Whoa!! Raiden III News for the U.S...

[Arvandor]

Shit!

I just back from GameCrazy, and they told me it comes out on 4/20.

Yeah, when I went to preorder my copy, the employee (even though he knew nothing of the game) said that low print run games and the like usually won't come in until Friday, regardless of release date. They said they'd give me a call when it comes in, so yeah, expect it around then from GameCrazy ^_^

[Limbrooke]

So is the US version picking up at all? And did XS games do a good job at it?

Guess you didn't get the memo...
UFO Interactiveis the publisher/localizer, not XS. Apart from that, nobody has posted any glaring differences, pardon the case art so it should be as good.

To be more on topic, I'd like to speak about the GameSpot review.
Namely how it's it's fair in being unfair.
Many of the points the reviewer makes are justified: the backgrounds, no (chain-like) scoring tricks, non-budget price, etc.. and some of which has been discussed around here, as I recall the BG specifically. So for the most part I agree with what's written. When I start to disagree with what the article says it's due to the fact the guy writting it probably isn't much into shooters beyond what was popular (Ikaruga) and mainstream (Gradius 5). One point that really stands out with me:

The shooting action pops just about as well as any other modern take on the scrolling shooter genre, and the challenge is most certainly there.

Starts out good...

However, Raiden III also doesn't do anything beyond this.

Wait, what? Well what the hell happened to the challenge point?

It's functional, and fun for a bit, but once you've played through the arcade mode a few times and tried out the scant few ancillary modes, you'll be done with it.

Ah I see, once I play through arcade mode a couple... eh, I thought this game was challenging, apparently is and isn't, right?! Not only, if one can beat arcade mode (on default console difficulty no less) a few times then it's off to the trade-in!

Perhaps it's safe to say this is due to completion by credit feed? Perhaps that explains the non-chalant mention of multiple completions in a short time period.

I can see how a game like this which builds on a very old school formula isn't received as well, but if the challenge is there then why not. It's just the reviewer is all over the place reading this firsthand would leave one a little confused.

In order of appearance for what I'll call the rollercoaster:

Oh, and you shoot bad guys, too. A lot of them. Like any scrolling shooter worth its salt, Raiden III is jam-packed with enemy ships, boats, tanks, and all sorts of big, honking bosses, and they all fire plenty of bullets and lasers in your general direction. You'll spend as much time dodging bullets as you will firing them yourself, and the challenge of doing so gets pretty overwrought at times.

Going up.

Of course, this is par for the course for a scrolling shooter, and Raiden III isn't necessarily any tougher or easier than most games of this type. In fact, not much of what you're up against feels unfamiliar. The firing patterns and enemy types all feel, again, par for the course.

And down...

The main arcade mode can be beaten in about a half hour if you get good enough at the game...

Turning the challenge knob down even further... somehow

...there are multiple difficulty settings, everything above normal is so decidedly masochistic that all but the most hardcore players will scoff at them. Heck, even normal is pretty hard.

Up we go!... sort of

Of course, games like Raiden III are built to be played over and over again for scoring purposes...

Not the 'of course' intro, that spells certain doom! Hey, that's actually a good point, up a bit more!

...but with no online leaderboards, the inspiration to continually work on your score isn't exactly high

Down, down, down... ever heard of self-improvement? guess not

But wait, built to be played over and over again, that's good! Infact, I don't see entering a comment like that can make any sense based on what was already discussed. Either that or the reviewer cannot make his mind.

In the end, I'm glad the BG and music points were addressed (since it's noticeable with a little play) but it goes to show how long it's been since shooters could be classified correctly. It's really annoying to see it point out the obvious challenge and replay factor yet it goes right to the "completed in under 30mins" point. I personally would've liked to see it snag a 7.0 but you can't win em all.

[scrilla4rella]

^^LOL, nice demonstration of how the reviewer is not only a credit-feeding hoe, but also a completely incompetent and illogical writter. .

[icepick]

Agreed; That was a cute play-by-play.

Popular reviews for games like this always seem to be getting better, but I don't think that they ever do. I wish that an informed review could come along but I suppose that popular reviewers and popular gamers alike aren't of the appropriate mindset for games like this. Even if review copies of shmups arrived on reviewers' desks with a clear explanation of the way that the game is meant to be played (perhaps with a rundown of the basics of the scoring system), I can't imagine them reading very far into it or acting on the information. I understand that they're probably under pressure to review the more popular games, but any job worth doing is worth doing well, right?

Maybe when we catch wind of a localized release, members already having an affinity with the import version of the upcoming game could send messages to the popular reviewing outfits, offering a bit of assistance with the background of the game and its inner workings. Reviewers could appreciate a leg up that would help them write a more thorough review in less time, couldn't they? It's at least an idea.

(This sort of thing comes up every time there is a localized release, I'm sure.)

There's kind of a good point in there, though. Did "Castle Shikigami 2" retain the high score password system, and did XS Games support it? It could make a slight difference if Raiden III had included a password system and an alert box for when players used more than one credit. Maybe even a scoring competition? Maybe next time; I understand that something like that would be pretty expensive and involved.

[IlMrm]

Picked up my preordered copy today. There were only two copies in that Gamestop. Mines, and the other one is probably reserved also. None were on the display shelf. Looks like they bought in copies only for preorders.

And this is a popular Gamestop in a big mall in a huge metropolitan area.

[Xexyz]

That's wierd. My GameStop is a pretty busy one, but it's also relatively new (1 year old). They had three gutted display copies on the shelves yesterday. Why do they feel the need to rip-off three people when the usual one display copy would have sufficed...?

[Fighter17]

back of USA box (sorry for junk pics - I am using phone )



Impressions:

Its exactly like Japan version. Even with the O button confirm X button cancel.

I went through the game in practice mode and just like Japan game everything is unlocked.

Damn that back cover is weak.

Well at least it didn't have those serious typos in Castle Shikigami 2.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

So is the US version picking up at all? And did XS games do a good job at it?

For Lawfer,

Yes, the USA PS2 version of Raiden III is worth picking up. Actually, it was UFO Interactive who handled the USA localization of Raiden III game -- UFO Interactive is based out of Ponoma, CA btw... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[HayakawaKen]

Got my copy today.. if you notice, it says DVD-Rom on the back, and even on the disc itself.. which is clearly a CD-Rom... *lol*

[FRO]

I'm salivating w/ anticipation, as I just ordered mine from NCS this morning...

[PFG 9000]

I picked mine up last night and had a pretty good time with it. I played it for a good 10 or so games straight, never getting further than the third stage. It seems awesomely faithful to the first two Raiden games, almost too much so.

It's too bad that they made the toothpaste laser practically pointless here though.

[poieo]

Popular reviews for games like this always seem to be getting better, but I don't think that they ever do. I wish that an informed review could come along but I suppose that popular reviewers and popular gamers alike aren't of the appropriate mindset for games like this. Even if review copies of shmups arrived on reviewers' desks with a clear explanation of the way that the game is meant to be played (perhaps with a rundown of the basics of the scoring system), I can't imagine them reading very far into it or acting on the information. I understand that they're probably under pressure to review the more popular games, but any job worth doing is worth doing well, right?

Not if any of the reviews here are any indication. Regardless of this particular GameSpot review, it's patently ridiculous to pretend that it's up to the "appropriate mindset" or whatever. Fact is that most of the reviews on this very site are completely fucking worthless and are actually the STG equivalent of the brainless 7-9 scale.

Honestly, i'd be more inclined to trust someone who didn't have the "proper mindset"; those people at least have a chance to focus on what's actually fun, wheras people here can be so dogmatic that they'll take a total piece of shit like Sky Shark and call it a masterpiece. Look at the Xenocide files yourself, it's full of that kind of thing. Hell, you want someone to review shooters knowing full well what's up? I'm doing exactly that. And it isn't reviews like the GameSpot one that made me want to. It's the simple truth that people "in the know" are every bit as myopic as you say this reviewer is, if not moreso. The popularity of the game has absolutely nothing to do with it -- it's the reviewer that matters.

And as far as the game itself? There isn't much else to Raiden 3. If you want to stack things up, Raiden DX and the RF series all had gobs more depth than Raiden 3 does. Seibu's talent was that they could take the exact same elements and rework them into games that were the best example of "Same, but totally different". Raiden 2 was a re-imagining of Raiden, yet qualifies as a new game. Raiden DX trumped Raiden 2 in the same way, and each succesive RF game followed suit. Yet, that certain something is missing from Raiden 3.

[ubersaurus]

Picked up my copy after school today and got to play it a bit before work.

It's a fun little mindless shooter. I really don't like how slow your ship moves, but it entertains me enough, and I suspect it'd be really fun in two player mode.

I will have to sink more time into it tonight!

[DJ Incompetent]

I like how the ending is comically bad.

[poieo]

Seemed like a dead accurate metaphor to me.

[sideshow]

As far as I know there isnt any PS2 shmup that supports 480p. Not that its a huge deal but would be cool to see one that supports it.

I know for sure that Shikigami no shiro II does it.

I have the JP version, but not with me at the moment. However, I don't recall seeing any 480p option on the back of the case. If it did, I would be sure to remember it. So I am maybe 80% sure that the JPN RaidenIII doesn't support progressive.

Do you access the progresive scan for shikigami no shiro 2 in the options or do you have to press triangle and square before the game boots?

[Bloodreign]

EB/Gamestop had not a copy when I phoned in yesterday, should've gone to investigate myself, as I went through this with R-Type Final (and they had 1 copy well hidden that I spotted). I'll call Best Buy see if I can snag it.

[Nate]

Has anyone remarked or alluded to the Ikaruga-ness of Raiden 3 on these boards? I can't seem to find any evidence of any such observation, even though the semblance is irrefutable.
And, it seems to take on a (kind of) Zero Gunner 2 feel with some of the later bosses. That ONE sorry enemy that pops up seemingly out of the water to your left - I think in the 3rd or 4th stage boss - and offers a potshot almost sure to kill off one ship can certainly go to hell.
Personally, I love it (Raiden 3). I don't care about the Iky layout/lighting. It's still Raiden; dirty or glossed. Can't wait to play it in proper TATE mode and big humongous, stereo headphones.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Has anyone remarked or alluded to the Ikaruga-ness of Raiden 3 on these boards? I can't seem to find any evidence of any such observation, even though the semblance is irrefutable
.

I've personally never found that connection. It is true that they are both 3D verts with impressive graphics. Why do you feel this way?

[icepick]

Honestly, i'd be more inclined to trust someone who didn't have the "proper mindset"; those people at least have a chance to focus on what's actually fun, wheras people here can be so dogmatic that they'll take a total piece of shit like Sky Shark and call it a masterpiece.

I think that I understand your point. It's good for game reviewers to review games on basic concepts like presentation, control, story, visuals and audio, things like that.

I suppose that with these considerations, the GameSpot review of Raiden III is pretty good for what it's worth. It would nonetheless be very cool to see a popular review of a scroll shooting game where they so much as mention the concept of completing the game on one credit.

(I'm wondering if they could actually appreciate a Cave title. Their review of Castle Shikigami 2 is actually pretty well-done.)

Anyway, sorry for the derail. I think that I missed my chance to show interest in this title, as none of the GameStop stores near here (except for one?) seem to have the game in stock. (The one store is farther away, and according to the online stock list, it has none in but "more on the way.")

[PFG 9000]

Has anyone remarked or alluded to the Ikaruga-ness of Raiden 3 on these boards? I can't seem to find any evidence of any such observation, even though the semblance is irrefutable.
And, it seems to take on a (kind of) Zero Gunner 2 feel with some of the later bosses. That ONE sorry enemy that pops up seemingly out of the water to your left - I think in the 3rd or 4th stage boss - and offers a potshot almost sure to kill off one ship can certainly go to hell.
Personally, I love it (Raiden 3). I don't care about the Iky layout/lighting. It's still Raiden; dirty or glossed. Can't wait to play it in proper TATE mode and big humongous, stereo headphones.

I don't see anything Ikaruga-esque in Raiden 3. Nothing at all, other than the obvious fact that they're both 2.5D verts. Could you expand on your point a bit?

[poieo]

I think that I understand your point. It's good for game reviewers to review games on basic concepts like presentation, control, story, visuals and audio, things like that.

I suppose that with these considerations, the GameSpot review of Raiden III is pretty good for what it's worth. It would nonetheless be very cool to see a popular review of a scroll shooting game where they so much as mention the concept of completing the game on one credit.

(I'm wondering if they could actually appreciate a Cave title. Their review of Castle Shikigami 2 is actually pretty well-done.)

But this review did not review based on those basic criteria. It's usually the limp reviews here that do so. The GS review touched bases on just about every relevant feature and what it does for the experience.

The problem is that to really dsecribe any strengths or weaknesses of a Seibu game, you need to reference everything they've done. He goes on about the "sameness" of Raiden 3, which is true. It's true about all their games, and is actually what makes their games really remarkable. The problem is that you can't use it to describe Raiden 3's shortcomings without reviewing Raiden, Raiden DX, and the Fighters games in some way at the same time. You can't accurately describe how "sameness" is bad here without digging into how it was good in previous games.

And then -- and here's the catch -- even going that far is only going to matter to people who plan on playing those previous games. How likely is that, considering that DX is import-only and the RF series never had console ports at all? There's a point in me going that far with my reviews, but those games are going to be out of reach for most people; it'd all be useless pedantry to them. Pointless STG name-dropping, which is exactly one of the major problems this place has.

You wonder if they could handle a Cave review. Maybe. It goes to illustrate the point that Cave is directly the opposite of Seibu, with most of their games being wildly different from eachother. You don't really need to mention Dangun Feveron when reviewing Guwange or ESPrade.

[Nate]

Pixel_Outlaw (and same question posed by PFG 9000):

I've personally never found that connection. It is true that they are both 3D verts with impressive graphics. Why do you feel this way?

Well, when your ship takes off from the "base" ship at the very beginning - I'm talking about the cut scene in Raiden 3 - you have the same kind of distant camera pointed at a carrier hovering over a planet surface. The lighting effects - kind of a dusky, orangy sky set behind a darkly lit rust-colored mammoth ship very starkly remind me of Ikaruga. Then when the ship ascends on the surface, it's traveling around the same speed as the Ikaruga sequence, with treelines an forest kind of appearing from out of the mist. Also in the scenery you have this long brunneous pipeline that's half buried in the trees that you fly along and over, with the track weaving judiciously back and forth for asthetics. The piping reminds me of Ikaruga. And I don't remember Raiden ship traveling that fast.
Then later in the game there are graphically sharp military machines that kind of remind me of ZG2.
I played a lot of Raiden for the TG-16 back in the early 90's. Those ultra-fast moving bullets always got me in the later levels. That along w/ occasional pot-shots from the side installations were a trademark.
I'm glad they've adopted other modern ideas for appearance, but at the same time kept their basic play mechanics in tact for the most part.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Ahhh I can give you the intro scene...yeah both like their yellowish orange intro with launch.

[J-Manic]

I got my copy yesterday. So far, the thing I like most about Raiden III is the hitbox. It's quite small. Me likes. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it. Well worth $30, I think.

[malcolm]

I got my copy yesterday. So far, the thing I like most about Raiden III is the hitbox. It's quite small. Me likes. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it. Well worth $30, I think.

Holy crap I was thinking the exact thing!!
I own the PC version and I submit that the PS2 version is way fucking easy. Look I'm not the greatest shmuper in the world, maybe bottom 30 percent, but this game has been altered for lightweights.
Whoever has played both I need to know what you think, am I correct on this? Thanks. Me.

[ktownhero]

wtf? is Amazon ever going to ship this game?

[fixjuxa]

Is it just me or does your ship move excruciating slow in Raiden III? I've been playing this game a bit since I got it and I've adjusted to it but it still feels sluggish when compared to most other shooters. It's not just slow, it's playing-a-Gradius-game-with-no-speed-powerup slow.

[Ayanami]

The ship is slow to keep with the old school Raiden feel but most players agree that it is indeed too slow. Personally I am fine with it, as ya do though.

Raiden IV is supposed to have a faster ship. When a port will be made for that, who knows.

[dave4shmups]

So, can you use a joystick on this port, or do you have to use a controller with Digital Analog??

I thought Raiden IV was getting an XBLA port? It would be nice to see it on the PS2, now that we have Raiden III.