¢RAIDEN¢A Jaguar Review by Michael Clatworthy¢¢ One of the first releases for the Jaguar in the UK was Raiden, a clone of the arcade shoot-em-up. The story goes like this... Mother Earth has fallen to deranged militant aliens (again!). As pilot of the Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter it's up to you and you alone to mount a daring counter attack.¢¢ Raiden can be played either solo or two player - two player being more enjoyable as this involves a team effort, with both players on the screen at the same time.¢¢ The game starts with you being launched from an aircraft carrier. The enemies are in the form of futuristic aircraft, tanks and turrets, all with their own level of resistance to your firepower. You must fight your way through to complete the level.¢¢ To assist you on the way, there are special pods which appear when certain enemies are destroyed. Blue pods increase your laser power, red pods increase your cannon power. Other pods which appear equip your ship with missiles or give you full power to either the lasers or cannons.¢¢ On reaching the end of a level you will encounter a larger enemy, which has a stronger resistance to your firepower. When it is destoryed you move on to the next level, after receiving a bonus for the number of medals you have collected. Medals appear when certain enemies are destroyed.¢¢ Another weapon in your arsenal is the bomb, which can be used to create a devastating ring of fire which destroys all enemies in its path, and lasts for a few seconds. Be warned though, the number of bombs left at the end of each level contributes to your bonus.¢¢ The graphics in Raiden are very colourful. The effects are smooth, with the larger enemies being very well animated. However, you sense that this game just doesn't stretch the Jaguar enough. In fact, it's just ticking over quietly.¢¢ This game has a 16-bit feel to it, but it is very playable and challenging. Music and sound are good, although could have been better.¢¢ Overall, Raiden is a fair game which will please shoot-em-up fans. If you are looking for a game which will show off your Jaguar, this is not one.¢¢¢GAME TIPS:¢¢- Try to collect the same coloured power-up pods and the same type of missiles to ensure that you obtain maximum firepower by the second stage.¢¢- In two player games, it is best for one player to collect blue pods (laser) and the other to collect red (cannon). The player collecting red pods is best positioned just behind the other player as not only is additional firepower obtained by firing at the player in front, but the concentrated laser fire will clear a path for the players, due to the cannon fire being multi-directional and acting as a spray. The further toward the bottom of the screen you are, the more area of firepower you will have.¢¢- Be careful of all enemy aircraft. If you don't destroy them when they are going down the screen they come back up from the bottom, and have a nasty habit of appearing right behind you!¢¢- You will find that when you are killed you lose all firepower enhancements. This can make Levels 3 and above very tricky indeed!¢
