Customer Reviews

Raiden Fighters Aces

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been a fan of the Raiden series ever since seeing them in-person at the height of the 2d arcade days. Unfortunately due to its rarity in my local arcades I never had the chance to play them very often. So this compilation of the three Fighters series games for $20 is probably one of the best deals ever for fans of Shoot 'em Ups. It's an absolute steal for the price.

Each game in the Fighters series would be very approachable for intermediate and above skill levels. It's a great introduction for those who want a more action packed Shoot 'em Up experience without dipping into bullet hell territory. With only a casual commitment they are still difficult games to play proficiently, but the enemy and bullet patterns are (mostly) fair and avoidable on the standard or below difficulty levels. Average players could enjoy any Fighters game without having to posses reflexes that are beyond those of mere mortals. If lightning reflexes and quick thinking aren't in short supply however, then there is a lot of depth to enjoy... Like any great Shoot 'em Up they can be very complex or shallow experiences depending on the individual and dedication put forth. Regardless, a little extra shot of caffeine before playing might help add a few more points to the high score.

There are only two potential drawbacks... One might be some visual overload because there are just tons of objects moving fast on-screen at any given time. Still to this very day all three Raiden Fighters are impressive for 2d sprite games. There's not much in the way of a slow difficulty ramp-up such as a game like Galaga. Pick your fighter, hit start and prepare to dive-in head first! Depending on personal preferences the second drawback could be the soundtrack. It will be either great or annoying depending on how appealing someone finds Drum & Bass / Breakbeat music. Regardless, it does add to the experience of the adrenaline packed play and was an appropriate soundtrack style for each game.

So on top of the great classic game play and 2d graphics, Raiden Fighters Aces probably has one of the best arcade to console ports ever. For those who care there are well designed menus, filter options galore, a rotate screen function, saturation adjustments, even add arcade monitor style scan lines and control their intensity. It makes all other arcade compilations and ports with the standard blur/scale filter just seem that much more pathetic. New functionality like saving and viewing game replays, new boss rush modes and having an online score scoreboard with LIVE are just icing on the cake.

Maybe someone can correct me, but as far as I know MAME still doesn't emulate this series well due to the encryption of the original boards and ROMs used. So this maybe the only chance for awhile to play the Fighters series properly outside of owning the original arcade hardware. If there is any remote interest in the game please get a copy now before this becomes a lost gem and goes for 2-3x's the price!

Now all I need is some mega PSiKYO compilation of this caliber and I can die at anytime knowing my life is complete.


TLDR: Like Arcade Shoot 'em Ups? BUY IT NOW!

I have never played Raiden Fighters Aces before and this is the first time I've played it on the Xbox 360. All I can say that the game itself is very addicting. There are a lot of options and I've only attempted the NORMAL MODE (whatever that means). There's also Boss Rush and Expert mode which I have yet to try out. And it's not just 1 game, it's 3 different games! They are quite similar but the bosses and settings are still different from each other. I can't believe this is only $20. I think it has a lot of replay value. It's fun once in a while to play some old-school games for its simple objective and easy button configurations. :) If only they had Xbox Live Co-op mode, it would be even better! But I'll take the already available offline co-op mode too. :D

Raiden Fighters Aces is possibly the sole beacon of hope in this day and age for fans of true arcade games. It's no secret that arcades are dead in America, and those of us who wish it wasn't so are often left hanging out to dry. Besides a few sparse XBLA ports or hollow indie cash-ins, the gaming industry has seen fit to let the genre proper wither and die, but RFA stands proud and shows that there is at least one publisher left that hasn't completely abandoned the genre.

A great bargain and lots of fun. Easy to get used to and the replay value is high. My son and I love playing this game. Straight forward in gameplay, shoot the baddies and avoid being shot down! As simple as it sounds, it is still very challenging when you have to keep an eye on the enemy fire as you try and shoot them down. A great game at a great price.

I found no problems with this game that would make me give it less than 5 stars.
You get to choose one of three games on one disk. Raiden 1,2,3.
Each game offers tons of planes.
The screen is as customizable as possible. You cannot stretch these images as far as your widescreen because its a port from arcades.

This game is awesome, if you like it at the arcade before, you definitely got to get it. With the price being only $19.99 when it was released, I didn't bother to wait and get it for a bit less used. Definitely don't regret paying full price for new because it's really fun.

All three of Raiden's spin-off series, Raiden Fighers, on one disc with almost as many options as you'd find on an emulator like MAME. Change the orientation of the screen, lives, continues, framerate, color filters, interlacing filter thingies, etc. for all three games.

The three games themselves all follow the same formula: Blow up crap, blow up enemies, and blow up boss. BIG SCORE!!! The variety of the ships will keep you playing constantly since it's almost like a fighting game in trying to find that ship that just works right for you. There's only two different styles of weapon power up but they act differently with each ship so it's never boring. Music is thumping industrial/techno. Sound effects are heavy and straight forward. Lots of things to learn about the three games that isn't necessarily present on the surface but you learn as you keep playing over and over again.

Only downside with this game, as I stated in the title is that co-op isn't online. Only local. I mean you get your standard leaderboards but no co-op is almost no go for some. Honestly though, despite that, for $[...], this is a no brainer for anyone who loves shmups.

The Raiden series has been around forever it seems, and has retained a tried but true formula of top-down shooting action. Raiden Fighters Aces features the Raiden Fighters trilogy on one disc, with some technical advancements made specifically for release on the XBox 360. Now while some may think that these games would be better suited for release on the XBox Live Arcade, I beg to differ. Each of the three games featured here are packed with old school, arcade, shoot 'em up action that remains addictive and fun, and the budget price tag attached to the package only sweetens the deal. Even though each game may be a little on the short side and only old school gamers need apply here, Raiden Fighters Aces is a blast regardless. It looks good, still plays great, and manages to hold up better than a majority of the current, overhyped, next-gen games that seem to draw everyone's attention.

This shooter is a great value for it's price. The biggest flaws is that the three games included are very similar to each other. Seriously, it seems like each game is just the same five levels but with different ships. Also, the games lacks online co-op but you won't miss it so much since the local co-op is a lot of fun. Other than that the game is an excellent shooter, with visual that you come to expect from a Japanese shooter.

I cannot stop playing. This is for people who used to play the games in the arcades when you were little. Not for kids these days. It just brings back those great memories, taking quarters from your mom's purse to play again and again.