History VideoGame / Raiden

Later ported as ''Raiden Trad'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], ''Raiden Densetsu'' on the Japanese PC clone Platform/FMTowns, and ''Super Raiden'' on the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM system. [[PortOverdosed All other console releases]] were simply called ''Raiden''.

Introduces a third weapon, the Bend Plasma laser. Also the first game to have composer Go Sato aboard, and the first game to be released for UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows platforms.

Considered a standalone game despite being an UpdatedRerelease of ''Raiden II'', it looks like the base game at first glance, but [[MissionPackSequel it has a lot of new content]], such as a more elaborate scoring system, three different game modes, and the addition of music from the first ''Raiden'' to the soundtrack. The console port was [[NoExportForYou released only in Japan]] for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation in 1995.

The first game in the series developed by MOSS after Seibu Kaihatsu disbanded in 1998; also released for the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 and the PC. It replaces the Bend Plasma with the green Proton Laser. The Windows PC versions were initially exclusive to Japanese computers before rereleased internationally on Steam eight years later.
* ''Raiden III × MIKADO MANIAX'': A 2023 rerelease for the [[UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} PC/Steam]], UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. This enhanced rerelease updates the 2005 game with HD graphics, customizable wallpapers, and support for vertically rotated displays. It also features 20 remixed music tracks from the game by a group of artists produced by the Japanese arcade chain, Game Center Mikado. Featured remix artists are oSatoBan, Heavy Metal Raiden, Fantom Iris, O.T.K., Soshi Hosoi, Daisuke Matsumoto, Cosio, Keishi Yonao, Ryu☆, Raito, and Yu Shimoda.

* ''Raiden IV: Overkill'' (2014, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3): An UpdatedRerelease of ''IV'' with a new game mode. Later released on PC/Steam.
* ''Raiden IV × Mikado Remix'' (2021, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch): Another rerelease featuring all of the content from ''Overkill'' and a new arranged soundtrack sponsored by the Mikado arcade chain, with versions for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[https://realotakugamer.com/raiden-iv-x-mikado-remix-for-ps5ps4-xbox-one-xbox-series-pc-coming-west-in-2023/83709/?fbclid=IwAR3bkf9A1Z5hZOMKZP-_GdpfeIOYWMDHciQWX3KrgJHb_Ii8BlhvhXKSL4k in 2023]].
!!''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016, UsefulNotes/XboxOne)

* ''Raiden V: Director's Cut'' (2018): An UpdatedRerelease that adds co-op play and bonus stages. First released on the UsefulNotes/Playstation4 and on PC/Steam, then released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2019.

* ''The Raiden Project'' (1996): Released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, it includes the first two games.

Later ported as ''Raiden Trad'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], ''Raiden Densetsu'' on the Japanese PC clone UsefulNotes/FMTowns, and ''Super Raiden'' on the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM system. [[PortOverdosed All other console releases]] were simply called ''Raiden''.

* NintendoHard: Bullets move very fast, it takes many stages' worth of powerups to get your ship into a reasonably powerful state, losing a life knocks all of those powerups out of your ship making recovery nightmarishly difficult, and there's a sheer drought of extra lives; these games often only give one extra life in the entire game. The Seibu-produced games also don't give [[InvulnerableAttack invincibility when firing a bomb]] and bombs take about a second to detonate, so it's quite difficult to whisk yourself of imminent death.

Not to be confused with the thunder god of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', [[note]]Incidentally, fear of trademark infringement with this series was why the early home ports of Mortal Kombat spelt his name as "Rayden"[[/note]] or the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' character of the same name, or the character from ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', or the big wrestler from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', or the Virtuaroid from ''VideoGame/VirtualOn''...

** ''Raiden IV'' takes you into space for the fifth and final stage of the game. In the Xbox 360 / Additonal Mode on consoles, this part of the game is split up into three stages.

* EasierThanEasy: The "Practice" difficulty level in MOSS-developed home titles. Even bosses don't [[BulletHell throw bullets]] at you in this level, and there are no EasyModeMockery either (unless you play Light Mode in ''IV'' that is).

Not to be confused with the thunder god of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', or the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' character of the same name, or the character from ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', or the big wrestler from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', or the Virtuaroid from ''VideoGame/VirtualOn''...