In this game when an enemy fires, bullets are often on the screen for a couple of seconds. In Darius Twin for the Super NES, one of my favorite shooters, your ship appeared to be traveling along at an incredible speed, action was more spread out, and the levels were varied. The game, although viewed from a 3D perspective, is decidedly two-dimensional during gameplay as you shoot everything as if it's on the same level (ground or sky). Your ship doesn't appear to be traveling very fast and the enemy tanks on the ground can actually move as fast as you can! One of the things I've never liked about games like this one is when the ground moves by too slowly. The available bombs can either destroy a bunch of enemies ahead or those surrounding you. An example is the continuous-firing purple laser that is a useful weapon against big ships that stay in front of you and don't move.
You begin the game with a simple dual firing laser and then, as you get certain power-ups, you're able to use more powerful guns. Some of the weapons you wield are very powerful. The screen may be covered with enemy fire and ships but you'll never have a sluggish moment. To its credit, Raiden II never slows down. One of the best changes, however, is that gameplay now encompasses both vertical and horizontal perspectives, an option not available in the arcade version.Īttacking aliens is about the only reason anyone could have for blowing up so many things! As is typical for most shooters, the screen gets cluttered with enemies and you find yourself just holding on to the guns while plowing through them. The game is very difficult and due to the small screen size, it's incredibly trying. No installation is required, assuming you have Direct X installed. Just as Samurai Shodown 2 brought an arcade fighter to your PC, Raiden II does the same for this classic shooter.