So Friday I open up one of the shipping boxes at work and staring me right in the face, much to my surprise, was a new game in the Raiden franchise. Putting caution to the wind I bought the game up faster than Fatio McChunderpants buying a dozen donuts to stuff in his face. So I rang the game up to check the price…$39.99 (CAD). Okay, fine, it’s a Raiden game, it’s going to be so awesome that such a price sticker would be worth it right? Well yes and no.
Before I go too much further let me educate all of the readers out there what exactly the Raiden series is. In case you didn’t know, the Raiden franchise is a top-down vertical-scrolling shooter where you take the role of a highly advanced fighter. There’s really no plot point, not the game needs one, it’s a simple old-fashion scrolling shooter complete with lives, power-ups, and screen-clearing super bombs.
The fourth installment in the series hasn’t really improved the game play mechanics much, if at all, but hey, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it right? This, in and of itself, is the best reason to pick up Raiden IV. The creators didn’t mess with the mechanics or feel of the game, thus we have the same game we all know and love, just with updated graphics and new content. If your fixing for a trip down memory lane than definitely inject this game into your veins post-haste.
However that’s about where the glamour ends, now it’s time for the not-so-nice bits about the game. There’s nothing wrong with the game itself apart from two key factors: the price and the screen ratio. I mean this is a $40 game for what is, essentially, an Xbox Live Arcade title, a damn good Xbox Live Arcade title, but an Arcade title none-the-less. If you do the math that comes out to roughly 2800 Microsoft Points, extremely pricey as far as Arcade titles go. That being said, a moot point, but you also don’t get full use of the screen, a particular downer if you’re a widescreen user and get the exact same amount of screen space as somebody without widescreen.
The price is truly this games major downside and it’s really hard to discuss the price point without demeaning the game. Is $40 for this game overpriced? Yes, yes it is, however that does not mean this game is bad by any stretch, it just begs the question “does this really need to be a physical media release and does it really deserve to be $40?” The answer to this question is a resounding no. If it had been $10 to $20 cheaper I could forgive it coming out on physical media and it would definitely be a must-have game for any arcade enthusiasts out there with an Xbox 360.
However, as I said before, it’s not that the game isn’t worth the money but rather it’s that such a high price sticker just really brings the game as a whole down. The high price sticker is really going to detour people from what is otherwise an incredible game and, in the end, I think overall sales are going to hurt because of it. Had this game been released on disc for $20-$30 or on the Xbox Live Arcade for 800-1200 MSP or less I can not only say it would have sold better but it also would have scored much higher on this review. Even if it was $29.99 or 1200 MSP I would have picked it up in a heartbeat, but having spent $40 on it I’m actually regretting the purchase, not because the game isn’t good, but because I feel cheated.
Had this game had a lower price sticker it would have definitely gotten my thumbs up as a four or five star game, however it breaks my heart to have to give this game 3 Stars, not because it’s a bad game, but because its publisher made a really, really bad move in its choice of release methods and release price. If you’re a Raiden fan and need your fix, definitely pick up this game if you don’t mind the steep price tag, however for the rest of you gamers out there, for how much this game costs, just rent it instead.
