Raiden V: Director's Cut | 雷電 V Director's Cut | 雷電V:導演剪輯版

[h1] Awesome shoot'em up! What else to say? [/h1]

[h1]For the SHMUP Enthusiasts Only[/h1] This one was not for me. Personally I'm not the biggest Raiden fan, but even then, the prior games were of higher quality than this game was. You have levels and effects that cause enemy bullets to blend in with the background, generic weapons, forgettable bosses, and GOD AWFUL NPC RADIO CHATTER OH MY GOD SERIOUSLY. This game has a run time noticeably longer than many other SHMUPs of its kind and during that entire time you are listening to this insipid dialog that is like nails on a chalk board. The presentation is mediocre, the shooting isn't as tight as others in the genre, the levels are bog standard, and the run time is just far too long. If you're a diehard Raiden fan, you could still do better than this game. If you're a novice to the genre and only want the best of the best that steam has to offer, skip this one.

Raiden V: Director's Cut, developed by MOSS Co., Ltd. and published by UFO Interactive Games, successfully brings one of the most respected names in the vertical shoot 'em up genre into the modern era while preserving the fast-paced arcade action that has defined the series for decades. Rather than relying solely on nostalgia, this enhanced edition expands upon the original release with exclusive content, additional gameplay features, and a stronger emphasis on storytelling. The result is a game that feels familiar to longtime fans yet introduces enough fresh ideas to remain engaging for newcomers looking to experience a classic style of arcade shooter with modern presentation. At its core, the game delivers the intense action players expect from the Raiden franchise. Every mission is packed with swarms of enemy fighters, armored vehicles, and enormous mechanical bosses that fill the screen with dangerous projectile patterns. Success depends on quick reflexes, precise movement, and learning enemy attack behaviors through repeated play. Controls remain responsive throughout, making it easy to weave through narrow openings while maintaining constant offensive pressure. The difficult…

By far my favorite vertical scrolling shmup and my favorite in the Raiden series. My playtime at the time of this review is low, but I used to play it a LOT on the Xbox One and later the Director's Cut version on PS4. The first thing worth mentioning was that the frame rate on PC is capped at 60 and I had to make manual adjustments to force the game run at the correct speed, but after that it ran as well as the console versions. There are three ships you can use with different levels of Shield (lives), different missiles, and varying attack power. There are three different types of machine guns, lasers, and plasma beams, which adds variety to the game. You can pick what works best for you and go to town destroying enemies. The soundtrack in this game is so good - much different from the remixes of previous Raiden games, and that was a welcome change. The story that runs on the side of the playing field is your standard video game plot, but the fun part is the character dynamics between the commander, tech officer, weapons specialist, etc. Too many people complain about that, and if it bothers you, it's easy enough to turn the voice volume down. I love it however, and think the v…

While the "story mode" isn't that great of an addition, there's still a solid shmup to be enjoyed here. The difficulty level is quite punishing (as is Raiden tradition), so you better grab your best controller for this one.

A really decent arcade shoot em up. Will recommend on a discount. Trying to get all the achievements can be quite tiresome though.