A few months ago we reviewed Raiden Fighters Aces for the Xbox 360. It was a collection of "classic" Raiden Figthers games for the 360 with some incredible value. A few months later we have a full sequel to Raiden III on the same platform, one that's enhanced from the arcade version of Raiden IV. Not much has changed from the familiar Raiden formula and game style, but the biggest change that is immediately noticeable are full 3d graphics. Gone is the sprite based gameplay we've all grown accustomed to, in its place are some monumental looking environments and effects. Your purple laser never looked so good.
For fans of the arcade game there's a classic mode included with sixteen levels, but the game includes the Xbox 360 mode with two bonus levels. As you continue to play you'll earn in game credits and save "checkpoints" so you can continue later on and replay from a certain part in the game. It's a nice addition for those that are unable to make it through with the given credits. As someone that's a Raiden veteran let me say - this is by far the hardest Raiden to date. The bullet patterns are brutal and the enemies are relentless. Thankfully there's three difficulty settings to help ease the pain.
The best way to make things easier is to play the game in two player co-op mode. Bringing a friend into the action allows you to cover the entire screen with ease, mowing down enemies quickly and efficiently. While it seems easy at first, as the levels progress you'll quickly be swarmed by insane bullet patterns to dodge. In fact, Raiden IV makes me rethink the definition of a vertical scrolling shooter as there isn't so much shooting as there is vertical and horizontal dodging. Lets face it, nobody really aims in these games, they simply are looking to avoid bullet patterns.
Like the previous titles, you can pick up red, blue and purple badges to upgrade and change your weapons. Picking up consecutive badges of the same color increases that weapons power, and switching to a different color changes weapon equal to your current power level. There's also additional power-ups for missiles, these can be upgraded as well by picking up the same letter to your corresponding missile type. While out of the box there's only one ship to choose, there are two additional ships to purchase on Xbox Live for 80 points each. There are a few differences between them, the Raiden MKII offers a stronger more direct bomb while the Fairy is incredibly agile and offers completely unique weapons. Honestly, after using her I felt the default ship was simply to slow and sluggish, it's a shame though you are forced to pay for her.
Overall I think most fans of SHMUPs will find an enjoyable experience here, especially in co-op. There were plenty of times we had "fist bump" style moments as we narrowly dodged a hail of bullets, yelled at each other to slam the B button and launch bombs at a boss, and cursed at each other when we accidentally picked up a weapon upgrade they've been waiting for. I was slightly disappointed to find there weren't any co-op specific achievements, and most of the ones there aren't even achievable in co-op. For a game who's foundation is set in it, it simply seemed odd that we weren't given other goals to go for other than simply a "high score." Speaking of which, score is still individual - there's no co-op high score.
While Raiden IV doesn't veer far from the familiar formula, it does bring the series into the modern age in terms of graphics. With an amped up difficulty curve, it'll be a while to master the game, and there's plenty of game modes to keep you busy. The online leaderboards with downloadable replays are always a nice touch, but really end up making you just feel inadequate against the competition. As with the rest of the series the game is designed for co-op play, and it's best enjoyed that way.