Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX Review

If you are unfamiliar with the Raiden franchise, allow me to explain what it is.

Raiden (Arcade)

It started as an arcade shoot’em up game, which was eventually ported to nearly everything. Today, you can get the arcade version either on PlayStation 1, through Raiden Project or via Arcade Archives, like I did.

Raiden II (Arcade)

The second game seems to be locked on Raiden Project, or the actual arcade machine. It’s very much like the first game with a few additions.

Raiden III

Raiden III has more options than the original games. You could buy it on Steam, but they have replaced it with the current version, the PlayStation 2 or, now on modern consoles. I unboxed Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX on YouTube the other day. I released a follow-up comparison video the other day.

Raiden IV

Raiden IV was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, back in the day. The game already had its updated release for modern consoles. You can buy it here. I covered it here:

Raiden V

Raiden V; well the less said about that game, the better. I never cared for this game at all. The graphics are very good, but good lord, the characters NEVER shut up. You can disable it, but perhaps the background characters should not talk so much. To me, it ruins the game. You can buy it for nearly every modern console today.

Raiden Fighters Aces

This is another Raiden collection, which was released on Xbox 360 and also Steam. I covered the Xbox version here and here.

Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX

The graphics and gameplay are largely unchanged from the earlier version(s) of the game. The resolution is certainly higher on this new release. The big change, is the music. The physical version also comes with a digital copy of the soundtrack. Dare I say, the soundtrack is the best part of the game.

Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX is the latest version of a well-established game. There isn’t too much to say: the controls are very responsive, the graphics are as expected and the music is great. If you are a new shoot’em up player, then get ready for a difficult game. After each session, you will unlock something. It may be something trivial like graphics, or something more substantial, like the soundtrack.

I have enjoyed the game, but out of the MIKADO re-releases, I would choose the forth game instead.