Raiden IV

Infobox VG
title = Raiden IV


developer = MOSS Ltd
publisher = Taito
designer =
release = Arcade:flagicon|Japan vgrelease|Japan|JPN|June 7, 2007 Xbox 360:

genre = Vertical scrolling shooter
modes = Single player, 2 player Co-op
cabinet = Upright
arcade system = Taito Type X
platforms = Arcade, Xbox 360
input = Gamepad

nihongo|"Raiden IV"|雷電IV|Raiden Fō is an arcade game that follows up from the events of its precursor, "Raiden III". It was developed by the Japanese company Moss Ltd, under the license of Seibu Kaihatsu, and currently in co-operation with Taito.

History

Raiden IV was announced on the February 22, 2007 episode of Team Fremont Live during an interview with Chong Ahn, the product manager for UFO Interactive. [ [http://www.teamfremont.com/news/check%20this/Raiden_IV_Coming_to_the_U..shtml Team Fremont: Check This Out-Raiden IV Coming to the U.S.! ] ]

* "Raiden IV" made its first location test that was held at Akihabara Hey in July 22-23 2006, on an Egret II system. Its version had three difficulties: Light, Original and Strong, as well as including the feature that the 1P has a plasma laser, while the 2P has a proton laser. The "ground door" that opens to reveal the Level 1 boss consists of "bushes" and "roads". Cutscenes are seen showing the first boss exploding, but, it does not show the second boss exploding, however.
* The 2nd location test was held again at Hey and at Taito Game World in Shinjuku on October 14-16. The cutscenes showing the boss' destruction is nixed in this version.
* The 3rd location test was held at High-Tech Sega in Shibuya and Taito Game World in Shinjuku on December 27th. In this version, the previous idea of having 1P having the plasma laser while 2P has the proton laser was nixed. Instead, players were able to select either plasma or proton laser to play through before starting the main game. 2nd Round for the game after 1st Round was completed is implemented.
* The 4th and final location test was held at Shinjuku Gesen Mikado on February 20th 2007. In this version, Flash Shot System's multiplier is increased to 5.0x at maximum. Strong difficulty is nixed, however. The damage power of weapons are readjusted. Enemies that appeared during Stage 2's mid-boss were nixed.
* Moss launched "Raiden IV" arcade on June 7th 2007. The official arcade website is opened. [http://raiden4.air-nifty.com/blog/2008/09/41iv1-e528.html 雷電Ⅳ blog 第46回　雷電IVとはなんぞや（その1）]
* First details for Xbox 360 port of Raiden IV revealed in June 2008, which will include new stages, Live support, TATE options and download content. [http://www.arcade-renaissance.com/2008/06/raiden-iv-xbox-360-first-details.html Raiden IV Xbox 360 First Details]
* Release date of home port to be September 11th 2008 by Moss, it was later pushed back to October 2nd as the game needed more polish and to erase bugs. [http://kotaku.com/5042257/raiden-iv-for-xbox-360-delayed Raiden IV for Xbox 360 delayed]

Gameplay

The gameplay of "Raiden IV" is identical to its prior installments, although its level design is different than "Raiden III", but it is exactly the same as "Raiden II", as the player starts from in-land, over the farms. In later levels the game progresses through a vast cityscape, into the sky, and finally onward to space. The player faces many enemies, powerful stages, and fearless bosses. The Flash Shot System, first introduced in "Raiden III", returns in "IV". Multipliers are given for destroying enemies that just appeared on screen, if faster players destroy enemies, the higher the bonuses are.

Weapons

As with previous "Raiden" titles, the player ship fires with 2 types of weapons, the main weapon and the sub-weapon. There are power-ups that come in the shape of colored crystals, each color represents a weapon group. If the player continues to collect the same color, their weapon increases in power. Bombs can be used to get players out of tight spots or to inflict great damage on enemies, but these are in short supply. The weapons, bombs and bonus items, like fairies, in "Raiden III" are retained and works the same as before in this game.

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 power-ups crystals (up to 5), instead of the traditional way involving collecting the same weapon powerups.

Vulcan

Shoots bullets which spread out in an arc with stretching barrage. Increased powerups increase both the power and the spread of the bullets. Useful for attacking the enemies from all sides, this weapon is the best choice for beginner players. This weapon is utilised by the default ship and "Fighting Thunder Mk-II". The powerup crystal of this item appears red.

Laser

Shoots a stream of blue laser with a purple streak of lightning encircling it in a straight line, offers no defensive spread, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks from the side. However, this weapon's concentrated power (amplified with additional powerups) can destroy tough enemies and bosses rather easily. This weapon is suited for intermediate players and is utilised by the default ship and "Fighting Thunder Mk-II". The powerup crystal of this item appears blue.

Plasma Laser

The plasma laser from "Raiden II" and "Raiden DX" returns. Shoots a purple laser with blue outlined streak that can swing in an arc from left to right, and immediately locks on to appearing enemies until they are destroyed. Any enemies that are in the twisting path of the laser are inflicted damage and destroyed as well. This weapon is suited for experienced players and is utilised by the default ship and "Fighting Thunder Mk-II". The powerup crystal of this item appears purple. Players have to select this weapon before the main game starts in order to use it throughout a play.

Proton Laser (Improved)

The proton laser from "Raiden III" is back in "Raiden IV", but differentiates from the original by shooting a trio of purple lasers with green outlined streak that can swing in an arc while turning left or right, as opposed to a single green laser. It can penetrate through enemies and bosses, but its damage is relatively low and cannot lock onto enemies like the plasma laser does. Like the plasma laser, this weapon is suited for experienced players and is used by the default ship only. The powerup crystal of this item appears purple. Players have to select this weapon before the main game starts in order to use it throughout a play.

Main shots (Xbox 360 Ver.)

Vulcan (DLC Ships Ver.)

Both DLC ships employ a different version of the basic vulcan used by the default ship, in terms of firepower damage. The powerup crystal of this item appears red.

* "Fairy": The color of the bullets are in cyan instead of yellow. The initial 3-column barrage spread of the weapon is slightly narrower than the original and won't be able to hit more enemies in its radius. The firepower of this weapon is weakest among the three ships, slightly less damaging than the damage inflicted by the default ship.
* "Fighting Thunder Mk-II (Old Raiden)": This vulcan's firepower can be reached to maximum by collecting 7 power-up crystals, instead of 5. This ship uses the strongest version of the vulcan among the three ships, with its starting firepower 2.4 times higher than the default ship's.

Milky Laser

The laser that the "Fairy" uses is very similar to the "Ixion" in "Raiden Fighters Jet". Blue spheres of light emerge from the ship, which immediately shoots out lasers that resemble "arrows of light". Although the size of the lasers is very narrow compared to other lasers, they are able to penetrate enemies like the proton laser, hence the name of the weapon. The damage inflicted is very powerful, and is able to destroy medium-sized ships with ease. When powered up to higher levels, more lasers will be shot. The powerup crystal of this item appears blue.

Bubble Launcher

Shoots a stream of purple translucent bubbles. The speed of the bullets is relatively slow. When powered up to higher levels, the number of bubbles shot from the player ship grows in quantity until they cover a large portion of the screen, which provides a constant amount of firepower on enemies. This weapon is used only by the "Fairy". The powerup crystal of this item appears purple.

Proton Laser (Original)

The original proton laser is included in Xbox 360 version of "Raiden IV", however it is used only by "Fighting Thunder Mk-II". Shoots out a single green laser that can swing in an arc from left to right. It can penetrate enemies and bosses, but damage is relatively low and cannot be lock onto enemies. The powerup crystal of this item appears purple.

ub-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".

Misc items

In addition to these weapon powerups, there are miscellaneous items as well.

Bombs

The overall damage of the bomb is the same as in "Raiden III", spreading out rapidly from the position the player launches the bomb in a ball of flame. It is still capable of protecting the player from any enemy bullets caught in the bomb's blast. Each player's life starts with three bombs loaded on the craft (in home versions, this number can be changed to as high as seven). 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. Bombs can occasionally be collected from powerup ships, appearing as a red letter "B" on a spinning triangle.

Extra Life (1UP)

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 in various parts of each stage in the game, which appears when the player shoots the correct location. When the fairy is obtained, it will help the player when the craft is damaged, by giving you a power-up item. Unlike in previous games where the player could be penalized for shooting it, this fairy cannot be hit by the player's shots.

Medals

Appears as a shiny golden orb. Higher score medals appear as winged orbs. True to the original "Raiden" series, only the accumulated total of medals influence the end-of-stage bonus (along with remaining fighters and bombs). However, medals are lost when a player loses a life, so a player is required to maintain their ship to the end of a stage in order to have any collected medals count.

Xbox 360 Version

The Xbox 360 version of "Raiden IV" comes with a couple of extra modes for added replay. There will also be downloadable content for purchase, which includes gamerpics and dashboard themes. New player ships, such as the "Fighting Thunder Mk-II (Original Raiden)" and the "Fairy" will be available for purchase and download in the marketplace for use in the game. [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/raiden4/x360/05_dwl.htm Xbox 360 追加要素（追加ステージ）] A TATE option is included for players to view the game in either vertical or horizontal screens for their preferred shooting experience. There will be a total of 47 achievements with a total of 1000 points in the game.

Arcade Mode

The Arcade Mode is the original version of the game, and consists of 2 types of gameplay: "Light" and "Original". Light gameplay has an easier difficulty, meant for beginners and players new to the genre, while Original generates more enemies, faster bullets and slightly more complicated boss patterns.

Xbox 360 Mode

The Xbox 360 Mode [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/raiden4/x360/05.htm Xbox 360 追加要素（モード）] is exclusive to the home version and contains new enemy ships and 2 new stages and bosses not found in the arcade version. [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/raiden4/x360/05_sta.htm]
* Play Style: Solo offers single-player, Dual allows 2-player simultaneous play, while Double has 2 players controlling one ship, movements for one and shooting for the other.
* Stage: Allows players to select the stages they have already completed to replay.
* Difficulty: There will be 8 different difficulty modes to choose from.
** Practice: Enemies do not fire shots in the game.
** Very Easy: Enemies' shots can be destroyed by the player.
** Easy: Enemies' shots are relatively slow in this difficulty.
** Normal: Default difficulty in console version.
** Original: Same difficulty as in the Arcade version.
** Hard: Enemies' shots are a bit quicker in speed, for intermediate players.
** Very Hard: Enemies' shots are much quicker in speed, for expert players.
** Ultimate: The hardest difficulty in the game.

Boss Rush Mode

Players fight all level bosses without going through the stages.

core Attack Mode

A form of mini-games that require players to complete a specific objective in order to clear each mission.

Gallery

As players go through the game, 3D renditions of the enemy ships will be unlocked for viewing in the gallery.

World Rankings

Xbox 360 players can place their best scores and rankings earned from Solo Arcade and Xbox 360 modes onto the Xbox Live leaderboards. Players will be able to compare, share and view game replays for analyzing of other players' performance.

Raiden IV -Ultimate of Raiden-

It is a video game soundtrack CD by INH. It includes Arcade, Xbox360, and remixed versions of game music tracks from older and current "Raiden" games, with a total of 27 tracks. The OST is included with the game for a limited time. INH has also offered a special PDF file DVD by preordering from their site. Named "Raiden IV Secret File", the disc contains player ship specifications, enemy combat data, strategies for the game and concept art.

Tracks

# Shoot like lightning (DEMO)
# Coin
# Carve your name (SELECT&NAME)
# A stormy front (LEVEL1)
# Metal storm (BOSS1)
# Mission accomplishment (LEVEL CLEAR)
# Can't retrace (LEVEL2)
# Flap toward the hope (LEVEL3)
# Tragedy flame (LEVEL4)
# Advantageous development (LEVEL5)
# Repeated tragedy (LEVEL5 EX)
# Go to Blazes! GS (BOSS2)
# Brightness of peace (ENDING)
# Preparations (CONTINUE)
# GAME OVER for Raiden (GAME OVER)
# Watch a Blazes (MENU, Xbox 360 Mode)
# Omen of stormy (RANKING, Xbox 360 Mode)
# Enumeration (GALLERY, Xbox 360 Mode)
# All or nothing (LEVEL5, Xbox 360 Mode)
# Depression (LEVEL6, Xbox 360 Mode)
# GALLANTRY -Daisuke Nagata- (Remix)
# Tragedy flame -Kou Hayashi- (Remix)
# Flap toward the hope -WASi303- (Remix)
# Conflict -INH- (Remix)
# Lightning strikes -Shinji Hosoe- (Remix)
# Fairy -Ayako Saso- (Remix)
# Brightness of peace -Go Sato- (Remix)

Trivia

* A modified form of the boss from level 2 in "Raiden III" makes its appearance as a regular enemy.

References

External links

* [http://raiden.mossjp.co.jp/ "Raiden IV"] at the official Japanese website of Moss
* [http://www.inhgroup.com/item/raiden07/ INH Raiden IV -Ultimate of Raiden- page]
* [http://raiden4.air-nifty.com/blog/ Moss's official Raiden IV production blog]