Raiden III

Infobox VG
title = Raiden III


developer = [http://www.mossjp.co.jp Moss LTD] , Seibu Kaihatsu (licensing)
publisher = flagicon|JapanMOSS LTD
Taito (PS2)
CyberFront Corporation (Win)
flagicon|USUFO Interactive Games (PS2)
flagicon|EU505 Games
flagicon|TaiwanSoft-World International Corporation (Win)
designer =
engine = Custom
release = Arcade
flagicon|Japan2005
PS2:
flagicon|Japan2005-09-22
flagicon|EU2006-10-06
flagicon|US2007-04-17
PC:
flagicon|Japan2006-03-17
flagicon|Taiwan2006-08-?
genre = Vertical scrolling shooter
modes = Single player, 2 player Co-op
cabinet = Upright
monitor = Raster (Vertical)
arcade system = Taito Type X
input =
platforms = Arcade, Windows 2000, PlayStation 2nihongo|"Raiden III"|雷電III|Raiden Surī 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 in Japan by Taito in 2005. It has also been published in the US by UFO Interactive Games, in Europe by 505 Games, and in China by Soft-World International Corporation.

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 normal to the player while the scenery moves in three dimensions: climbing, descending, and sometimes moving vertically. The blue Laser concept is more like a beam, instead of the ones seen in prior installments.

Plot

Little is known about the game's storyline, other than the fact that Earth has been overrun by aliens.

Gameplay

Players once again take control of the famous Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter, red for player 1 and blue for player 2 as usual; there are no selectable ships. Two player mode is enhanced by an exclusive new attack: a beam that is usable whenever one player lines up in front of the other.

coring

Scoring is straightforward, with inconsequential special bonuses: a multiplier up to 2 (displayed on screen) to the normal value of enemies if they are destroyed quickly after they appear, collecting medals and fairies (see below), destroying "secret" targets, collecting excess powerups.

Levels

There are in total 7 levels, the first three set on Earth and the last three in space.Level design is related to prior "Raiden" games: the first three levels are particularly close to previous games, with the first based on the original "Raiden"; the bosses are also similar to those in the corresponding levels of Raiden II and Raiden DX.

While "Raiden", "Raiden II" and "Raiden DX" give a 1,000,000 points mission clear bonus and loop back to the first level, Raiden III ends with an animation without looping.

Player ships

You play both the "Fighting Thunder ME-02"(Raiden mk-II and Raiden mk-IIb) fighters, [Sources: Fighting Thunder on the [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/f_thunder.html official "Raiden III" website of Moss] and the [http://www.taito.co.jp/d3/cp/raiden3/jiki.html official "Raiden III" website of Taito Corporation] ] which are colored red and blue to represent 1UP and 2UP, or both in dual or double play mode.

Weapons

The ship fires simultaneously with two weapons: the main weapon and the sub-weapon. Weapons have a power level, which increases by collecting individual powerups. In addition there are bombs that fill more or less the whole screen, harming enemies and dissolving all enemy shots.At the beginning of the game or after the player dies, the default weapons are a three-way Vulcan (see below), a marked increase of firepower over the one-way Vulcan of the previous "Raiden" games, no secondary weapon and three bombs (the number of bombs can be altered as a game option).

Main shots

Vulcan

A traditional spread weapon that shoots streams of 2 or 4 small yellow bullets in 3, 5, or 7 directions (including straight ahead). Powerups increase the spread of the number of bullets. Corresponds to the red powerup.

Laser

A traditional narrow weapon, appearing as a single continuous forward-facing blue laser; lateral ship movement makes it swerve very slightly.Powerups increase the width of the beam and presumably the damage rate.Corresponds to the blue powerup.

Proton Laser

A replacement for the characteristic "toothpaste" plasma laser featured in the Raiden series, appearing as a very narrow green beam that swings markedly (moving at an angle of about 45 degrees) with lateral ship movement. Powerups increase the width and brightness of the beam and presumably the damage rate.Corresponds to the green powerup.

ub-shots

For all three variants, powerups simply increase the number of shots and there are three power levels.

Nuclear missile

Shoots dumb-fire missiles that spread out laterally then accelerate forward. In addition to direct hits, the nuclear missiles' explosions cause damage as well. Corresponds to the "M" powerup.

Homing missile

Shoots homing missiles that turn freely and target the closest enemy around the player. The damage is weak, but it is ideal for attacking enemies around the player. Corresponds to the "H" powerup.

Radar missile

A partially guided variant of the nuclear missile in which the missiles drift laterally until they align with enemies and charge forward. The radar missiles' explosions cause damage as well, just like the nuclear missiles. Corresponds to the "R" powerup.

Bombs

Unlike in previous "Raiden" games, the bomb's action in "Raiden III" is immediate: a ball of flame spreads out rapidly from the position the player. The bomb stock can be increased with bomb powerups, appearing as a "B" on a spinning triangle. The craft can carry up to 7 bombs; if another bomb powerup is collected, bonus points are accumulated. Any bombs left over at the end of a stage are worth 5,000 bonus points each.

Miscellaneous pickup items

In addition to the main weapon, secondary weapon and bomb powerups, there are miscellaneous pickup items.

Extra Life (1UP)

When picked up, the player receives another life. Appears near the end of levels 3 and 6 only. Any lives left over at the end of a stage are worth 10,000 bonus points each.

Full Power-Up

This appears under certain conditions such as the player dying many times; it raises the primary and secondary weapons to maximum power. Worth bonus points if collected when the player already has maximum power. It is similar to secondary weapon powerups, with a "P".

Fairy

A fairy appears after shooting certain objects. When the fairy is collected, it helps the player when the craft is damaged, giving some powerup. Unlike in previous games where the player could be penalized for shooting it, this fairy cannot be hit by the player's shots.

Medals

Worth 500 points when collected and 10,000 bonus points at the end of a level. For the purpose of end of level bonuses, medals are lost when a player loses a life.

Ports

Due to its design (the Taito Type X architecture is PC-based), "Raiden III" was 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 allows the player to choose a stage to play and try to score the most points. Also, credits must be earned by how long the game is played, although free play is unlocked by completing all stages.

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. Because of the high degree of similarity between the arcade machine and a contemporary home PC, the Windows version can provide a nearly-identical experience to that of the arcade version given a sufficiently-powerful home PC.

"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.

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. When the date came and went, fans attempted to contact XS Games, without success. Finally [http://www.ufointeractivegames.com UFO] picked up the US distribution of the game. It was scheduled for a March 2007 release, but was finally released on April 17, 2007. It should be noted that the original packaging of Raiden III for the US PS2 Version says the disc enclosed is DVD-ROM. However, the game was published in a CD-ROM Format with the blue disc bottom.

The Flash Desire "Raiden III" Game Capture DVD

The game capture DVD of "Raiden III" was 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)

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)

References

External links

* [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/raiden3/ "Raiden III"] at the official Japanese website of Moss
* [http://www.taito.co.jp/d3/cp/raiden3/ "Raiden III"] at Taito's website
* [http://www.cyberfront.co.jp/title/raiden3/main.htm "Raiden III"] at Cyberfront's website
* [http://www.soft-world.com.tw/game/rainden3.htm Soft-World Raiden III page]
* [http://www.inhgroup.com/item/raiden04/ The Flash Desire "Raiden III"] on the INH Group's website
* [http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/mobile/softbank/raiden3/ Namco Bandai's "Raiden III" Yahoo/Softbank mobile version page]
* [http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/mobile/imode/namcogames/namcogames_shooting.html#13 Namco Bandai's "Raiden III" iMode mobile version page]
* [http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/mobile/ezweb/raiden3/ Namco Bandai's "Raiden III" EZ-Web mobile version page]
* [http://www.ufointeractivegames.com/details.asp?k=2418&p=ps2 UFO Interactive Games' "Raiden III"] website
*moby game|id=/raiden-iii