is a

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

vertical scrolling shooting video game developed by

MOSS Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

. It was first released in the arcades in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. An updated arcade version was later released for

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

's NESiCAxLive 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 and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

and

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

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

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

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 ...

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

, 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 console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

, and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

Gameplay

The gameplay of ''Raiden IV'' is similar 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 neighborhood in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan, generally considered to be the area surrounding Akihabara Station (nicknamed ''Akihabara Electric Town''). This area is part of the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts of Chiyoda. There is an ...

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 , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

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

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

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 known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

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 was 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'' charact ...

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 license ...

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.

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 NIS America games