is a

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

vertical scrolling shooting video game developed by

MOSS Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

. It was first released in the arcades in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. A home conversion was produced for

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. An updated arcade version was later released for

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

NESiCAxLive is a digital distribution system for arcade video games made by Taito. It is similar to the SEGA ALL.Net game distribution system. Taito uses NESiCAxLive to distribute not only its own games, but also allows other companies to use it as a public ...

digital distribution platform. Two more versions featuring new content were released: ''Raiden IV: OverKill'' for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

and

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

, and ''Raiden IV x MIKADO remix'' for

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...

, with Windows,

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...

versions also in development.

Gameplay

The gameplay of ''Raiden IV'' is identical to the previous games. In each stage of increasing difficulty, players maneuver their fighter craft, engaging various enemies and avoiding their attacks. The Flash Shot mechanic, first introduced in '' Raiden III'', returns in this game. Collectible items include weapon upgrade icons, bombs to cancel enemy attacks and deal damage to enemies over a large area, and score items such as medals and fairies.

Plot

The Crystals have returned again after numerous defeats against humanity. The VCD immediately launches a new model of the Raiden fighter, the Fighting Thunder ME-02 Kai, to stop the Crystals from taking over the Earth.

Development

Location tests

The first location test for ''Raiden IV'' was held at

Akihabara is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...

Hey on July 22–23, 2006, on an Egret II system. This version had three difficulty levels and forced a different weapon for each player. The second location test was held again at Hey and at Taito Game World in

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

on October 14–16. The third location test was held at High-Tech Sega in

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

and Taito Game World in Shinjuku on December 27. The version of the game used in this location test allowed players to select a weapon. The fourth and final location test was held at Shinjuku Gesen Mikado on February 20, 2007.

Releases

Moss launched the arcade version of ''Raiden IV'' on June 7, 2007, while launching the official arcade website. In 2008, an

port came, which includes new stages,

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an Internet, online multiplayer video game, multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox ...

support, monitor rotation options, and downloadable content. The port was set to be released on September 11 by Moss, but was pushed back to October 2 as the game needed more polish and bug fixes. A version designed for the NESiCAxLive arcade download system was unveiled on February 22, 2011, in AOU2011. New features include perfect mode, which incorporates the seven-stage game from the Xbox 360 version of ''Raiden IV'', and background music from the ''Ultimate of Raiden'' soundtrack. It has the Fairy character available for use. A

version was released in early 2014 as ''Raiden IV: OverKill''. This version was the first official European release of the game, and adds two new stages, three different fighters (Fighting Thunder ME-02 Kai, Fighting Thunder Mk-II, Fairy), a new OverKill Mode, and a Replay&Gallery Mode. It was then ported to

and released by H2 Interactive worldwide on September 3, 2015. A version titled ''Raiden IV x MIKADO remix'' was released for

on April 22, 2021 in Japan, on May 6, 2021 in North America, and October 22, 2021 in Europe. It features remixed background music by various artists produced by Game Center Mikado. It was later ported to

and

in Japan, and is set to be released worldwide by

NIS America is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' character ...

for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,

and

in early 2023.

Soundtrack

''Raiden IV -Ultimate of Raiden-'' is a video game soundtrack CD by INH. It includes Arcade, Xbox 360, and remixed versions of game music tracks from older and current ''Raiden'' games, with a total of 27 tracks. The OST was included with the X360 version of game for a limited time. INH has also offered a special PDF file DVD by pre-ordering from their site. The disc named ''Raiden IV Secret File'', contains player ship specifications, enemy combat data, strategies for the game and concept art. This ''Secret File'' is also available from American distributor

UFO Interactive Games UFO Interactive Games, based in City of Industry, California, is an American publisher of interactive video game content, developing on multiple platforms with a focus on original and mass-market gaming software. As an official third party licensee ...

via a code printed on the American version of the CD.

Track listing

Reception

''Raiden IV'' has received mixed or average review scores upon its U.S. release, with both IGN and the Official Xbox Magazine scoring it a 6 out of 10. IGN's Eric Brudvig writes: "Though at first glance you might think there are 14 levels in ''Raiden IV'' ... there are in fact only seven with the second half of the game merely repeating the first.... UFO Interactive Games went ahead and added insult to injury with its use of downloadable content. After dishing out $40 for the game, you'll find that only one of the three ships on the main menu can be used. The other two must be purchased through Xbox Live". Backlash over the pay to play ships has created controversy at several gaming forums, leading gamers to wonder whether the extra content is worth the price to obtain them.Raiden IV review at IGN
/ref>

References

External links

*
Raiden IV for NESiCAxLive website

INH Raiden IV -Ultimate of Raiden- website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raiden Iv 2007 video games Arcade video games MOSS (company) games Multiplayer and single-player video games NESiCAxLive games PlayStation 3 games UFO Interactive Games games Vertically scrolling shooters Video games developed in Japan Windows games Xbox 360 games