Raiden Fighters Aces - Xbox 360 Review

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I've been a fan of the Raiden series ever since seeing them in-person at the height of the 2d arcade days. Unfortunately due to its rarity in my local arcades I never had the chance to play them very often. So this compilation of the three Fighters series games for $20 is probably one of the best deals ever for fans of Shoot 'em Ups. It's an absolute steal for the price.

Each game in the Fighters series would be very approachable for intermediate and above skill levels. It's a great introduction for those who want a more action packed Shoot 'em Up experience without dipping into bullet hell territory. With only a casual commitment they are still difficult games to play proficiently, but the enemy and bullet patterns are (mostly) fair and avoidable on the standard or below difficulty levels. Average players could enjoy any Fighters game without having to posses reflexes that are beyond those of mere mortals. If lightning reflexes and quick thinking aren't in short supply however, then there is a lot of depth to enjoy... Like any great Shoot 'em Up they can be very complex or shallow experiences depending on the individual and dedication put forth. Regardless, a little extra shot of caffeine before playing might help add a few more points to the high score.

There are only two potential drawbacks... One might be some visual overload because there are just tons of objects moving fast on-screen at any given time. Still to this very day all three Raiden Fighters are impressive for 2d sprite games. There's not much in the way of a slow difficulty ramp-up such as a game like Galaga. Pick your fighter, hit start and prepare to dive-in head first! Depending on personal preferences the second drawback could be the soundtrack. It will be either great or annoying depending on how appealing someone finds Drum & Bass / Breakbeat music. Regardless, it does add to the experience of the adrenaline packed play and was an appropriate soundtrack style for each game.

So on top of the great classic game play and 2d graphics, Raiden Fighters Aces probably has one of the best arcade to console ports ever. For those who care there are well designed menus, filter options galore, a rotate screen function, saturation adjustments, even add arcade monitor style scan lines and control their intensity. It makes all other arcade compilations and ports with the standard blur/scale filter just seem that much more pathetic. New functionality like saving and viewing game replays, new boss rush modes and having an online score scoreboard with LIVE are just icing on the cake.

Maybe someone can correct me, but as far as I know MAME still doesn't emulate this series well due to the encryption of the original boards and ROMs used. So this maybe the only chance for awhile to play the Fighters series properly outside of owning the original arcade hardware. If there is any remote interest in the game please get a copy now before this becomes a lost gem and goes for 2-3x's the price!

Now all I need is some mega PSiKYO compilation of this caliber and I can die at anytime knowing my life is complete.

TLDR: Like Arcade Shoot 'em Ups? BUY IT NOW!

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I have never played Raiden Fighters Aces before and this is the first time I've played it on the Xbox 360. All I can say that the game itself is very addicting. There are a lot of options and I've only attempted the NORMAL MODE (whatever that means). There's also Boss Rush and Expert mode which I have yet to try out. And it's not just 1 game, it's 3 different games! They are quite similar but the bosses and settings are still different from each other. I can't believe this is only $20. I think it has a lot of replay value. It's fun once in a while to play some old-school games for its simple objective and easy button configurations. :) If only they had Xbox Live Co-op mode, it would be even better! But I'll take the already available offline co-op mode too. :D

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Raiden Fighters Aces is possibly the sole beacon of hope in this day and age for fans of true arcade games. It's no secret that arcades are dead in America, and those of us who wish it wasn't so are often left hanging out to dry. Besides a few sparse XBLA ports or hollow indie cash-ins, the gaming industry has seen fit to let the genre proper wither and die, but RFA stands proud and shows that there is at least one publisher left that hasn't completely abandoned the genre.

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A great bargain and lots of fun. Easy to get used to and the replay value is high. My son and I love playing this game. Straight forward in gameplay, shoot the baddies and avoid being shot down! As simple as it sounds, it is still very challenging when you have to keep an eye on the enemy fire as you try and shoot them down. A great game at a great price.

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I found no problems with this game that would make me give it less than 5 stars.

You get to choose one of three games on one disk. Raiden 1,2,3.

Each game offers tons of planes.

The screen is as customizable as possible. You cannot stretch these images as far as your widescreen because its a port from arcades.