Raiden DX

PlayStation console exclusive

Excellent sequel to the classic original "Raiden". As in the original, players control a fighter jet/spaceship through various levels while shooting down other planes and bombing tanks on the ground.

Released: 1993
Platforms: Arcade PlayStation Raiden II Windows
Genres: Arcade Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: Seibu Kaihatsu
Publishers: Seibu Kaihatsu
Series: Raiden
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E
Entry: #2 in Raiden
Time to beat: 1hmain story1hwith extras1hcompletionist

About

Raiden II (雷電II, Raiden Tsū) is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Seibu Kaihatsu. It is the second game in the Raiden series which started with Raiden in 1990.

Raiden II was ported to Windows by Kinesoft and Microsoft Corporation. The Windows version uses Red Book audio for music. This game and the original Raiden were released for the PlayStation as The Raiden Project.

›Story

Three years after the World Alliance Military is triumphant over the Cranassian invasion force, the remaining aliens on Earth have created an army to carry out their original mission to conquer the planet. To combat the collaborative army, a new weapon is developed for the Raiden - the ship designed to save the Earth three years ago - to use in another attempt to save our planet.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
fairy
high score
boss fight

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

This game expands on the first Raiden's mechanics, introducing two weapons: the Bend Plasma, a lock-on weapon that deals constant low damage to enemies, and the Cluster Bomb, a fast-deploying bomb that does less damage than regular bombs but strikes a larger area.

Raiden II has three primary weapons and two missile weapons, upgraded by collecting power-ups. Primary weapons and missiles are fired simultaneously. Bombs are special weapons that deal damage over a wide area and cancel out enemy fire. Players can carry a maximum of seven of any combination of the two types of bombs in the game.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Raiden II on their February 1, 1994 issue as being the most-successful table arcade unit at the time. In North America, RePlay reported Raiden II to be the second most-popular arcade game at the time. Game Machine also listed Raiden DX on their September 15, 1994 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade unit at the time. RePlay also reported Raiden DX to be the fifth most-popular arcade game at the time. Play Meter listed Raiden II to be the thirty-sixth most-popular arcade game at the time.