History VideoGame / Raiden

The series is composed of the following games:

* ''Raiden'' (1990, Arcade): 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''.
* ''Raiden II'' (1993, Arcade): 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.
* ''Raiden DX'' (1994, Arcade): 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 PlayStation in 1995.
* ''Viper Phase 1'' (May 1995, Arcade): A spinoff of the ''Raiden'' series, taking place exclusively in outer space and featuring some different gameplay in the form of temporary secondary weapons. This is the game that the Judge Spear and Blue Javelin ship comes from. Developed on the Seibu SPI arcade hardware, which the ''Raiden Fighters'' series also uses.
** ''Viper Phase 1: New Version'' (August 1995, Arcade): An UpdatedRerelease released in the same year, this version makes some gameplay changes to be closer to the ''Raiden'' series, most notably the secondary weapons are now permanent and have different levels of power. Also known as ''Viper Phase 1: USA'' when Fabtek distributed it in North America.
* ''Raiden III'' (2005, Arcade): The first game in the series developed by MOSS after Seibu Kaihatsu disbanded in 1998; also released for the Playstation 2 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 IV'' (2007, Arcade): Reintroduces the Bend Plasma weapon (which was not included in ''Raiden III''). The best known feature of this game is its inclusion of new arrangements of music from ''Raiden'' and ''Raiden II'' as part of the soundtrack.
** ''Raiden IV: Overkill'' (2014, PlayStation 3): An UpdatedRerelease of ''IV'' with a new game mode. Later released on PC/Steam.
* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016, UsefulNotes/XboxOne): The first in the series to include an elaborate story to flesh out many of the mainstay narratives in the series that had gone unexplained until this game. It also introduces game mechanics changes from those long-standing in the series, with some elements from the ''Raiden Fighters'' games. It is also the first game in the series to have no arcade releases at all, being a straight-to-console title.
** ''Raiden V: Director's Cut'' (2018): An UpdatedRerelease that adds co-op play and bonus stages. First released on the Playstation 4 and on PC/Steam, then released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2019.

The earlier games have been included as part of the following [[CompilationRerelease compilation rereleases]]:

* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016, UsefulNotes/XboxOne): The first in the series to include an elaborate story to flesh out many of the mainstay narratives in the series that had gone unexplained until this game. It also introduces game mechanics changes from those long-standing in the series, with cues brought back from ''Raiden Fighters'' games. It is also the first game in the series to have no arcade releases at all, being a straight-to-console title.

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''...

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

* UpdatedRerelease: ''Raiden IV Overkill'' and ''Raiden V: Director's Cut'', both of which add new features to the original games. ''Raiden DX'' can be seen as this, but it adds so much on top of its ''Raiden II'' base, such as all new stages and bosses, that it is considered a standalone game rather than this trope.

* ''Raiden DX'' (1994, Arcade): It looks like ''Raiden II'' at first glance, but 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. Considered a standalone game despite being an UpdatedRerelease of ''II''. The console port was [[NoExportForYou released only in Japan]] for the PlayStation in 1995.
* ''Viper Phase 1'' (May 1995, Arcade): A spinoff of the ''Raiden'' series, taking place exclusively in outer space and featuring some different gameplay in the form of temporary secondary weapons. This is the game that the Judge Spear ship comes from. Developed on the Seibu SPI arcade hardware, which the ''Raiden Fighters'' series also uses.

* BulletHell: Later games have denser bullet patterns, although the focus remains on fast aimed shots.

* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016, UsefulNotes/XboxOne): The first in the series to include an elaborate story to flesh out many of the mainstay narratives in the series that had gone unexplained until this game. It also introduces game mechanics changes from those long-standing in the series. It is also the first game in the series to not have had an initial arcade release, or an arcade release at all.

* ''Raiden III'' (2005, Arcade): [[SequelGap After 11 years]], the next numbered sequel is also released for the Playstation 2 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 DX'' (1994, Arcade): It looks like ''Raiden II'' at first glance, but 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. Considered a standalone game. The console port was [[NoExportForYou released only in Japan]] for the PlayStation in 1995.

* ''Raiden II'' (1993, Arcade): Introduces a third weapon, the Bend Plasma laser. Also the first game to have composer Go Sato aboard.

* ''Raiden III'' (2005, Arcade): [[SequelGap After 11 years]], the next numbered sequel is released for the Playstation 2. Later released on Steam for the PC.

* ''Raiden'' (1990, Arcade): Later ported as ''Raiden Trad'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], ''Raiden Densetsu'' on the Japanese PC clone FM Towns, and ''Super Raiden'' on the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM system. [[PortOverdosed All other console releases]] were simply called ''Raiden''.

* ''Raiden'' (1990, Arcade): Later ported to [[PortOverdosed many consoles]] as ''Raiden Trad''

The plot of the series is completely nonexistent (aside from ''V'', which has some backstories) and inconsequential, much like most shoot'em ups. The gist is that alien crystals (called "The Cranassians" by the fan base) is invading Earth, and the Raiden and its allies are tasked with stopping it.

* BigBad: The Crystals. First introduced as a giant, ominous red diamond that, [[ExcusePlot at least from]] [[WildMassGuessing what can be observed]], seems to be the leader. It spends the bulk of the game harrying you by [[VillainExitStageLeft flying out of the wreckage of every boss fight]], confronts you as the FinalBoss, and comes back for more as the end boss of ''III'' and ''IV''. In ''Raiden V'', it's shown that the Crystals actually have been contaminating Earth's own machinery and using them to eradicate humanity. Their purpose? [[spoiler: To reset the world by wiping out all life, cleaning up all the pollution, and making it habitable again.]]

* BoringButPractical: The red SpreadShot, mostly because if you are close enough to an enemy to make all of the spray hit it, it will suffer more damage more quickly than even with the full-power blue laser. It is ''not'' uncommon to get a mid-sized enemy destroyed this way before it can even start shooting. At further range, the spread is wide enough that anything in front of you will continuously be pelted with damage, with the only drawback being that you have to [[ButtonMashing mash]] on the fire button, unless you use autofire or play ''Raiden III'' or ''IV'', which officially have autofire for this weapon. To summarize, red is your standard-purpose, blue is for concentrated power when point-blank is ''not'' an option, and purple/green is for blue purposes that also need you to attack through tough enemies.

* CombinationAttack: In 2 player mode, a very strong attack happens if both players shot collide with each other. It's a little unpredictable (the bullets of this attack fire in random directions), but at close range can waste bosses in seconds.

** ''Raiden V'' double subverts this. Given a LifeMeter system, the player could survive some hits before going down. Depending on difficulty, the player could [[HarderThanHard play this straight]] or [[EasierThanEasy avert it]].

** ''Raiden II'' introduces the Cluster Bomb in addition to the standard big-blast-radius bomb, which serves as the default bomb for the player 2 ship. It releases a ton of bombs all over the screen that do less damage but can more reliably hit everything at once. It still has a delay between firing and detonation, so plan your bomb use in advance!

* TrueFinalBoss: ''Raiden DX'''s Expert course has one as shown [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NTxIK-GYQ here]], if you can make it to the end in one credit. ''Raiden IV'' [[http://youtu.be/JR94VSgPb_0?t=9m54s has one at the end of the second loop.]]
* UpdatedRerelease: ''Raiden DX'', ''Raiden IV Overkill'' and now ''Raiden V: Director's Cut''.

* AirborneAircraftCarrier: All of the games begin by launching from one of these, and end by landing on it.

* ''Viper Phase 1'' (May 1995, Arcade): A spinoff of the ''Raiden'' series, taking place exclusively in outer space and featuring some different gameplay in the form of temporary secondary weapons. This is the game that the Judge Spear ship comes from.
** ''Viper Phase 1: New Version'' (August 1995, Arcade): An UpdatedRerelease released in the same year, this version makes some gameplay changes to be closer to the ''Raiden'' series, most notably the secondary weapons are now permanent and have different levels of power. Developed on the Seibu SPI arcade hardware, which the ''Raiden Fighters'' series also uses. Also known as ''Viper Phase 1: USA'' when Fabtek distributed it in North America.

** ''Raiden IV: Overkill'' (2014, PlayStation 3): An UpdatedRerelease of ''IV'' later released on PC/Steam with a new game mode.

* ''Raiden Legacy'' (2013): First released on Android mobile devices, then on Steam and GOG for Windows [=PCs=], it includes the first ''Raiden'' and all three ''Raiden Fighters'' games.

* ''Viper Phase 1'' (March 1995, Arcade): A spinoff of the ''Raiden'' series, taking place exclusively in outer space and featuring some different gameplay in the form of temporary secondary weapons. This is the game that the Judge Spear ship comes from.
** ''Viper Phase 1: New Version'' (November 1995, Arcade): An UpdatedRerelease released in the same year, this version makes some gameplay changes to be closer to the ''Raiden'' series, most notably the secondary weapons are now permanent and have different levels of power. Developed on the Seibu SPI arcade hardware, which the ''Raiden Fighters'' series also uses. Also known as ''Viper Phase 1: USA'' when Fabtek distributed it in North America.

* ''Raiden'' (1990): Later ported to [[PortOverdosed many consoles]] as ''Raiden Trad''
* ''Raiden II'' (1993): Introduces a third weapon, the Bend Plasma laser. Also the first game to have composer Go Sato aboard.
** ''The Raiden Project'' (1996): A CompilationRerelease of the first two games for the Playstation
* ''Raiden DX'' (1994): An UpdatedRerelease of ''Raiden II'' with a more elaborate scoring system and several different modes. Considered a standalone game.
* ''Viper Phase 1'' (1995): A spinoff of the ''Raiden'' series, taking place exclusively in outer space and featuring some different gameplay in the form of temporary secondary weapons. This is the game that the Judge Spear ship comes from.
** ''Viper Phase 1: New Version'' (1995): This version makes some gameplay changes to be closer to the ''Raiden'' series, most notably the secondary weapons are now permanent and have different levels of power. Developed on the Seibu SPI arcade hardware, which the ''Raiden Fighters'' series also uses.
* ''Raiden III'' (2005): [[SequelGap After 11 years]], the next numbered sequel is released for the Playstation 2. Later released on Steam for the PC.
* ''Raiden IV'' (2007): Reintroduces the Bend Plasma weapon (which was not included in ''Raiden III''). The best known feature of this game is its inclusion of new arrangements of music from ''Raiden II'' as part of the soundtrack.
** ''Raiden IV: Overkill'' (2014): An UpdatedRerelease of ''IV'' for [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationNetwork PSN]] and PC/Steam with a new game mode.
* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016): A straight-to-console title for UsefulNotes/XboxOne. The first in the series to include an elaborate story to flesh out many of the mainstay narratives in the series that had gone unexplained until this game. It also introduces game mechanics changes from those long-standing in the series.

* BigBad: The giant, ominous red diamond that debuts in ''Raiden II'' and seems to be the enemy leader, [[ExcusePlot at least from]] [[WildMassGuessing what can be observed]]. It spends the bulk of the game harrying you by [[VillainExitStageLeft flying out of the wreckage of every boss fight]], confronts you as the FinalBoss, and comes back for more as the end boss of ''III'' and ''IV''.

* ''Raiden II'' (1993)

** ''Viper Phase 1: New Version'' (1995): This version makes some gameplay changes to be closer to the ''Raiden'' series, most notably the secondary weapons are now permanent and have different levels of power.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Maxwell cares a lot for his coffee.

* ''Raiden IV'' (2008): Reintroduces the Bend Plasma weapon (which was not included in ''Raiden III''). The best known feature of this game is its inclusion of new arrangements of music from ''Raiden II'' as part of the soundtrack.

* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (2016): A straight-to-console title for UsefulNotes/XboxOne. The first in the series to include an elaborate story to flesh out many of the mainstay narratives in the series that had gone unexplained until this game. IT also introduces game mechanics changes from those long-standing in the series.

The plot of the series is completely nonexistent (aside from ''V'', which has some backstories) and inconsequential, much like most shoot'em ups. The gist is that alien crystals (called "The Cranassians" by the fan base) is invading Earth, and it's up to the Raiden supersonic jet to stop them.

* ''Raiden'' (later ported to the SNES and Genesis as ''Raiden Trad'')
* ''Raiden II''
** ''The Raiden Project'' (A CompilationRerelease of the first two games for the Playstation)
** ''Raiden DX'' (an extension of Raiden II with a more elaborate scoring system and several different modes)
* ''Raiden III''
* ''Raiden IV''
** ''Raiden IV Overkill'' (an extension of IV for [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationNetwork PSN]] and PC/Steam with a new game mode)
* ''VideoGame/RaidenV'' (a straight-to-console title for UsefulNotes/XboxOne)
** ''Raiden V: Director's Cut'' (an extension of V for the Playstation 4 and on PC/Steam which adds co-op and bonus levels)

* BoringButPractical: The red SpreadShot, mostly because if (''if'') you can nose up close enough to an enemy to make all of the spray hit it, it will suffer more damage more quickly than even with the full-power blue laser. It is ''not'' uncommon to get a mid-sized enemy destroyed this way before it can even start shooting. At further range, the spread is wide enough that anything in front of you will continuously be pelted with damage, the only drawback being that you have to [[ButtonMashing mash]] on the fire button, unless you use autofire or play ''Raiden III'' or ''IV'', which officially have autofire for this weapon. To summarize, red is your standard-purpose, blue is for concentrated power when point-blank is ''not'' an option, and purple/green is for blue purposes that also need you to hit things ''behind'' that strong opponent.

* CapcomSequelStagnation: Happens with almost every title in the series, with the original getting ''Raiden Trad'' and ''Super Raiden'', and ''Raiden II'' getting ''DX''. ''Raiden IV'' seems to be getting this, since it was ported to the Xbox 360. The newest update, ''Raiden IV: Overkill'', has been ported to PSN and PC/Steam. ''Raiden V'' is also this with the subtitle ''Director's Cut'', and will also be ported to the [=PS4=] and PC/Steam.

** ''Raiden V'' double subverts this. Given a LifeMeter system, the player could survive some hits before it is crushed. However, you will lose all power ups when the meter clocks to zero, resulting in a game over. Depending on difficulty, the player could [[HarderThanHard play this straight]] or [[EasierThanEasy avert it]].

* DynamicDifficulty: In I and II, if you manage to make it far without dying, the difficulty gets batshit insane. Tanks will fire very fast ''and'' [[ImprobableAimingSkills accurate]] shots almost as soon as they enter the screen!
** According to WordOfGod, this is traced to a common rule of thumb in the arcade industry at the time: if your game doesn't defeat the player in about 3 minutes (on average), you're not making money.

* EvilIsNotAToy: How Max and the rest of the world justifies the banning of research on the Crystals.
** [[spoiler:The organization SHIFT does not believe so and tries to subvert it by applying their research to the Fighting Thunder project.]]

* GrievousHarmWithABody: In II and DX, destroyed airborne enemies have a pretty good chance of crashing into the ground instead of just exploding in mid-air. If their landing point happens to be on top of a ground enemy, that poor enemy is going to be ''hurting'' (if not destroyed outright). Like with the things noted in SerialNumbersFiledOff, this is another element from Creator/{{Toaplan}} games, in this case Flying Shark/Sky Shark. In that game, if an enemy biplane was shot from far enough away, it would indeed crash-land rather than just explode—and destroy any hapless tank, patrol boat, or anti-aircraft gun that happened to be underneath.

* MarathonLevel: The “training” campaign of Raiden DX is one long (about 15 minutes) continuous level.
* MultipleEndings: ''Raiden V'' is the first game to feature them, since ''Raiden Fighters Jet''.
* {{Nerf}}: The Lock-On Plasma Laser became the Proton Laser in ''III'' then came back in ''IV'' albeit with different coding.

** Unlike in many other scrolling shooters, the bomb's activation is not instantaneous; it doesn't provide the area of bullet cancellation until it explodes a second later. This often leads to prematurely firing bombs because being under a heavy storm of fast bullets will most likely result in death whether you have five bombs or none at all. This was changed in ''III'' onwards, where firing a bomb now has the bomb effects activate immediately.

** The artists of ''Raiden II'' poured an incredible amount of detail into basic Mooks being shot down, from the debris all the way to the craters and burning trees left when they hit the ground.
** ''IV'''s TrueFinalBoss truly takes the cake, [[spoiler:spending 24 seconds exploding to a crisp! (As it should, given how hard it is to reach.)]]

The plot of the series is completely nonexistent (aside from ''V'', which has some backstories) and inconsequential, much like most shoot'em ups. The gist is that a race of aliens called the Cranassian Empire is invading Earth, and it's up to the Raiden supersonic jet to stop them.

** This is the Cranassian red diamond's bread-and-butter every time you face it. It's not going to let you beat the game without surviving a ''torrential downpour'' of curtain fire.

* EvilIsNotAToy: How Max and the rest of the world justifies the banning of research on Cranassian Crystals.

* PowerCrystal: The Cranassian Empire uses this as not only their power source for their machines, but even their BigBad is one itself.

* TankGoodness: Out of all the futuristic war machines the Cranassian Empire throws at you, they sure do love tanks. Expect them in several varieties around every corner. [[spoiler:Hell, the red diamond's secret weapon in ''DX'''s hidden ninth stage is a ''giant tank!'']]

* BookEnds: ''Raiden IV'''s TrueFinalBoss [[spoiler:kicks off with a [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome glorious reprise]] of "Repeated Tragedy", the stage 1 theme of ''Raiden II'', and ends with the boss theme of the original game, signalling the whole series coming full circle.]]