My copy still is on order, but I had the chance to give it a try at a friend's place, here's what I think about it:
- Presentation
Straight-forward Raiden, not much to say about it. The intro and the menu system is as sparse as it can get, with a catchy techno-ish intro tune.
There's the original arcade mode, boss battles, score attacks and a gallery, as well as a replay section with perfect runs of certain levels. The contents of the gallery and the replay section need to be unlocked (AFAIK), you'll get pics + vids for every level you complete on one credit.
The game features hi-res graphics but of course good old 2D gameplay.
- Gameplay
The first level starts, and you'll be transported back into time when the first two Raidens were hot. Level 1 is a compliment to the original first level of Raiden, just the cows are missing...
There are three main weapons, spread shot, blue laser and green flexible laser (the so-called "rubber-band weapon"). Raiden III also has three sub-weapons, straight missiles, homing missiles and homing nuclear missiles. The latter ones are a new addition, they're faster than the normal missiles and do more damage for each single rocket, but homing isn't as accurate and quick as with the standard homing missiles (my all-time faves).
While the spread shot and blue laser are still the same, Moss came up with a revised rubber-band laser, and IMO they slightly fucked it up here. The old one from Raiden II could be curled and thus used to attack several enemies at once while the new one is just slightly more flexible/quicker than the blue laser but does not curl and twist anymore. It's stronger than the old version, but I would've preferred the old one.
Perhaps the biggest change of pace specially for a fan of manic Cave shmups is the ship speed - it's much slower than in other current vert shmups while the bullets move very fast, so you have to think ahead and memorize, otherwise you'll be trapped instantly. The enemy ships move fast as well and some do dive-bomber attacks while spreading bullets, but patterns are not as hard-assed as in Mushihime or other shmups like that, they're more conservative and some projectiles like fireballs can even be shot.
There's a bonus/multiplier system which supports the memorizing aspect of the game. The faster you clear a formation of enemies, the quicker you'll get a multiplier bonus for consecutive kills, so knowing where another formation will pop out becomes essential, specially in later levels.
Similar to the original Raidens, there are hidden bonus items spread across the levels, collecting them gives you bonus points at the end of a level. You also get a bonus for ships left. The "bonus fairies" made a return as well, they're hidden in various (fixed) locations which have to be shot at to release the fairy, collecting one gives you 10,000 points and up. The fairies sometimes also appear after you've lost a ship and will leave weapon upgrades behind.
The score keeps on going up if you auto-fire on a bigger enemy ship, this is where you can milk some bosses for score by using a weapon with a more narrow focus like the blue or green laser. The score differences aren't that hot in this case, but it pays off in the long run.
Lastly, there's a screen-clearing smart bomb that looks awesome and is quite effective. Haven't figured out any possible malus you might get for using one, tho.
Starting from level 3, the game becomes quite challenging. Keeping your ship in control when the screen is packed with bullets isn't too easy because of the big difference in speed between enemy ships and you... this game cries for long practice sessions...
- Graphics
As mentioned before, Raiden III sports hi-res backgrounds but still feels like a true 2D shmup. The backs of the first three levels are a bit lifeless tho, there hardly is anything we've seen in other Raidens as well - green pastures, skyscrapers, geometric structures in space, etc. On the light side, some background objects are destructible and sometimes contain powerups or secrets, overall the backgrounds could be called traditional Raiden fare, nothing too ground-breaking but what's there does the trick.
Design-wise, there are tons of remade elements of the prequels in Raiden III, starting with the level 1 and 2 bosses (double tanks and big v-shaped formation flyer, respectively). For a Raiden fan like me, this doesn't feel like a rehash, more like a quote from earlier games.
If anything, Moss could have done more in terms of populating the levels and giving them a bit more charme. Yes, what is there works quite well but it could have been more, and I can already hear ppl complaining about that.
- Sound/Music
Phat sounds, huge explosions, some samples we've heard in the prequels already. About the music, well, I'd call it Japanese harmonic techno, or something like that. Lots of happy Major synth pads on top of 4-to-the-floor techno beats, with the occasional echo of a 303-ish bassline. Most tracks have the same speed/bpm, they're energetic and pushing enough to form a solid aural base for the action on screen, but except for the level-one track that is a nice remake of the original Raiden music, there wasn't one that stood out of the rest.
On a sidenote, Moss also remade the original hiscore, continue and game over tracks from the old games, IMO it's kinda neat to hear them again.
- Conclusion
I like what I've seen so far. Fans of the series will probably love it because it's Raiden through and through and does not try to hide the tried-and-proven formula behind useless gimmicks. While I don't agree with some minor changes here and there (green laser...), I think the game deserves to be played and mastered because it IMO manages to cool down the currently overheated manic shmups atmosphere with a breeze of old-school gaming bliss.
On the downside, the game does add a lot of new things to the Raiden series, it's a continuation of the old formula that plays very well, but the "innovator" in me had hopes for a bit of new blood, let's say a more refined scoring system, a fourth weapon or even weapon switching, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like what's there, but I miss the kind of ambition that let Irem or Konami come up with excellent new and exciting sequels to their original Gradius or R-Type series.
In short, Raiden III is a game that some may find too strategic, but for those who like the series or slower-paced shmups with a thinking-ahead-type of gameplay, it probably is worth getting. I'd probably give it a 7/10.
