Product Description

The legendary Raiden Fighters series was originally developed by Seibu as a coin-op. Now all three titles of this popular series have been authentically recreated for the Xbox 360®, with the original gameplay intact, and enhanced with full-screen scrolling action. Compete in a virtual world-wide high-score competition over Xbox LIVE®. Compare your skills with the best in the world, and trade gameplay clips to learn their secrets.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1888 in Video Games
• Brand: VALCON GAMES
• Model: 152
• Published on: 2009-05
• Released on: 2009-05-12
• ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .57" h x 5.43" w x 7.53" l, .33 pounds

Features

• An Xbox 360 excluisive containing leaderboards, publishable gameclips and 32 Xbox LIVE achievements worth 1,000 gamer points.
• All three Raiden Fighters games on one disc.
• Training mode, with slow-motion, level selection, and ship configuration.
• Standard vertical scrolling, full-screen side-scrolling, or full-screen vertical scrolling on a rotated display.
• Two-player cooperative offline play.

Amazon.com Product Description

Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2, and Raiden Fighters Jet; the names are familiar to any gamer. Back in the day these legendary arcade cabinets came to symbolize extreme difficulty, never-ending secrets, and the resultant devastating loss of quarter-based wealth. All three games have now been recreated and enhanced with new features on Xbox 360 for the ultimate collection, Raiden Fighters Aces. Attack enemies in the air. View larger. Or on the ground. View larger. Old school vertical scrolling option. View larger. Action in this new compilation is just as you remember it, yet also a little different. Players can now practice any stage of any game in the incredibly configurable Training Mode. You can also rotate the gameplay, or rotate your entire display to play full screen. And finally, when the battle is won you can post high scores and gameclips to Xbox LIVE for all the world to see. The Games Raiden Fighters Originally released in 1996, Raiden Fighters features seven levels that make up the game's three missions. Within these players will have access to eight different fighter craft. Raiden Fighters 2 Originally released in 1997, the action in Raiden Fighters 2 is set four years after the events of the first game. Here players utilize seven standard fighters as well as several unlockable aircraft. Raiden Fighters Jet Originally released in 1998, Raiden Fighters Jet contains most of the aircraft from Raiden Fighters 2 and also features updates to the medals and scoring system. Gameplay The games within the Raiden Fighters franchise are vertical scrolling air combat shooters. That is, although an update to the original games of this compilation allow players to flip the playing area horizontally for a full screen effect, the standard vertical orientation of the action reflects the upright nature of the arcade machines that they were originally designed for. Combat within the games consists of multiple stages, which make up the games' missions. Within these missions players have use of a variety of aircraft which they use to attack targets both in the air and on the ground. Each aircraft depending on the game played, features a selection of weapon options including standard firepower along the line of missiles, lasers and bombs. Aircraft also possess different charged/special attacks, some of which are exclusive to multiplayer games. Players receive points for success in taking out mission identified targets as well as collecting bonus items known as "medals" that appear on the gameplay area. Key Features: All three Raiden Fighters games on one disc. Training mode, with slow-motion, level selection, and ship configuration. Leaderboards and gameclips for online and offline play. Two-player cooperative offline play. Standard vertical scrolling, full-screen side-scrolling, or full-screen vertical scrolling on a rotated display. Visual filters to simulate classic display-types, or change the feel of the game. An Xbox 360 exclusive containing 32 Xbox LIVE achievements and 1,000 gamer points

Customer Reviews

Arcade 2d Shoot 'em Up Perfection
I've been a fan of the Raiden series ever since seeing them in-person at the height of the 2d arcade days. Unfortunately due to its rarity in my local arcades I never had the chance to play them very often. So this compilation of the three Fighters series games for $20 is probably one of the best deals ever for fans of Shoot 'em Ups. It's an absolute steal for the price.

Each game in the Fighters series would be very approachable for intermediate and above skill levels. It's a great introduction for those who want a more action packed Shoot 'em Up experience without dipping into bullet hell territory. With only a casual commitment they are still difficult games to play proficiently, but the enemy and bullet patterns are (mostly) fair and avoidable on the standard or below difficulty levels. Average players could enjoy any Fighters game without having to posses reflexes that are beyond those of mere mortals. If lightning reflexes and quick thinking aren't in short supply however, then there is a lot of depth to enjoy... Like any great Shoot 'em Up they can be very complex or shallow experiences depending on the individual and dedication put forth. Regardless, a little extra shot of caffeine before playing might help add a few more points to the high score.

There are only two potential drawbacks... One might be some visual overload because there are just tons of objects moving fast on-screen at any given time. Still to this very day all three Raiden Fighters are impressive for 2d sprite games. There's not much in the way of a slow difficulty ramp-up such as a game like Galaga. Pick your fighter, hit start and prepare to dive-in head first! Depending on personal preferences the second drawback could be the soundtrack. It will be either great or annoying depending on how appealing someone finds Drum & Bass / Breakbeat music. Regardless, it does add to the experience of the adrenaline packed play and was an appropriate soundtrack style for each game.

So on top of the great classic game play and 2d graphics, Raiden Fighters Aces probably has one of the best arcade to console ports ever. For those who care there are well designed menus, filter options galore, a rotate screen function, saturation adjustments, even add arcade monitor style scan lines and control their intensity. It makes all other arcade compilations and ports with the standard blur/scale filter just seem that much more pathetic. New functionality like saving and viewing game replays, new boss rush modes and having an online score scoreboard with LIVE are just icing on the cake.

Maybe someone can correct me, but as far as I know MAME still doesn't emulate this series well due to the encryption of the original boards and ROMs used. So this maybe the only chance for awhile to play the Fighters series properly outside of owning the original arcade hardware. If there is any remote interest in the game please get a copy now before this becomes a lost gem and goes for 2-3x's the price!

Now all I need is some mega PSiKYO compilation of this caliber and I can die at anytime knowing my life is complete.


TLDR: Like Arcade Shoot 'em Ups? BUY IT NOW!

Very addicting old-school shooter
I have never played Raiden Fighters Aces before and this is the first time I've played it on the Xbox 360. All I can say that the game itself is very addicting. There are a lot of options and I've only attempted the NORMAL MODE (whatever that means). There's also Boss Rush and Expert mode which I have yet to try out. And it's not just 1 game, it's 3 different games! They are quite similar but the bosses and settings are still different from each other. I can't believe this is only $20. I think it has a lot of replay value. It's fun once in a while to play some old-school games for its simple objective and easy button configurations. :) If only they had Xbox Live Co-op mode, it would be even better! But I'll take the already available offline co-op mode too. :D

Arcade fun without the arcade.
Raiden Fighters Aces combines three games in the Raiden series, the top-down, fighter-plane-bullet-hell-quarter-eating games that give you so much enjoyment and carpal tunnel syndrome in the arcades into one game. All three are one to two player experiences, and, to be frank, aren't very deep. These are arcade games, after all.

A simple game deserves a simple review. There are enemies, you shoot the enemies, the enemies try to shoot you. At the end of a level there is one big enemy. He shoots many bullets at you and you will die, but you kill him too.

It's true, it really is that simple.

If you enjoy the arcade games, and have a spare $20, I don't see where you could go wrong.