| |
 Raiden
IV (Xbox 360)
With Raiden Fighters Aces already
out, this release should serve as a nice, more modern bookend for those
players looking for a follow-up. Those who enjoy classic 'shmups will find
much to enjoy in the release of Raiden IV on Xbox 360. It doesn't stray
too far from the classic arcade formula, but its smoother, HD-ready
visuals enhance the already solid play mechanics. Additional modes such as
a score attack, online leader boards and scaling screen dimensions plus
exclusive 360 stages make this an excellent shooter that delivers the
intense bullet frenzy fans of the series have come to expect. |
Vertically scrolling shooters of a certain
vintage enjoy a huge advantage over many of their contemporaries, with
their easy-to-learn, instantly accessible gameplay allowing them to
deliver mindless fun without endless learning curves. While there have
been tons of these released over the years, one of the most enduring
franchises has been Raiden. The series has gone on for almost two decades
and its straightforward formula of standard shots and screen-filling bombs
hasn't changed much. The latest installment, Raiden IV looks beautiful
with fully rendered 3D backgrounds giving the action added depth, both
from a gameplay and aesthetic standpoint. The game offers several
different modes of play, including a standard solo mode, co-op play and
the ability for a single player to control both ships simultaneously.
Several different difficulty options are available, though the casual
level only allows access to the first few levels. The game includes both a
standard port of the arcade game and a special 360 mode which includes two
exclusive levels. The game is presented in letterboxed format with the
ability to rotate and zoom the screen so you can have a larger view.
Unfortunately, you can't rotate the controller along with these
viewpoints, so you have to play with it turned sideways. Raiden IV also
lets you pick several levels of difficulty and the number of ships and
continues you'll use. Its menus are easy to use and navigate, so this
shouldn't be too much of a problem. The game offers a fairly standard
single player mode, but also includes several other interesting additions.
You can play with another player co-operatively and try and beat each
stage together which is loads of fun. Additionally, you can go into the
score attack and try and get a high score in any stage you've already
cleared, which is another challenging extra.
Once your modes, difficulty and ship
inventory has been selected, you choose your weapons, which include a
plasma laser and proton laser. The plasma laser is a single beam that
twists and turns on screen and concentrates on a single enemy while the
proton laser shoots three beams at the same time. As in the older Raiden
games, power-ups take the form of red and blue takes, and each can be
leveled up to produce some incredible fire-power. Knowing when to use
these and when to avoid them, and which enemies are most vulnerable to
these shots makes all the difference, especially when boss encounters come
to play. These offer different strategic play and going through the game
will let you know which style suits you best. Your basic weapons can be
upgraded by collecting power-ups and scanning for additional items adds to
your inventory of screen-filling super-bombs. Each stage in Raiden IV
unfolds in traditional shooter style, as you face off against waves of
basic enemies and build up your weapons until you confront the boss
character at the end of the stage. The game's patterns start off fairly
simply, but harder levels offers players incredibly dense fields of
bullets to avoid and patterns to master, making them very hard to progress
through. One of the more helpful aspects of the game's design is that once
you've cleared a level, you can begin the next game there and don't have
to re-fight earlier stages. This should prove especially helpful to
novice, or 'casual' players who want to get the hang of things. As
expected from the series, Raiden IV's gameplay is razor-sharp with tightly
paced levels that unfold at a breakneck speed. While there are many modern
touches, such as an online leaderboard and world rankings, you can
definitely feel the spirit and lineage of the series and its influence is
evident in the way Raiden IV feels.
 Despite
not offering much in the way of genre innovation, Raiden IV delivers a
satisfyingly intense shooting experience. It's classically-styled gameplay,
interesting level design and difficult boss battles should challenge even
shooting veterans. Eye pleasing visuals and the ability to scan and rotate
the screen adds to the arcade-authenticity, while the soundtrack is decent
as well. As an added bonus, there are two additional stages exclusive to
the Xbox 360 edition, which extends its appeal even mode. Online modes
include downloadable content, online leader boards and co-op play add to
the replay value. It's solid gameplay and smooth melding of 2D gameplay
with 3D special effects make this a good looking game, and its soundtrack
is fairly decent as well. Raiden IV delivers the kind of intense shooting
action that has stood the test of time. While its not the deepest or most
modern title available, Raiden IV is a classically styled shooter brings
its timeless play mechanics forward in a solidly entertaining package,
making this a solid purchase for fans of this long running series.
-
Michael Palisano
|
| |
|
