Raiden 3

Raiden III



Publisher: Cyberfront Corporation

Developer: Moss LTD

Genre: Vertical scrolling shooter

Release Date: 2006-03-17

Platform: Windows

Mode(s): Single player, 2 player Co-op



File Details:



Format: .MDF/.MDS



RAR count: [26 x 15 MB]



System Requirements:

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Pentium 4 1.7GHz CPU, 256MiB system memory, 500MB hard drive space, T&L DirectX 9.0c-compliant video card with 64MiB memory supporting 800x600 16-bit resolution, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, 4x CD-ROM drive

Gameplay:

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Players once again take control of the famous Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter, red for player 1 and blue for player 2 as usual; there are no selectable ships. Two player mode is enhanced by an exclusive new attack: a beam that is usable whenever one player lines up in front of the other.

In Double play mode, both players share the live and bomb stocks, and without continue.

Scoring:

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Scoring is straightforward, with inconsequential special bonuses: a multiplier up to 2 (displayed on screen) to the normal value of enemies if they are destroyed quickly after they appear, collecting medals and fairies (see below), destroying "secret" targets, collecting excess powerups.

Flashshot multiplier bonus is obtained by quickly destroying an enemy that appears on screen (up to 2.0). The speed of multiplier decreasing depends on enemy type.

In and 2-player mode, a win bonus score is added to the player with the most kills at the end of stage.

Levels:

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There are in total 7 levels, the first three set on Earth and the last three in space. Level design is related to prior Raiden games: the first three levels are particularly close to previous games, with the first based on the original Raiden; the bosses are also similar to those in the corresponding levels of Raiden II and Raiden DX.

While Raiden, Raiden II and Raiden DX give a 1,000,000 points mission clear bonus and loop back to the first level, Raiden III ends with an animation without looping.

Fighters:

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The only choice is the "Fighting Thunder ME-02"(Raiden mk-II and Raiden mk-IIb) fighters, which are colored red and blue to represent players 1 and 2, or both in dual or double play mode.

Player's ships have smaller hitbox as found in Raiden Fighters series.

Weapons:

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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).

Main shots:

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Vulcan shot

A traditional spread weapon that shoots streams of 2 or 4 small yellow bullets in 3, 5, or 7 directions (including straight ahead). Powerups increase the spread of the number of bullets. Corresponds to the red 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 the width of the beam and presumably the damage rate. Corresponds to the blue powerup.

Proton Laser

A replacement for the characteristic "toothpaste" plasma laser featured in the Raiden series, appearing as a very narrow green beam that swings markedly (moving at an angle of about 45 degrees) with lateral ship movement. Powerups increase the width and brightness of the beam and presumably the damage rate. Corresponds to the green powerup.

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.

Bombs

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

Miscellaneous pickup items:

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In addition to the main weapon, secondary weapon and bomb powerups, there are miscellaneous pickup items.

Extra Life (1UP)

When picked up, the player receives another life. Appears near the end of levels 3 and 6 only. Any lives left over at the end of a stage are worth 10,000 bonus points each.

Full Power-Up

This appears under certain conditions such as the player dying many times; it raises the primary and secondary weapons to maximum power. Worth bonus points if collected when the player already has maximum power. It is similar to secondary weapon powerups, with a "P".

Fairy

A fairy appears after shooting certain objects. When the fairy is collected, it helps the player when the craft is damaged, giving some powerup. Unlike in previous games where the player could be penalized for shooting it, this fairy cannot be hit by the player's shots.

Point item

Worth 500 points when collected and 10,000 bonus points at the end of a level. For the purpose of end of level bonuses, medals are lost when a player loses a life.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

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Mount [RAIDEN.mds] with Daemon Tools or similar like applications.

Press the upper left button

Next the installer asks in which directory you want the game to be installed, which is default C:Program FilesMOSSRaiden3

If you want to install the game for everybody on your PC choose (E) or choose the default (M) which is only for yourself.

An optional NoCD patch [raiden3nocd.zip] is included.

Extract the zip file in the default installation directory C:Program FilesMOSSRaiden3 and double-click the [(NoCD Patch)(060317) raidenIII.exe] file. For your convenience a backup of Raiden3.exe will be created automatically [Raiden3.OLD].

If you want to play the game FULL screen double-click the Gamepad Controller icon on your desktop. Choose the second option "??????????" and press the middle button to confirm.

And finally enjoy it !!!

:P

PS: please keep in mind that, although the game is from Japan, the in-game options are in English language and the game itself is highly playable.