Raiden IV

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

Plot
The Cranassians have returned again after numerous defeats against humanity. The World Alliance Military immediately launches the Raiden mk-II and it's blue counterpart, the "Raiden mk-II Beta" to stop the invasion and save the Earth.

History

 * 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 27. 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 20, 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 7, 2007. The official arcade website is opened.
 * 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.
 * Release date of home port to be September 11, 2008 by Moss, it was later pushed back to October 2 as the game needed more polish and to erase bugs.

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; the faster players destroy enemies, the higher the bonuses are.

Weapons
As with previous Raiden titles, 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). The weapons, bombs and bonus items, like fairies, in Raiden III are retained and works the same as before in this game.

Fighting Thunder ME-02
The default ship in the game, the Fighting Thunder ME-02 is capable of using the following assortment of weapons. Each one can power up to a maximum level of 5. The choice for the purple powerup must be made at the start of the game.

Red Powerup: Vulcan
A traditional spread weapon that shoots streams of 2 to 4 small yellow bullets in 3, 5, or 7 directions (including straight ahead). Powerups increase the spread of the number of bullets but decrease the damage each bullet can inflict (which is offset by the increased number of bullets fired with each shot).

Blue 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 both the width of the beam and the damage rate.

Purple Powerup, Option One: Plasma Laser
The "toothpaste" plasma laser from Raiden II and Raiden DX returns. Appears as a narrow purple beam that can swing in an arc from left to right. Once the beam strikes a target it will lock on and curve itself—sometimes very wildly—to stay on target. The beam will also damage any enemies that happen to be caught in its path to the target. Should the target be destroyed, the beam straightens out and the process repeats for a new target.

Purple Powerup, Option Two: Proton Laser
Improved from its original incarnation in Raiden III, appears as three narrow purple beams with green outlines that swing markedly (up to about 45 degrees) with lateral ship movement. Powerups increase the width and brightness of the beam and presumably the damage rate. One of two weapons that can be assigned to the purple powerup at the start of the game.

Fighting Thunder Mk-II
One of two ships that can be purchased for the Xbox 360 version of the game, the Fighting Thunder Mk-II is the ship from the original Raiden series of games. In general, it is capable of greater firepower than its future counterpart but requires more powerups to maximize the effect; each of its weapons can power up to a maximum level of 7. The choice for the purple powerup must be made at the start of the game.

Red Powerup: Vulcan
Similar to the ME-02 version but, more reflective of its original roots, it starts with a one-way shot of two bullets.

Blue Powerup: Laser
Similar to the ME-02 version but more powerful; its baseline power is almost as powerful as the ME-02 version maxed out and when itself maxed out is nearly 50% more powerful.

Purple Powerup, Option One: Plasma Laser
Identical to the ME-02 version except that it requires seven powerups to max out. Baseline and maximum strengths are identical to the ME-02 version.

Purple Powerup, Option Two: Proton Laser
Ironically, the Proton Laser used in the Mk-II is the original incarnation of the Proton Laser seen in Raiden III. It appears as a very narrow green beam that swings markedly (moving at an angle of about 45 degrees) with lateral ship movement. Because it is only one beam instead of three, its power is more concentrated than the ME-02 version.

Fairy
The other of two ships that can be purchased for the Xbox 360 version of the game, the Fairy provides a unique set of weapons, each which can power up to a maximum level of 5.

Red Powerup: Fairy Vulcan
Cyan-colored instead of yellow, with a narrower spread to the bullets and a slight decrease to its attack power.

Blue Powerup: 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.

Purple Powerup 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. Corresponds to the purple powerup. Usable only by the Fairy.

Sub-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.

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

Bombs
The bomb's action is the same as in Raiden III: a ball of flame spreads out rapidly from the position the player launches it. The bomb stock can be increased with bomb powerups, appearing as a "B" on a spinning triangle. The craft starts with 3 bombs and can carry up to 7; if another bomb powerup is collected at 7, bonus points are accumulated. Any bombs left over at the end of a stage are worth 5,000 bonus points each.

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. 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 is exclusive to the home version and contains new enemy ships and 2 new stages and bosses not found in the arcade version. Stages can be selected to start playing once the level has been initially cleared.
 * Play Style: Solo offers single-player, Dual allows 2-player simultaneous play, while Double has one player controlling two ships, which offers a unique and challenging experience.
 * 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.

Score Attack Mode
Similar to the Xbox 360 Mode, the only differences are the enemy placements have now changed. Background music which were previously fixed for the specific stage can be selected in any level.

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. The mode requires the player to access an online version of the Arcade and Xbox 360 modes, separate from the offline versions, in order to place their scores.

Update Patch
A console patch update to version 1.1 was made on February 26, 2009. The patch is applied to the game through Xbox Live.
 * Fixes:
 * Glitch that caused the sound effects occurring in the left speaker when in Stage Play menu to be missing at times is corrected.
 * Text in condition for achievement of Boss Rush Mode Clear has been corrected; no Continues allowed.
 * A glitch which causes the bomb count to reset to 3 each time the player accesses the next stage with more than 3 bombs in Double Play has been fixed.
 * Achievement for collecting all Micluses was inactive even when player has fulfiled the condition has been fixed; those that have met the requirements will now have the achievement pop up.
 * Fixes a bug in enemy ships' shooting time when player obtains a purple weapon crystal and then a red weapon crystal with the Fairy.
 * Freezes caused by inputting specific button commands have been fixed.


 * Improvements:
 * Display position for achievement and friends message pop-ups has been moved so as not to distract play.
 * Improvements to 1P selection of either red or blue player ship.
 * Integrates selection of player DLC ships together with starting a new game for better gameplay flow.
 * Improvements to sound effects of bomb explosions by Fighting Thunder Mk-II and Fairy ships.
 * "A" button is now usable to advance from Title Screen to Game Menu; previously only "Start" button can be used.
 * Improvements in controller button types in Double Play allow better player controls.
 * Searching for friends' online rankings is now much faster.

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. This Secret File is also available from American distributor UFO Interactive Games via a code printed on the American version of the CD.

Tracks

 * 1) Shoot like lightning (DEMO)
 * 2) Coin
 * 3) Carve your name (SELECT&NAME)
 * 4) A stormy front (LEVEL1)
 * 5) Metal storm (BOSS1)
 * 6) Mission accomplishment (LEVEL CLEAR)
 * 7) Can't retrace (LEVEL2)
 * 8) Flap toward the hope (LEVEL3)
 * 9) Tragedy flame (LEVEL4)
 * 10) Advantageous development (LEVEL5)
 * 11) Repeated tragedy (LEVEL5 EX)
 * 12) Go to Blazes! GS (BOSS2)
 * 13) Brightness of peace (ENDING)
 * 14) Preparations (CONTINUE)
 * 15) GAME OVER for Raiden (GAME OVER)
 * 16) Watch a Blazes (MENU, Xbox 360 Mode)
 * 17) Omen of stormy (RANKING, Xbox 360 Mode)
 * 18) Enumeration (GALLERY, Xbox 360 Mode)
 * 19) All or nothing (LEVEL5, Xbox 360 Mode)
 * 20) Depression (LEVEL6, Xbox 360 Mode)
 * 21) GALLANTRY -Daisuke Nagata- (Remix)
 * 22) Tragedy flame -Kou Hayashi- (Remix)
 * 23) Flap toward the hope -WASi303- (Remix)
 * 24) Conflict -INH- (Remix)
 * 25) Lightning strikes -Shinji Hosoe- (Remix)
 * 26) Fairy -Ayako Saso- (Remix)
 * 27) Brightness of peace -Go Sato- (Remix)

Critical reception
Raiden IV has received below average review scores upon its U.S. release, with both IGN and the Official Xbox Magazine scoring it a 6 out of 10. IGN's Eric Brudvig writes: "Though at first glance you might think there are 14 levels in Raiden IV ... there are in fact only seven with the second half of the game merely repeating the first.... UFO Interactive went ahead and added insult to injury with its use of downloadable content. After dishing out $40 for the game, you'll find that only one of the three ships on the main menu can be used. The other two must be purchased through Xbox Live." Backlash over the pay to play ships has created controversy at several gaming forums, leading gamers to wonder whether the extra content is worth the price to obtain them.

Trivia

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