Raiden V Director’s Cut does not represent a huge leap from the original Raiden V released on Xbox One last year, but for fans of the series and the genre, especially those that do no have an Xbox One, it’s an intriguing release. The vertical shoot’em up (SHMUP) genre certainly is not as popular as it once was, but legendary franchises of the genre, like Raiden, can still make some waves with new releases.
I missed out on Raiden V, and in fact haven’t played the series in many years. Sitting down to review the Director’s Cut has reminded me very quickly why these games are called ‘bullet hell’ — the screen is full of bullets, a lot of them not yours, and most of them coming your way. While challenging, Raiden V, at least on the lower difficulties, is not nearly as hard as some games in the genre I have played. Raiden V features a story mode in which players choose one of three different ships, each with varying stats related to speed and defense, you also pick two powerful weapons, and off you go. Branching chapters and the pursuit of high scores promote replay value, but the constant chatter of the NPCs can become kind of grating. As you can see in the screenshots, there is a lot going on in the HUD — from internet based updates on other player’s accomplishments to your own, to lots of other stats that you can scroll through with the push of a button. Not that you have much time to keep your eyes off of the action, but I appreciate the fan service.
Speaking of fans, Raiden V has a ‘cheer’ system whereby your in-game accomplishments are sent out across the interwebs and other players can press Triangle to ‘cheer’ these and you can do the same. This allows you to get an extra ghost ship in the mix temporarily which can make a big difference in the endless fight against the enemy. New to the Director’s Cut is the ability for local couch co-op, which makes these kinds of games a lot more fun in my opinion. I used to watch two of my good friends co-op Radiant Silvergun on Saturn, and that was a treat. These kinds of games have bragging rights for those that can complete it on one credit, but that type of commitment to the game or genre just isn’t for me, so I’ll take the ghost ships and local co-op play for sure. Anyway, besides the ability to play co-op, as far as I can tell the only other addition to the Director’s Cut are two additional modes, or mission types that play out kind of like a boss rush. This is cool for those pursuing leaderboards and so forth, but, if you already have the original game or just aren’t into that, which is the camp I’m in, it doesn’t add much.
Much like the flashy graphics and loaded visuals the HUD and game present, the music is rapid and upbeat as well, providing a raucous score to blast to. The presentation overall is flashy and smooth. Ultimately, there’s a lot going for Raiden V: Director’s Cut, although the $35 cost feels a bit high, but should be high enough to ward off an impulse buy. If you and a local friend have an interest in vertical shoot’em ups though, this could provide several hours of enjoyment as you discover the alternate story branches and numerous weapons and combinations.
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