Box art courtest of ufointeractivegames.com
Raiden IV, is a highly anticipated sequel for fans of the past Raiden Games! The game boasts your favorite Arcade Shooter gameplay as well as some nice visual effects to keep the game moving steadily! Take on the enemy in 7 Different levels with 2 different difficulty variations! Let us all see what has improved and what has stayed the same!
Raiden IV, is really no big difference compared to the past games of the series. The game plays the same. The screen scrolls, and your enemy comes at you with a bombardment of weaponry to take you out. The once thing that is nice is the areas you now journey through. They have come alive with some nice 3D visuals that enhance the 2D style of Arcade gameplay. The Bombing system is also different, as it now covers the screen, instead of a nice little area as in past games. There are 4 Different games modes (One That Needs To Be Unlocked) Xbox 360, Arcade, Score Attack, and Boss Rush Mode. The Xbox 360 version, boasts 2 more additional stages that were not featured in the Arcade version of Raiden IV. Arcade is the original rehash of the arcade version, and the rest are self explanatory. You can control One of Three ships, but the other 2 Ships have to be purchased from the Marketplace for 80 MS Points a piece, which is a bummer. Not too mention, you have to play in the old style, small skinny screen, which is a pain in the butt on an HDTV.
Control wise, the game plays very easily on solo mode or with a friend. There is now what is called a Double mode, where 1 Player controls both ships, with the same controller. It is VERY difficult to get used too as your brain just cant function in two different spots at once, while massive amounts of bullets are coming your way. I have tried to master it, and cant get passed the second stage on Double. Different, but difficult.
The sound of Raiden is very typical and to me, didnt offer anything different from the older games in the series. The soundtrack has some new, and some variations of the original Raiden songs, but they all fit the game very well. Also, if you purchase the Game from GameStop, you receive an Original Soundtrack of Raiden IV for free!
Replay Value, believe it or not, this game can be quite addicting and will have you playing the same levels over and over. I have tried to stop playing, and end up picking it up sooner than I thought. The game will eventually burn itself out quickly if free DLC is not delivered for it.
Achievements...How can I put this nicely...THEY ARE HARDER THAN CRAP! I have gotten 30 of 47 Achieves so far, but the rest are damn near impossible. One of the achievements of the game is Beat it on ULTIMATE difficulty with one credit. You will be lucky to beat two levels in a row on Original Difficulty with one credit. There is no memorization for this game as it is different everytime, the way the enemy fires at you. If your a waffle person, this game is not for you!
Overall, the game is fun but nothing earth-shattering for the series. Raiden V, if made, needs to be made in a whole different aspect. The skinny screen is definately a pain to get used to but manageable. It is a good rental, but I would not recommend buying it unless your a diehard fan of the series. I would say pass this by.
Here are my JuniorMT ratings for Raiden IV.
Graphics: 6.0
Sound: 7.0
Controls: 7.0
Replay: 6.5
Achievements: 5.0
Overall: 6.5
Thanks for taking a look!
Gabriel
