~B
written by DragonKnight Zero
e-mail: e_lin@cc.colorado.edu
Started on 9/20/99
Version 1.0 complete: 10/5/99
Contents
- Introduction
- Legal jazz
- Game description
- Scoring and mechanics
- Scoring Table
- Power up
- General hints
- Level data
- Mysteries
- Challenges
- Credits
- This guide's future
- Introduction
This game's been out for five years and I haven't found any game
information on it. So I decided to share what I know about this very
challenging game. The tips here should also apply to the PSX and PC
version as well.
Version notes: I have actually seen two different versions of this
game. I'm not sure which one came out first but the level layout is a
bit different in each one. I'll go into more detail in a future
revision of this guide.
- Legal jazz
Copyright 1999 by Erwin Lin. This guide may be distributed freely
for non-profitable use as long as it is unaltered and includes this
copyright notice. You are free to use any part of this guide as long
as I am credited. This guide nor any part of it may not be used for
profit nor distributed with anything that will be sold for profit
without prior written consent from me. If you want to make a profit
off this work, I want a cut of the profit. This is MY work. If you
rip it off, there will be hell to pay.
- Game description
Story? What story? Fly your Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter
across the eight levels and destroy anything that moves or shoots back.
Controls are simple. One button fires guns, a second drops bombs, and
the joystick moves the fighter. This is a simple vertical shooter;
you don't have to worry about crashing into the terrain. Overall,
Raiden II is a test of reflexes. You never see who flies the planes.
For all anyone knows the pilots could be women, androids, moogles, etc.
- Scoring and mechanics
At the start, your ship is armed with a single shot vulcan and 3
bombs, which is not enough. Grab weapons and missiles to increase your
firepower (detailed in the next section). Bombs cancel out enemy shots
within their effect area. Anytime you shoot something or grab a
power-up, points are gained. When you die, the shrapnel from the
exploding ship can damage enemies. Also, several power-ups may come
out, you lose all your weaponry, and your next ship starts with the
peashooter and 3 bombs (regardless of how many you had when you died).
Lose all three lives (four on some machines) and the continue screen
comes up. If you continue in solo-player mode, your score and medals
reset to zero. Consider yourself good if you score 500000 or higher on
your first 3 lives. The high score list will keep track of the top ten
scores and the level the player died on. A =C= on the high score list
means the player continued after attaining that score.
In two player mode there are twice as many Power Up Carrying
Enemies (PUCEs), the game throws in a few more enemies and missile
bays, and some of the bosses (particularly in Level 2) seem tougher.
Your score and medals carry over if you continue. There is a separate
high score list probably due to this difference.
- Scoring Table
End of level bonus: 1000*bombs*medals (Remember: Medals reset to zero
if you continue in solo-player mode.)
Most weapons: 500
Gold medals: 500
Silver medals: 3000
Random object that looks like a frog: 10000 (doesn't count as a medal)
Fairy: 10000
"Extra" power-ups: 5000
Unnecessary P: 10000
Mission 1 clear (all 8 levels): 1000000
Mission 2 and up clear: 3000000
- Power up
Guns: These cycle in color from red to blue to purple. These are
usually carried by PUCEs. Grab them to increase the power level of the
primary weapon. Note that changing weapons does not increase the power
level. Guns are fully powered at level 8 (weapon levels not game
levels). Here are the weapons.
Vulcan (Red): the basic peashooter. Powering it up increases its
spread. Useful but lacks power unless you can get close so most of the
spread will hit.
Laser (Blue): A straight firing laser. Powering this up will increase
the number and potency of beams. This is the strongest in terms of
power.
Plasma (Purple): New to Raiden II. At first, it's a lot like the laser
but firing until it turns into a single beam will enable it to lock on
to what it hits, enabling the player to move freely while still causing
damage. Its great for beginners and reduces the amount of aiming that
needs to be done but is somewhat unreliable because it doesn't always
go where you want it or need it to go. This is not a homing gun; you
still need to guide the beam to the enemy which you want to hit. Plus,
the lock-on beam is weaker than the straight shot. Despite its weak
points, this is the weapon I recommend for a one-player game.
Missiles: These provide support fire and come from underneath the ship.
Missiles do work on air targets. You don't start with any. Grab 4
of the same kind for full power. Like weapon power-ups, these cycle
between the possible choices. Fired automatically with guns. These
are released from what I call missile bays.
Nuclear Missiles (Yellow M): These fly straight and are quite powerful.
The slow speed can be useful for taking out enemies coming from one
part of the screen while the player is blasting things in another.
Even at level 1, these are useful.
Homing Missiles (Green H): Guess what these do. In my opinion, not
nearly as useful unless fully powered because they're weak and
pitifully slow. When fully powered though, they find their targets
fast. The preferred missile for levels 3 and 5 due to the many little
ships.
Bombs: Bombs cause damage and cancel out enemy shots within the effect
area. You can have a maximum of 7 at once; grabbing an 8th will only
give 5000 points. These are also carried by PUCEs.
Bomb (Red B): A concentrated explosion causes heavy damage to anything
within the effect area. It takes about two seconds to detonate after
releasing it so it needs to be timed well.
Cluster Bomb (Yellow B): Although not as powerful, this bomb has wider
coverage. In addition, it also comes out faster and lasts longer
making it the "panic" bomb. Very useful when you don't know what's
coming. New to Raiden II.
P: This fully powers up your gun and missiles (if you have any). These
are rare although if you and/or the other player die a lot, they'll
appear more often. Just don't forget that you can still be killed by
a single shot.
Fairy: It's worth 10000 points. When you die, it will drop some extra
power-ups.
- Hints and tips
Most enemies shoot directly at you. Therefore, as long as you are
moving and not moving towards a gun, you will usually not be hit.
Most enemies come out from the same place. Memorizing the positions
will help. (easier said than done)
Don't be afraid of using bombs, especially if you are a beginner.
Your stock is reset to 3 regardless of how many you had. I've died
with 7 once: very annoying. Conversely, you'll need to become somewhat
comfortable dodging through small spaces if you wish to become better.
Don't worry about medals much. Worry about staying alive. It's
especially true if you can't even pass the level without continuing.
When the continue screen is up, the screen KEEPS SCROLLING. At
times, it may be to your advantage to let it count down before pressing
the start button to come back. At bosses however, it's best to come
back ASAP if you plan on continuing.
With plasma, sometimes it is better to use the straight shot instead
of the beam because straight firing actually does more damage if you
can keep on the target.
Nuclear missiles do a lot of damage if you're close to the enemy due
to them firing more frequently.
Try not to change weapons too often unless you're already fully
powered. Changing weapons does not increase the power level.
If a P appears, the ideal tactic is to have some kind of missile
before taking it so they'll be powered up as well. Taking a missile
after the P will result in level 1 missiles.
Power-ups will drift off the screen after a certain amount of time
passes (my estimate is 30-50 seconds) so don't wait forever.
Balanced weapon combinations are stronger. Vulcan's wide range but
poor power should be augmented by the destructive power of nuclear
missiles. Laser should be supported by homing missiles to reach those
enemies not in front of you. Purple works fine with either type of
missile.
In two-player games, I recommend the players use different weapons.
Two people using plasma is not that powerful. My power combo involves
the better player using laser and homing. The other player should use
vulcan or plasma with whatever missile.
Also in two player games: share the power-ups.
Never insult another player's performance, no matter how much he or
she may suck. Even if the other player is bad, the game is usually
more fun with them than without.
- Level data
Because the game relies so much on reflexes, I'm not going to try
to write a walkthrough on each level. There are some patterns that are
helpful to know which I will include. I will also include my weapon
recommendations for solo players, # of PUCEs (multiply by 2 if there
are two players), and missile power-ups
Level 1:
Recommended weapons: plasma and nuclear missiles
5 PUCEs
2 missile power-ups (4 in two player)
Consider this a warm-up level. The fairy is easy to find; just shoot
the tree it's in while dodging shots. The boss is fairly trivial.
Most of the time, the bosses will fire shots at the diagonals. That's
the time to get close and hose it with missiles. When the turret
starts turning, it will fire several shots straight at you when your
ship is in it's line of fire. Two spreads of bullets will come out a
split second before on each side to make it tricky to dodge. The easy
way is to drop a bomb a bit before it fires to cancel the shots.
Otherwise, back up and slip through. Watch out for small tanks and
small planes. They come at fixed times. The second boss tank will do
the spread and turret combo continuously when it's nearly dead.
Level 2:
Recommended weapons: plasma and nuclear
6 PUCEs
3 missile power-ups
Somewhat more difficult, though manageable. There are some enemies
worth noting. The large plane is trivial if you have vulcan or plasma
because its shots can be destroyed. Just don't be hit by the tanks.
The two hovercraft later on serve as a sort of mid-boss. They have two
firing patterns. In the first, the side cannons try to box you in and
the gun holes shoot directly at you periodically. It's not too hard to
dodge. The second firing pattern is a wide spread that locks on to
your location then fires based on where you were a split second ago.
It's almost impossible to go around unless there are two players. If
your firepower is weak, it may be better to not do too much damage so
they stay in their first firing pattern since you do not have to kill
them. Near the end of the level, a car will speed from the right. It
is worth 10000 points if you nail it. Plasma or vulcan level 3 or
higher is good at the boss. Check out Ethan Larson Raiden FAQ at
Gamefaqs for detailed strategy since the behavior of the boss resembles
that Level 2 boss a lot. I usually use a bomb to escape the third
firing pattern as it closes it though. With plasma, the third pattern
can be avoided by flying to the side of the boss while still being able
to hit it.
Level 3:
Recommended: Plasma and homing
5 PUCEs
3 missile power-ups
Extra power-up: Destroy the stationary gunboat-like enemy near the end
of the level just before two hovercraft.
This level is HARD. 98-99% of the time, I go game over here. This
is the level to beat. If you are still fully powered with plasma and
nuclear, switch to homing straight away. It will help immensely versus
the flood of little ships that will assault you through most of the
level. By the way, they are more aggressive that the little guys in
Level 1. With enough firepower, the large mosquito planes can be
killed before they fire. Their wings flicker really quickly before
firing so if they're not dead, slip through a hole. Their spread isn't
aimed at you so it's not difficult to dodge. Be wary of gunboats and
little ships though. When gunboats start coming from behind, it
becomes really hairy. I usually drop a bomb shortly after the 3rd PUCE
appears and the two gunboats are coming from behind. If you survived
the first water section, prepare for more fun. The land section before
the next water section often kills me because the shots are hard to see
at times. The second water section is also insane so don't be afraid
to use a bomb if you're feeling overwhelmed. I use a bomb at the end
where the two hovercrafts are docked together.
Still haven't died? OK, switch to nuclear missiles for the boss. It
is a big boat with a LOT of pop-up guns. Your primary target is the
main cannon. The pop-up guns on the side of the main gun will aim for
you, the guns in front only fire forward (and their shots can be
destroyed). There are some more, but they are not a threat. Other
dangers are the pop-up turrets on the docks and the little ships that
will harass you throughout the battle. It's not too difficult until
the cover on the main gun is blown off. Once that happens, there will
be the main gun's spread to worry about. It wouldn't be so hard except
for those pop-up triple guns in the back, the little guys, and maybe
some pup-up turrets if you were fast. Use your bombs as needed. I
have passed this boss without dying only once when playing solo.
Another time when I was with another player, I was using fully powered
laser and homing and we killed the boss before the screen stopped
scrolling. That sure felt good.
Level 4:
Recommended: plasma and nuclear OR laser and homing
4 PUCEs
2 missile power-ups
Extra power-up: Destroy both cannon towers near the end. There is also
a missile power-up between them.
There's a hidden fairy in this level. About the time when the first
mobile platform shows up, there will be eight targets arranged in a
circle on the left side of the playfield. Destroy all of them and then
destroy the bush that appears to make the fairy appear. It really
helps to have two players for this. Don't bother if you're playing
solo, you're on your last life, and you don't plan on continuing.
Anyway, I find this level to be a bit easier than the last one. Don't
let the peaceful BGM lull you into thinking this will be easy. Switch
off red as soon as you can; it will be too weak. There are several
dangers of note. For starters, the large plane from level 2 is back.
This time, its shots are not destroyable. Tanks will also come out
from under the woods. A bomb is highly recommended if the second plane
appears before the first is destroyed though it isn't always necessary.
Other dangerous enemies are the mobile platforms. At first they appear
to be part of the ground but they'll move out and attack. Beware: they
don't show while the continue screen is up but if someone continues,
they'll pursue from behind. You'll almost certainly need a bomb or two
to survive the section near the end with the third mobile platform and
17 (I counted but I may still be off) kamikaze planes bearing down
almost all at once. Also, the formation of 5 planes right after will
come back from behind if not destroyed on the first pass.
OK, the level may be slightly easier than the last one but the boss
is much harder. The first enemy you see isn't actually the real boss
but it must be killed before you can shoot the boss effectively since
it will park right in front of it. Both parts can make turrets pop out
of places on the ground. More pup-up triple guns here. I can't give
much information on patterns so good luck. There are a lot of parts to
shoot here. Once I managed to pass this level on my first credit. It
was mostly luck and I haven't been able to duplicate this feat.
Level 5
Recommended: plasma and homing
6 PUCEs
2 missile power-ups
If you haven't noticed already, the enemy shots have been increasing
in speed throughout the levels. About halfway through this level is
the farthest I ever went on a single credit. Anyway, homing missiles
are a must for this level. The aggressive little guys are back and
they're more tenacious than they were in level 3. The tanks also seem
to have multiplied; they are everywhere, especially on the end stretch.
No new enemies other than the railroad cars.
The boss is a three parter. The first part is relatively easy. Stay
at the very back and center of the screen and make small movements to
dodge shots. If you're afraid of dying it may be worthwhile to use a
bomb right away to quiet some of the guns and the thrusters but don't
use them otherwise. Part two is a little tougher. It will come out
automatically after a set amount of time. Stay vertically aligned with
its center at the back of the screen and make small movements to dodge
its volleys. The wingtips cannons are not a worry if you're centered.
When it sprays shots seemingly everywhere, you really only need to make
small movements. Some players may need bombs but for me, it just
throws off my timing and I die. Part three is a nasty one. Again
back of screen, vertically aligned is the best position for dodging.
Once you have a feel for its pattern, it's not really that hard. All
these fights are one on one so no other enemies will harass you. Laser
is the best weapon if you happen to have it.
Survived? Congratulation. It only gets worse from here on out.
Level 6: no data available
There is a sequence before the level begins where your fighter(s) is
launched into space. Once the music changes, it's time to get back to
action. Space debris all around here. Plasma is recommended although
that may not matter since it's so hard to stay alive. I can't remember
much else about the level other than the mosquito ships from level 3
return somewhere here. Because I rarely play past level 5 and I don't
have the Playstation version, I can't help much on this level. I dare
anyone to make it here on three lives. It's near impossible.
Level 7: no data available
More outer space madness. There is one type of enemy here that will
send shots in the 8 cardinal directions when destroyed. Other than
that, I don't remember anything beyond the difficulty. There are also
a lot of space debris.
Level 8: no data available
An interesting thing happened here the first time I played this
level. I was waiting for the continue screen to hit 1 and the screen
filled up with so many ships that it stopped scrolling. I'm guessing
the game hit a limit. This level will throw everything at you. I mean
it. At the boss, remember that tanks will periodically come out from
within the structure. It will be a long fight. My big moment of glory
was when I survived the level (not the boss) on one life. The other
player continued a lot.
Once you complete the 8th level, the game will award you a million
points and will restart with the enemy shots being faster (as if they
weren't fast enough already). No real ending; that's the worst thing
about this game.
- Mysteries
In all seriousness, is there an end to this game? On the PSX version,
I've used mission select to start on the third time through and the
game goes to a mission 4. Anyone with the home version or their own
arcade machine willing to find this out? Whoever solves this mystery
as well as any others will be given credit.
Is there a way to gain extra lives? It seems to have happened to me
once and I don't know how. Twin Galaxies (TM) webpage hints that one
will be awarded at 1 million and 3 million. (my personal best is around
980000; guess I need to become better) However, I know of no one who
has confirmed this. I wonder if extra lives can be gained through
fairies. Again, no real confirmation on this.
What happens if you destroy the crystal that floats around during part
of level 8? There is also something fairly early in level 6 with the
same icon on it. What's the purpose? For the record, a crystal also
flies off the screen when some of the bosses are killed. I only
remember seeing it in level 2 although it probably does this in every
level.
Does the tracking bug work? It's described in Ethan Larson's Raiden
FAQ. I don't feel like wasting quarters on this one. If it works, the
level 1 boss would be very easy.
- Challenges
Tests of skill devised by me. I'm not going to make a record table so
don't ask.
-Training for those with a home version: Complete the first level,
shooting at nothing but the boss and dying no more than twice. If you
successfully do this, you will be a much better player.
-At the end of level 1, kill the second large boss tank before killing
the first one. To earn bragging rights, this must be completed on the
first life.
-Gain a level clear bonus of 100000 or more playing solo, This can be
accomplished on any level of choice (except 1, where it is impossible)
-In level 4, survive the section with the third mobile platform and the
17 kamikaze planes without using bombs. Heck, survive the boss without
bombs.
And of course . . .
Highest score in solo player on first credit.
That's all for now. More to come. If I post a submitted challenge,
that person will be credited.
- Credits
Ethan Larson and his Raiden FAQ: Some of the general hints were found
in his guide. The tracking bug is also in there. Also, his boss
strategies for levels 1 through 4 are applicable to Raiden 2 to varying
degrees.
Lloyd "Pops" Clark, who lends me money to play with him when I am short
on arcade funds.
Gamefaqs, for inspiration and being a place to submit this guide to.
All the people who still play Raiden 2 so it stays in the arcades
Anyone else who deserves credit that I didn't mention above.
- This guide's future
Here's what I have planned for future versions of this guide.
- Cleaning up (spelling, grammar, etc.)
- Information on the different versions of the arcade game.
- Unofficial song titles for the BGM
- My "super secret" to high scores
- Codes for the PSX version if there is enough demand (The codes are
at GameSages.)
Other additions will be up to contributors. I am especially looking
for anything that could clear up the Mysteries section, information on
the last three levels, and locations of more fairies. I will also
accept submissions of boss strategies and diagrams, level walkthroughs
(if anyone wants to write one), general hints, challenges, and BGM
titles. Unofficial BGM titles and challenges which I use will be
credited directly in the sections themselves while other contributions
will be in the Credits section. Comments, corrections, questions,
submissions, and suggestions can be directed to my e-mail at the top of
this document.
