	Taito
Engine	Custom
Release date(s)	Arcade: 2005 PS2: September 22, 2005 April 17, 2007 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.

After a franchise hiatus of over 11 years following the release of Raiden DX, set in a universe different from all previous games and updated with a new look and feel. Raiden III is the first to use a new Taito Type X arcade system developed by Taito, instead of conventional arcade systems. New concepts are introduced, which includes a "new 3D scrolling system" that involves the camera pointing down to the ground and sometimes points to any degree. The blue Laser concept is more like a beam, instead of the ones seen in prior installments.

1 Plot
2 Gameplay
3 Ports
4 The Flash Desire Raiden III Game Capture DVD
- 4.1 Game-related Tracks
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Little known about the game's storyline, although Earth is taken over by aliens.

[edit] Gameplay

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.

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.

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.

[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] Fighting Thunder ME-02 Stats

Width: 14.2 m, 7.25m
Length: 54.0 m
Height: 7.25 m
Wingspan: 19.10 m
Weight: 13.54 kg, 27.024 kg
Speed: Mach 0.95

[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 an 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

Raiden III PS2 video game cover

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, although in some rare circumstances it does have.

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.

Originally, there was to be a US version released by XS Games for the PlayStation 2. The release date was listed as Q3 2006. That has long since passed and Raiden III has not been released as of yet. Many sources now erroneously list the release date as 09/22/05, which is the date Raiden III was released for PS2 in Japan. Fans have attempted to contact XS Games, without success.

It seems UFO Interactive Games has picked up the US distribution of the game. It was scheduled for a March 2007 release, but has been delayed to April 17, 2007.

[edit] The Flash Desire Raiden III Game Capture DVD

DVD cover for The Flash Desire Raiden III

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)