Raiden IV: OverKill

The game is awesome not denying that, but it has a customized ALWAYS ONLINE DRM that isn't disclosed. Do yourself a favor and purchase the GOG version, same game, but you can keep it forever unlike this one here. In GOG you actually purchase instead of a deceitful rental where one party only benefits, and that isn't you the costumer... If you want to know games that rely on disgusting sneaky features like always online DRM. You can join my curator group that exposes games like this one here: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38889889/

This had the potential to be a great game (nice weapons, different ships, great soundtrack), but got hampered by some seriously bad decisions. The worst of them all is the fact that EVERYTHING is YELLOW. Power-ups (4 types), enemy bullets (3 types), your bullets (1 type), the flames behind your missiles, enemies destroyed on the ground, explosions... you name it. As a result of this, you die several times without even knowing what hit you (a capital sin for a shmup). I would really like to recommend this one, because it gets a lot of the things right. But the profusion of yellow things on the screen (some you have to grab, some will kill you, some are just there as part of the background) is a critical mistake that negates almost all the things this game has going for it and turns it into a mess that is impossible to discern with a decent level of accuracy, especially with the fast reflexes you need when playing a shmup. Just don't bother and go play better shmups like Super Galaxy Squadron, Jamestown, Crimzon Clover and a ton of others available on Steam.

The Raiden series has always been a favorite of mine (though I'm a bit less partial to the Fighters spinoffs since they have what I like to call "Audience inbreeding syndrome", catering to score freaks and those who mastered the main ones specifically and becoming rather obtuse in the process). I've been wanting to play IV for forever since I don't own any of the platforms it's historically been available on, so seeing this one pop onto Steam was quite a treat! With that in mind, the porting work is very solid - the game runs silk smooth, looks great and even has some very good gamepad support. The original Arcade version of Raiden IV (Released in 2007) runs on the Taito Type X platform, which was sort of antiquated ("Pentium 4" antiquated) even when the game first came out, so it's no surprise that the game's a pretty smooth runner... Assuming this is a direct port of the original code, anyway. Raiden IV's lineage is somewhat confusing so I'm unclear how Overkill, the PS3, and the original Type X versions of the game all relate to each other. The gameplay's easily some of the most enjoyable shooting you'll see out of a Raiden game since Raiden II/Raiden DX, and the classic Toothpaste Laser even makes the return it didn't in Raiden III! The game's new Overkill mode takes some cues from the more score-focused games (the whole Overkill chaining setup evokes Raiden Fighters Jet's medal chaining) but the mechanics aren't nearly as obtrusive and don't need to be followed if you just want to have some fun with the new map layouts. I think this is a really happy medium between how the Classic Raiden games do things and how the Fighters games did things! Soundtrack-wise, Go Sato (The composer from MOSS - formerly Seibu Kaihatsu) returns to revisit his chiptune compositions for Raiden I and II. He did a very good job of it (and managed to make Tragedy Flame sound less like a transparent final countdown knockoff), so the game gets some marks there! Reusing music's a little unoriginal, but all the arrangements have been meticulously done. Newcomers and series veterans alike will get some ear candy! The new game modes also include remixes by other artists. The game's very agreeably priced and includes plenty extra over the previous ports, making it easily worth the purchase. Give it a spin if you can!

Top down bullet hell game is what Raiden is about. And this Raiden 4: Overkill is no different. Some of us old enough would see this game Serie in Arcade back in the days with the same type of speed, music, rush of bullet and adrenaline as there are no room for error in this game and bullet speed are overwhelmingly fast. Somehow doesn't feel quite as exciting as original arcane but neither less a decent game. There is no full screen mode as you will have to deal with the background at both side of your screen which became near invisible if you play long enough. 7 levels in all with 2 bonus level and after replay 7 levels again you will meet with the true final boss which made me wonder how anyone able to complete this game on ultra with 1 credit only. 7/10 for decent bullet rushing fun. Difficulty a bit too high for bullet hell beginner so this game is for veteran only. PS: and ya.. here is a good guide for achievements. https://www.playstationtrophies.org/game/raiden-iv-overkill/guide/

Played a few minutes of this already and I can tell you it's a great SHMUP (Shoot 'Em Up) title! Two things you will need to navigate the bullets in this game: 1/ Ninja fast reactions to navigate dynamic bullet patterns. 2/ An elephant like memory for the static bullet patterns. From there you have the fundamental skills which will allow you to compete with other players around the world for the highest score! The longer you live then the higher your score multiplier goes up! Classic arcade game with classic end of level baddies too! One thing I want though.. in this age of widescreen displays, I want a SHMUP like this (vertical scrolling) BUT utilizes the ENTIRE screen real estate.. no large areas along the left and right hand side of the screen that are vacant (I KNOW in this particular game and series as we know it because the original arcade version was a vertical screen orientation), but I think there would be a market for it ! You know? Like GigaWing. Could you imagine something like that running at 1920x1080 or higher? It could be very good indeed!

The music has arranged tracks from Raiden 1, 2, and DX. That automatically makes this a good game. In all seriousness, if you've played a Raiden game, you know what to expect: big hitboxes, fast bullets, and giant purple lasers. There are a wide variety of difficulty settings, and you can set your life/bomb count in the options menu, so the game can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of how bad or good they are at shmups. If I had one gripe, it would be that sometimes the bullets can be difficult to see, but other than that, this is a solid Raiden game I can recommend to fans of top-down shooters.

OVERVIEW: When you look at my library, there's a special place for shmups, and one of the reasons behind it is undoubtedly the Raiden series. I loved the fact that the first two games on the Arcades felt tough but not overwhelming. Playing this game co-op was and is sweet. I was therefore suspicious about the criticism this title received, I mean... not that the game had negative reviews but the hype I was expecting seemed like actually ranging from scarce to non existant. Here are the results after my first playthrough Pros -» Gameplay: very precise ship handling with hitbox feeling player friendly -» Soundtrack and sound effects: immersive beats and jolly good sound effects (in combat and outside) -» Graphics: amongst the best I have seen to date, least to my taste. Fighting vehicles and backgrounds are both beautiful -» Bosses: they respect the series history with style -» Replayability: you have 5 game modes and 3 ships, nothing to bother here -» Difficulty: hard on start and nightmare like on top tier -» Enemy Bullet style: gold colored bullets are still the best one could ask to dodge Cons -» Shame on me maybe but there isn't a thing I dislike about this title SUMMARY: I feel both lucky to be able to play this masterpiece by Moss-H2 Interactive, and weird on why people hold back on their love for Raiden IV Overkill 9/10 gaming scale Disclosure: After clearing the main campaign and, as I comeback for new sessions or new updates arise by developers, I intend to keep revising this review

Great game, but the only problem I have with this is that you can't play the game offline. That just sucks. Get this game on GOG instead.

Like I didn't have enough mourning to do, now this bites the bullet too? The Raiden series will always have special place in my heart for being my introduction to shmups. My heart cries out in pain at finding out this will be leaving the Steam Store. Why do things like this even happen? How do licensing agreements have endings like this? I recommend buying this game while you still can, though only if you can afford it since there's other platforms you could play Raiden IV on. Supporting what you love is one thing, but you shouldn't starve for it.