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I've been a fan of the Raiden series since playing the original in arcades many years ago. UFO and Moss did a great job of modernizing this game for the PS4. Raiden V differs from the danmaku/bullet-hell branch of shmups by having fewer dense bullet patterns than you'd expect from a typical CAVE shooter. Instead, it throws fast enemies (and faster bullets) at you from all directions, leading to lots of surprising deaths. While aggravating, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It merely requires you to pay attention and learn a good route through the stage. Since many of the shots are aimed, you can tap-dodge through most of it and survive. Still, the wide variety of bullet shapes and color can sometimes cause you to not "see" the bullet until it is too late. Levels are thoroughly detailed and bosses have a ton of destructible parts. I've not experienced any stutters or frame drops while playing through the game so far. The graphics are good for a shmup but aren't going to win any awards compared to your average AAA blockbuster. That said, it's a very colorful game.
Raiden V (or RDV, as it says on the loading screen) offers more customization than most other shmups: three ships and three weapon types (9 weapons total). Each ship differs in its movement Speed, it's Armor (or Shield, as it appears in the actual gameplay), and Attack. Players choose their ship, the sub-type for each of the three weapon categories, their starting weapon, and off you go! Three ships and 9 weapon sub-types might seem like a pathetic number of customization options, but when it comes to shmups this is actually quite a bit. I've played around with a few of the different ship+weapon pairs and I've already found some combinations that I enjoy. This bears well for the longevity of the game. So far, I like the Moulin Rouge + Blue Laser combo (reminds me of Type A + Laser from DoDonPachi), the Dragon + Wide Vulcan (insane screen-clearing damage), and the classic Azuma + purple "Toothpaste" laser. You can upgrade -- and change, if it's different than -- your current weapon by picking up a gem (Blue, Red, or Purple) from a certain type of enemy. Enemies drop Medals which float around, or you can cease fire for a brief moment which will attract any Medals or weapon upgrades to your ship's current position.
Controls handle beautifully. For the genuine arcade experience, make sure you plug in an arcade stick. A major wrinkle: there's no Tate mode. Tate mode is where you can rotate your screen to Portrait orientation and play that way. It's considered a standard feature for any vertical shmups so the exclusion of the option is very bizarre, especially for a big-name release like this.
The developers added a glut of options into the "sidebars". On the left side of the screen, you can cycle between several types of information. 'Cheer' is a new mechanic where you can press Triangle to boost other players and they can do the same for you. Build up enough 'Cheer' and you can unleash a randomized Cheer attack that swipes away bullets, unleashes a salvo of missiles, and so forth. The next sidebar option provides tutorial hints. These hints are surprisingly good and will definitely help players who aren't familiar with Raiden or shmups in general. This will go a long way to introducing players to the genre, and if you're new to shmups I think Raiden V would be a good game to help you learn. The last sidebar shows general stats including kills, playtime, and so forth. On the other side, there's a story unfolding in the form of a dialog between you (the pilot), your commanding officer, and his assistant. It's totally unnecessary and kind of annoying. Shmups have never been about story, and I can barely pay attention to the dialog while I'm focused on dodging shots and destroying waves of enemies. The voice acting isn't particular good anyway. I suppose it's something new for the series, though, so I won't rag on the inclusion of a storyline too much.
There are 8 stages -- with several different versions of each Stage -- and two Bonus Missions. Each stage is lengthy and unique, with its own assortments of enemies and bullet patterns. You start off in a modern city, then move to a desert town, explore caves with giant purple crystals, attack an ocean fleet of enemies, and go into space (and more)! Compared to most other shmups, Raiden V boasts a lot of content and replayability. A significant number of shmups invest all their efforts into bosses and bullet patterns but neglect to make an interesting backdrop for the action. The result? Cool bosses and bullet patterns, but snooze-worthy scrolling maps. Raiden V did the opposite by making some very detailed Stages and regularly zooms in and out (in a non-intrusive way) to expand or contract the playing field.
The soundtrack is exceptional. Every stage song matches the stage perfectly and plays a big part in my enjoyment of the game. In fact, part of why I got so annoyed by the Cheer system and the ongoing story dialog is that they distract from the soundtrack.
From my perspective, the three aspects holding the game back from perfection are the story voiceover, the intrusive Cheer system, and the lack of Tate (sideways) mode. These issues -- especially the lack of Tate -- are aggravating enough to keep me from giving a full 5 stars. Other than those issues, Raiden V is solid. I'm impressed with what Moss has done with the series and I'm expecting to sink many, many more hours into the game as I try to 1cc (1-credit) the game and explore all the various routes. Kudos to UFO and Moss for bringing this title to a modern platform.
Special note for the 'Limited Edition': this version includes a full soundtrack CD. The soundtrack is excellent, so I only see this as a win.
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Pretty good schmup. CD soundtrack included!
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Godam_Or
Excelente y único Shoot Em Up
Reviewed in Mexico on April 22, 2018
Excelente y único Shoot Em Up
Reviewed in Mexico on April 22, 2018
Excelente Shooter. Trae mecánicas muy distintas a los demás. Se pueden crear muchas combinaciones de armas. Además de que corre a 60fps estables.Reviewed in Mexico on April 22, 2018
Es uno de los shooters más rápidos qué he jugado, las balas de los enemigos te siguen. Si hace falta tener buenos reflejos porque este juego te hace picadillo.
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