Raiden III - PS2 version
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cigsthecat
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Being a real big fan of Raiden 2 (only have the PS1 version) I thought this was a good upgrade of that game. Nicer graphics and really smooth.
If you've played Raiden 2 it's not too tough because the gameplay is almost identical with a few extra elements thrown in.
The green "whiplash" weapon with homing missiles I find the best combination and using 3 credits I'm curently close to level 4. Having said that I haven't really played it for long.
Thank god the PS2 developers in Japan still think that scrolling old school shooters are still worth turning out.
If you've played Raiden 2 it's not too tough because the gameplay is almost identical with a few extra elements thrown in.
The green "whiplash" weapon with homing missiles I find the best combination and using 3 credits I'm curently close to level 4. Having said that I haven't really played it for long.
Thank god the PS2 developers in Japan still think that scrolling old school shooters are still worth turning out.
Shoot, dodge, collect . . .it's the ONLY way to be !!
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TerminasluT
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Guardians Knight
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http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/p ... /did-3273/Guardians Knight wrote:damn just checked yesasia, everything is generally $10 cheaper, why doesnt everyone use them instead of playasia?
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-r-7 ... 0-oph.html
That's one reason. Some of the games they sell are a really good deal, others, as you can see, are not.
What more can I say I wouldn't be here today if the old school didn't pave the way.
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Texhnolyze
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I'm going to use them next time. I ordered Raiden III and saved $10 by using Play-Asia ($5 coupon) instead of NCSX which charges me sales tax.Guardians Knight wrote:damn just checked yesasia, everything is generally $10 cheaper, why doesnt everyone use them instead of playasia?
I've been playing a copy. It's not a groundbreaking shmup but it's fun to play. I'm glad I ordered the game.
That's probably the only example you'll find like that. Yesasia is consistently lower in price compared to Playasia, by at least $5 (even with the $5 off coupons from PA, which are annoying to say the least). Plus they don't ship from Hong Kong like PA, they ship from the US. I've left PA for good and I'm MUCH happier (and I have more money in my pocket) thanks to Yesasia.dial911 wrote:http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/p ... /did-3273/Guardians Knight wrote:damn just checked yesasia, everything is generally $10 cheaper, why doesnt everyone use them instead of playasia?
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-r-7 ... 0-oph.html
That's one reason. Some of the games they sell are a really good deal, others, as you can see, are not.
Last edited by EOJ on Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ThirdStrike
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Got an e-mail from Yes-Asia saying that my copy has shipped. 
Ikaruga review now up in PLASMA BLOSSOM
My copy arrived today as well, from PA. Naturally, UPS' excellent service is not PAs achievement and the cost almost manages to negate the sexual arousement caused by the package...but every once in a while I can justify it .
I'm not the most anal about port quality, nor am I anywhere near as proficient as most here, but I love Raiden. And I can appreciate the weaknesses people have lamented about in ports like Mushi (shimmer, wonky scaling, erratic slowdown). That being said, Raiden III is a very slick affair, and initally the only thing that bugs me is it's on a damn CD. My PS2 is making noises I didn't even know it was capable of (sounds like a bad case of indigestion). Tate is offered in 2 modes as we know, of which Arcade A will show up slightly windowboxed on displays without overscan (think tate hosei) while Arcade B uses the entire available area. Slickness is enhanced by very speedy navigation all around, very fast loading times and the ability to skip pretty much all ornamental sequences like the flyover that introduces us to our aircraft taking off. Sounds like little, but I really appreciate this when frustration hits and I just want to start the sucker over.
Gameplay wise the quick hit multiplier is a neat bit of added score resource, albeit nothing deep and relying purely on memorisation as far as I can tell. Apart from that I was surprised how classical this new installment is. It's pure Raiden, which of course also means it's pure mid 90's with a facelift. If you were to tell me it didn't offer anything new and was out-of-time, I wouldn't be able to argument against that. Except that I love it of course. Among the polished bits I'm liking the weapon tuning, with each of the 3 now occupying a more distinct place in playing strategy. The toothpaste laser no longer locks onto targets and sways back dead center when you stop moving. Which makes it a lot less lazy than Raiden 2, for you can't just brush over to the medium sized bogey on the other half and wait until he explodes while you sit tight. I'm loving it and think it's a great change of pace from more cerebral shmups.
Graphics design is elegant if a bit bland. As everyone commented, there's not much of that itty-bitty cute detail that makes animated sprites such a cult object. Textures are fairly plain, what's there is good and doesn't intrude upon the playing field (as an irritation). Resolution is high (for a console) and enemies are neatly animated, giving RIII a very polished look. And it's smooth, no slowdown and control is perfect. It's a joy to play. Graphics don't shimmer or look in any way badly scaled to me in tate, very clean and clear. The sound is a mixed affair. I think it's commendable that they tried for the same style and feel as the cult classics, yet didn't quite achieve the same degree of upbeat urgency and super-memorable hymns. Not far off though, and by no means as bad as some have said.
.I'm not the most anal about port quality, nor am I anywhere near as proficient as most here, but I love Raiden. And I can appreciate the weaknesses people have lamented about in ports like Mushi (shimmer, wonky scaling, erratic slowdown). That being said, Raiden III is a very slick affair, and initally the only thing that bugs me is it's on a damn CD. My PS2 is making noises I didn't even know it was capable of (sounds like a bad case of indigestion). Tate is offered in 2 modes as we know, of which Arcade A will show up slightly windowboxed on displays without overscan (think tate hosei) while Arcade B uses the entire available area. Slickness is enhanced by very speedy navigation all around, very fast loading times and the ability to skip pretty much all ornamental sequences like the flyover that introduces us to our aircraft taking off. Sounds like little, but I really appreciate this when frustration hits and I just want to start the sucker over.
Gameplay wise the quick hit multiplier is a neat bit of added score resource, albeit nothing deep and relying purely on memorisation as far as I can tell. Apart from that I was surprised how classical this new installment is. It's pure Raiden, which of course also means it's pure mid 90's with a facelift. If you were to tell me it didn't offer anything new and was out-of-time, I wouldn't be able to argument against that. Except that I love it of course. Among the polished bits I'm liking the weapon tuning, with each of the 3 now occupying a more distinct place in playing strategy. The toothpaste laser no longer locks onto targets and sways back dead center when you stop moving. Which makes it a lot less lazy than Raiden 2, for you can't just brush over to the medium sized bogey on the other half and wait until he explodes while you sit tight. I'm loving it and think it's a great change of pace from more cerebral shmups.
Graphics design is elegant if a bit bland. As everyone commented, there's not much of that itty-bitty cute detail that makes animated sprites such a cult object. Textures are fairly plain, what's there is good and doesn't intrude upon the playing field (as an irritation). Resolution is high (for a console) and enemies are neatly animated, giving RIII a very polished look. And it's smooth, no slowdown and control is perfect. It's a joy to play. Graphics don't shimmer or look in any way badly scaled to me in tate, very clean and clear. The sound is a mixed affair. I think it's commendable that they tried for the same style and feel as the cult classics, yet didn't quite achieve the same degree of upbeat urgency and super-memorable hymns. Not far off though, and by no means as bad as some have said.
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TalkingOctopus
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In both tate modes, its displaying an interlaced picture which does not look that great on my arcade cab, but at least not as bad as the interlaced+scaled crap in Mushi. Can anyone confirm that the arcade board displays a non-interlaced picture at 15khz? Would it kill taito to add an option for non-interlaced!?!?
Dave, I don't think I understand what you're describing as non-interlaced 15khz. Scanned progressively would put the vertical refresh at 31khz no? I'm guessing that is what the Type X put out in the arcade original, but I honestly don't know much about cabs. Planning on buying one though that's why I'd like to know.
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cigsthecat
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I understand Type-X can output 31khz, but assume there is a backward compatability mode for 15khz cabs (like AtomisWave and Naomi have). So in comparison with the PS2's 15khz output (which is interlaced in this case) I'm wondering if the PCB outputs non-interlaced in 15khz mode.Bingo wrote:Dave, I don't think I understand what you're describing as non-interlaced 15khz. Scanned progressively would put the vertical refresh at 31khz no? I'm guessing that is what the Type X put out in the arcade original, but I honestly don't know much about cabs. Planning on buying one though that's why I'd like to know.
There's no reason to scale down or filter the image in the arcade setting (industrial monitor vs. TV). I would speculate the answer is 'yes'.Dave_K. wrote:I'm wondering if the PCB outputs non-interlaced in 15khz mode.
Second thing, it is my understanding that all 15khz display would be interlaced (as opposed to 31khz - progressive scan/non-interlaced). Maybe you mean non-interlaced in a different way?
Actually, it's just like NAOMI. To get those 480 lines of resolution on screen at 60 frames/sec, it either displays progressively at 31khz or interlaced at 15khz. In this case, the PS2's display mode should be similar to what you're referring to as the Type-X's compatability mode.Dave_K. wrote:I understand Type-X can output 31khz, but assume there is a backward compatability mode for 15khz cabs (like AtomisWave and Naomi have). So in comparison with the PS2's 15khz output (which is interlaced in this case) I'm wondering if the PCB outputs non-interlaced in 15khz mode.
The PGM cave games however, were only ~240 lines of resolution in the first place, designed to be progressively displayed on a 15khz monitor. True low-res, if you will. That's why the interlacing mode in Mushi is so disappointing, especially after Arika got the DDPDOJ and ESPGaluda ports right.
This is not true, 15khz does not imply an interlaced signal...but in the case of Raiden 3 I believe nZero to be correct in that the game was made with 640 lines (31khz) originally, and to display at 15khz, they had to interlace the picture to get it to look as close as possible. My original question was wondering if the type-x could output a non-interlaced signal in compatibility mode...still don't know for sure.oxtsu wrote:Second thing, it is my understanding that all 15khz display would be interlaced (as opposed to 31khz - progressive scan/non-interlaced). Maybe you mean non-interlaced in a different way?
ESPGaluda, and DDPDOJ display at 15khz non-interlaced, and look fantastic (and true to the original boards). I know people call this "true low-res"...its really just non-interlaced 15khz. The thing is at 15khz, an interlaced signal will show tearing/shimmering (or whatever you'd want to call it) when there is a lot of on screen motion. And given vertical shooters have scrolling backgrounds and lots of things moving on screen, this doesn't look too pretty (especially up close on a 29" arcade monitor). With a non-interlaced 15khz signal, its rock solid no matter what motion is on screen (with the side effect of more noticeable scanlines).
Ah, you hit it right on the head, thanks nZero. But what I still don't know is if the type-x compatibility mode is outputing an interlaced or non-interlaced signal. I have tried some atomiswave games on my 15khz cab and had a non-interlaced signal, so I believe its really up to the game programming and not the hardware per-say. So I believe type-x can output both non and interlaced pictures atr 15khz, I'm just wondering if what method the real game is programmed to use in compatibility mode. Maybe RFK or Whitey can comment since they actually have this board?nZero wrote:Actually, it's just like NAOMI. To get those 480 lines of resolution on screen at 60 frames/sec, it either displays progressively at 31khz or interlaced at 15khz. In this case, the PS2's display mode should be similar to what you're referring to as the Type-X's compatability mode.Dave_K. wrote:I understand Type-X can output 31khz, but assume there is a backward compatability mode for 15khz cabs (like AtomisWave and Naomi have). So in comparison with the PS2's 15khz output (which is interlaced in this case) I'm wondering if the PCB outputs non-interlaced in 15khz mode.
The PGM cave games however, were only ~240 lines of resolution in the first place, designed to be progressively displayed on a 15khz monitor. True low-res, if you will. That's why the interlacing mode in Mushi is so disappointing, especially after Arika got the DDPDOJ and ESPGaluda ports right.
Interesting info, thanks everyone. Let me get this straight though, to produce an image at 15khz that is not interlaced, it would have to be lower res than 480, right? Or could you alternatively just halve refresh from 60Hz to 30?
To stay on topic, the interlaced output at least seems to enable the PS2 to output what looks like constant 60 fps in Raiden III.
To stay on topic, the interlaced output at least seems to enable the PS2 to output what looks like constant 60 fps in Raiden III.
I hate Play Asia right now. I ordered that Namco 50 thing when it was on sale a week or so ago. They say they shipped it on the 14th. I got it today, thinking it was Raiden III, having forgotten all about the Namco thing, with a post stamp from the 20th! I wonder when they're ACTUALLY going to ship my Raiden III, which they say they shipped on the 20th.
What the hell is going on at that place they ship their stuff from? It was their explanation that they handed their stuff over to the place on the dates given in the invoices, but then there's a delay of a week or something at that shipping place? Why is it this way all of a sudden?
What the hell is going on at that place they ship their stuff from? It was their explanation that they handed their stuff over to the place on the dates given in the invoices, but then there's a delay of a week or something at that shipping place? Why is it this way all of a sudden?
It's been like that for at least a year. They told me as much in an email after one of my orders was 'lost' and the other took 4-5 weeks to arrive.Naiera wrote:What the hell is going on at that place they ship their stuff from? It was their explanation that they handed their stuff over to the place on the dates given in the invoices, but then there's a delay of a week or something at that shipping place? Why is it this way all of a sudden?
Why are you still ordering from them anyway? Give it up, move on. It's not worth your time, money, or frustration. There are far better import shops online. Try yesasia.com.
Last edited by EOJ on Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:15 am, edited 1 time in total.