| Raiden | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Raiden_arcadeflyer.png) Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) |
|
| Publisher(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Hitoshi Hamada |
| Designer(s) | Tetsuya Kawaguchi |
| Programmer(s) | K. Kondo S. Mori |
| Artist(s) | H. Matsuo Toshinobu Komazawa T. Matsuzawa |
| Composer(s) | Akira Sato |
| Series | Raiden |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | April 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Vertically scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, co-op (not in all versions) |
Raiden[a] is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and published by Tecmo in Japan.[2] The game's story takes place in the year 2090, when an alien species known as the Crystals invaded Earth. Players assume the roles of the Vanquish Crystal Defense pilot duo, taking control of two state of the art Fighting Thunders aircraft to defeat the Crystals and save the Earth.
The game was conceived after Dynamite Duke, Seibu Kaihatsu's prior title, failed to sell as well as expected. During development, the game was designed as a vertically scrolling shooter due to the popularity of the genre at the time. Cheaper arcade hardware had to be used due to financial constraints caused by Dynamite Duke's poor sales.[3][4]
Although Seibu doubted Raiden's success, it managed to sell 17,000 arcade units worldwide, helping to recuperate the company's investments through word-of-mouth. The title became a critical success, with its most lauded features being the graphics, music, gameplay and co-operative play.
Due to the success of Raiden, several sequels and related games were made. Raiden was ported to home computers and various home video game consoles in the early to mid 1990s. The game was released as part of several compilations and through download services such as PlayStation Network. The ports received mixed to positive reception.[5]
- ^ "Machine Catalog: Video Games". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 1. October 1990. pp. 78–80 (80).
- ^ "Raiden". arcade-history.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ Sotenga (12 February 2011). "Raiden". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "THE FLASH DESIRE 雷電III". inhgroup.com (in Japanese). 2007. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-12-17 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ A. Jung, Robert. "The Atari Bin - Jaguar Reviews - Raiden". electric-escape.net. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
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