Raiden 3 Woo Hoo @ Gamestop 29.99

[chowskee]

Finally they are releasing it in the U.S. I guess I'll pony up the 30+ bux. If you know a cheaper place to buy, please post.

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=281692

[Roufuss]

It's pricey, but still $30 cheaper than the import, so I'll definitely buy it.

Awesome that it's still coming out.

I already expect all the whining about a $30 price tag for "just a shmup" but this is by far an awesome deal, since we're saving 50% over what it costs to import it... that is, if you can ever find it TO import it, because both Play-Asia and NCSX are sold out.

[freshzen]

It will be $24.99 @ GameCrazy, possibly less else where. I'm very excited about this!

[Roufuss]

It will be $24.99 @ GameCrazy, possibly less else where. I'm very excited about this!

I'd be surprised if anyone carried this besides GC / EB / GS... it's too niche for BB / CC I think.

[freshzen]

I'd be surprised if anyone carried this besides GC / EB / GS... it's too niche for BB / CC I think.
Wal-Mart carried Castle Shikigami 2 ;)

It might be avaliable online for $20-ish though I'm thinking. Or possibly through a google checkout.

[Roufuss]

Wal-Mart carried Castle Shikigami 2 ;)
.

:rofl:

lol, wow, I only ever saw it at EB / GS.

I was just thinking about Raiden 3 the other day, and how we hadn't heard anything in so long and it was probably scrapped, and I was sad because I can't track down the import.

But this is awesome news... I might actually make my first preorder from EB / GS in years because I want to know I have a copy.

[Ma12kez]

Awesome news. There is a need for developers to revitalize the shmup genre.

[spooie_redux]

I actually got my CS2 from Walmart.com for free. After they delayed my order for 6 weeks, I cancelled it. Two weeks later, it arrived in the mail.

I kind of felt bad, since I didn't get billed. But Karma would strike me 2 years later when I'd order SOCOM I and II from them, and it would get lost in the mail... TWICE in a row!

[chowskee]

:rofl:

lol, wow, I only ever saw it at EB / GS.

I was just thinking about Raiden 3 the other day, and how we hadn't heard anything in so long and it was probably scrapped, and I was sad because I can't track down the import.

But this is awesome news... I might actually make my first preorder from EB / GS in years because I want to know I have a copy.

Same here, I'm going tomorrow to Gamestop to preorder this baby. Wow, this will be the 1st time I ever preordered a game. I want to make sure I have this in my shoot em up collection. Heck, I bought Ikaruga off at ebay for 45.00 and I don't have a GC or Wii yet! Just got R-types & R-type Delta for the PSX off of ebay.

[Roufuss]

Awesome news. There is a need for developers to revitalize the shmup genre.

Revitalize?

The genre is very much alive and well. Some of the best shmups ever came out this generation.

Shmups are just a dead breed in the US so no one brings them out here... I wonder how many people would have really have bought Ikaruga if it wasn't labeled as rare.

[Ma12kez]

Shmups are just a dead breed in the US so no one brings them out here.Yeah that's what I meant to say.:)

[Roufuss]

Yeah that's what I meant to say.:)

Haha, well, I guess it's too niche for most people, and too hard... people want their games to be easy these days ;)

[Dazz]

mouth drops to the floor.........

[Gameboy415]

Sweet!

Now I can stop ALMOST-buying the Japanese one EVERY time I go to WonderGoo.

[Ma12kez]

Haha, well, I guess it's too niche for most people, and too hard... people want their games to be easy these days ;)Seriously. People expect checkpoints every 5 minutes, and then give it a bad review if they are too far apart.:roll:

[Dr Mario Kart]

Do you reckon that, like most schmups, it'll be headed for the bargain bin?

[briansraregames]

Awesome news OP! Thanks for the info!

GAMECRAZY SHOPPERS BE WARNED!!!

BE SURE TO PRE-ORDER IT IF YOU WANT A COPY!

My store manager told me that they probably wouldn't have received any copies hadn't I pre ordered. Just an FYI.

[xghostsniperx]

Do you reckon that, like most schmups, it'll be headed for the bargain bin?

It could either go the way of Castle Shikigami 2 or Silpheed: The Lost Planet and end up selling for less than $10, or it could go the way of Gradius V and Ikaruga and sell for near retail. Well, a bit less than retail.

But really, the game is worth pre-ordering. It's a bit short and somewhat easy compared to other shmups, but it's still worth it.

[InvaderZim]

Do you reckon that, like most schmups, it'll be headed for the bargain bin?

It will... I'll wait for < $20.

[DigitalSpace]

I was hoping this would be $19.99, but oh well. Guess I'll try to get it at GameCrazy.

[heybtbm]

I realize that most of us here are "cheap ass gamers", but people need to buy this game (or even better...pre-order it) to send the message to companies that the SHMUP genre can still sell in the US.

This goes for Radigy (Radio Allergy) for the Gamecube as well. Time to put your money where your mouth is. I'm going down to GS today and paying for this thing in full.

[addicted2games]

Awesome! I LOVE Shmups and I'm only missing a couple import Dreamcast ones (which I will eventually get) and the import PS2 exclusive games (I dont have a way to play import PS2 games YET). I am definitely getting Raiden 3.

[DreamSymphony]

I got the import awhile back and wasn't really impressed with the game, it's ok but nothing special IMO...

[Kapwanil]

My jaw dropped last week when my local GS put up a "Play" sign for it right outside their store. I nearly lost it, asked them if it had a release date, and was thrilled to hear that it was coming out next month. $30? Reasonable enough for me! The Raiden series has always been worth every penny.

Toss that together with SnR and Project Sylpheed coming over here to the 360 and another title in the Taito Legends series hitting the US and I couldn't be any damned happier.

[Allnatural]

I suppose a game like this warrants a pre-order, given that each store will likely receive one spare copy (to be gutted). I'll pre-order The Red Star while I'm at it.

[Chacrana]

Hopefully this won't get Shikigami'd... it's being published by Tommo though and they're all about Japanese shit, so we should be safe.

Anyway, I'm buying this... it's supposed to be a fantastic shmup, right?

[Sir_Fragalot]

Seriously. People expect checkpoints every 5 minutes, and then give it a bad review if they are too far apart.:roll:Yeah I agee there, alot of the gamers of this generation never expirenced the classic era (NES, SNES) and well they don't understand difficult games, they are used to save points and I guess the whole US community is now. It is pretty sad, that a game like this comes out and no one except the few fans left buys it, but then the market is so screwed up games like Pimp my Ride can come out, so well atleast the Wii has the classic Shumps downloadable.

[Puffa469]

I realize that most of us here are "cheap ass gamers", but people need to buy this game (or even better...pre-order it) to send the message to companies that the SHMUP genre can still sell in the US.

This goes for Radigy (Radio Allergy) for the Gamecube as well. Time to put your money where your mouth is. I'm going down to GS today and paying for this thing in full.

I agree. I'll be getting this on day one fo sho, gonna preorder today.

And Ive already tried to preorder Radio Allergy, but its not in the GS/EB system.

[RustyOrgan]

Awesome! I'm def. going to get this...

[intelligentidiot]

If you don't want to wait or want a cheaper price, you could always buy Raiden III for PC from yesasia.com for $12.99 + shipping. I bought this a few months ago and it works fine on Windows XP Pro SP2. I might just buy the PS2 version if if does actually come out this time.

[gunm]

Ooo, I'm in! A little pricey, but a good shmup is worth it I guess.

[D. Monic]

Thanks OP! Just pre-ordered.

Tip for those interested, you can pre-order Radio Allergy at Overstock (http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=2199689) or CDUniverse (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7327449&style=games&BAB=B).

[-Never4ever-]

Yeah I agee there, alot of the gamers of this generation never expirenced the classic era (NES, SNES) and well they don't understand difficult games, they are used to save points and I guess the whole US community is now. It is pretty sad, that a game like this comes out and no one except the few fans left buys it, but then the market is so screwed up games like Pimp my Ride can come out, so well atleast the Wii has the classic Shumps downloadable.

A love shumps as much as anyone, but there time has come and gone. Not only are they way to hard for anyone outside diehard fans, but they feature little-to-no longetivity. Most last 1, maybe 2 hours and are completly done after that. Yes, you could go after high scores and what not, but again, that's only for the hardcore group to tackle.

The fact that the hardcore group shitted all over Sigma Star Saga was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. Instead of embracing a new style, they pretty much bashed the game and avoided it.

The industry has thrived through evolution, genres evolve, or they die.

As for Raiden 3, it's way to expensive. I took a long hard look at the game when it was rumored to be $15, at $30 I'm most certainly passing. Too many others out there that are pretty much the same game, or even better.

[tiredfornow]

even though im showering in shmups from the VC, another one cant hurt.

[Roufuss]

A love shumps as much as anyone, but there time has come and gone. Not only are they way to hard for anyone outside diehard fans, but they feature little-to-no longetivity. Most last 1, maybe 2 hours and are completly done after that. Yes, you could go after high scores and what not, but again, that's only for the hardcore group to tackle.
.

The whole point of a shmup is to try and 1 credit it these days and replay it.. most shmups are easy to get through if you're just trying to finish. Maybe that's "only for the hardcore" but that's the entire point of the game is scores and 1 crediting.

Same with games like Metal Slug and Contra.

Shmups are far from dying... where are people getting this silly idea from anyways? The games constantly sell good numbers in Japan, enough to get The Best versions made.

[Puffa469]

This is a little ot, but the games that get 'the best' treatments in Japan do not seem to be best selling games all the time. I think some 'the best' games are games that sold poorly at normal price, and getting 'the best' status is more akin to price cut than an acknowledgement of good sales numbers.

The whole point of a shmup is to try and 1 credit it these days and replay it.. most shmups are easy to get through if you're just trying to finish. Maybe that's "only for the hardcore" but that's the entire point of the game is scores and 1 crediting.

Same with games like Metal Slug and Contra.

Shmups are far from dying... where are people getting this silly idea from anyways? The games constantly sell good numbers in Japan, enough to get The Best versions made.

[karkyco]

Don't know if it's already been posted, but in the Gamecrazy price reduction thread, Raiden 3 is listed for $24.99 new.

[Roufuss]

This is a little ot, but the games that get 'the best' treatments in Japan do not seem to be best selling games all the time. I think some 'the best' games are games that sold poorly at normal price, and getting 'the best' status is more akin to price cut than an acknowledgement of good sales numbers.

I don't know... I've always noticed the more popular games get The Best treatment, while some of them that aren't so popular just kind of stay at full price.

All of SNK's fighters, for instance, are huge in Japan and most of them go into The Best.

However, ESP.Galuda didn't go The Best, but Ibara did.

Though it's kind of speculation I guess since we're not in Japan and don't have sales numbers ;) That's one reason I'm waiting on KoF XI, because I'd rather get it for $29.90 at The Best price one day since it's guaranteed almost to go there.

[onikage]

Thanks OP! Just pre-ordered.

Tip for those interested, you can pre-order Radio Allergy at Overstock (http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=2199689) or CDUniverse (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7327449&style=games&BAB=B).

You can also use Google Checkout on pre-orders @ CDuniverse, bringing the total down to $12.78 shipped.


-- CDuniverse also has Raiden 3 for pre-order.

[pimp tyranny]

raiden 3 as in the sequel to the games on Raiden Project? damn i love Raiden 2.

[firenze]

A love shumps as much as anyone, but there time has come and gone. Not only are they way to hard for anyone outside diehard fans, but they feature little-to-no longetivity. Most last 1, maybe 2 hours and are completly done after that. Yes, you could go after high scores and what not, but again, that's only for the hardcore group to tackle.

The fact that the hardcore group shitted all over Sigma Star Saga was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. Instead of embracing a new style, they pretty much bashed the game and avoided it.

Wow. Just wow. I find it really hard to believe you "love shmups as much as anyone" with comments like that.

1. The point of playing a shooter isn't to credit feed through to the end in an hour, then be "done". That's like saying the point of a fighting game is to fight through eight opponents and a boss and then you're "done". Or that the point of a Madden game is to play a game to the end and then be "done". It's about the experience of playing the game. Replayability. Improving your skills. High scores, learning to beat a level without dying, and most importantly just because most shooters are still really fun the 100th time just like they are the 1st.

2. People didn't like Sigma Star Saga because it was a crappy shooter combined with a mediocre RPG. It was an interesting concept, but the execution was pretty bad. If not liking a bad game is the final nail, so be it.


As for Raiden III, I paid $60 for it when it released for PS2 in Japan (like a year and a half ago). Worth every penny.

Radilgy is good too, at least the DC version. Though I hear the Gamecube port turned out well. It's amazing it was made by the same people responsible for the awful Chaos Field (worst shooter in years, by my and many other genre fans' opinion). If anything, it's nice that Chaos Field getting released in the US didn't completely ruin the genre's reputation.

People have been whining about the genre being dead for years. Still kicking. There's still great stuff releasing in Japan. Just this month I'll be getting two new shooters (Last Hope and Trigger Heart for DC). And three classic compilations - Konami's Salamander, Parodius, and Twinbee PSP collections. Next month is Karous. In May it looks like we're getting a US release of Senko no Ronde. Cave just announced a new arcade shooter. Treasure is working on a new shooter. Dead? Hmph...

[xghostsniperx]

However, ESP.Galuda didn't go The Best, but Ibara did.

No it didn't. Ibara is no longer getting a Best release, since Square-Enix closed Taito down.

[Roufuss]

No it didn't. Ibara is no longer getting a Best release, since Square-Enix closed Taito down.

Well... fuck. That explains why my order went from a set date to TBA on Play-Asia's site.

I was just aware that SE bought Taito, not shut them down completely.

From shmups.com, they seem to think it has to do with the contract between Cave / Taito running out, but there is no definitive reason why it was cancelled... it just kind of was.

[Puffa469]

I think shmups can still have a place in this world. They just need to be budget priced. They obviously dont cost as much to develop as Splinter Cell, or some other modern 3D game, so they should not cost $50-60.

These games are made by small handfuls of people sometimes as few as 3-4 ppl. Development time is short, the price should reflect all these things.

I would have loved to have gotten some of the Dremacast shmups that have come out in the last few years, but Im not spending $50+ on them.

Make every new shmup $20 and I think people will buy them.

Hell, make em available as downloads for the Wii, 360, ps3 etc and your cutting out 90% of the distribution costs.

[Roufuss]

It's as simple as that the Japanese are buying these at $50 - $60, I assume, and most of their profits are coming from there, so who cares what the US wants. The hardcore fans in the US are already dropping $50 - $60 for these games as soon as they come out anyways, so that market is already covered.

Most of these developers are probably making good enough money over there not to worry about making some budget release that probably wouldn't even sell in the US.

To some people, they will get $60 worth of enjoyment out of Gears of War... some people like me will get $60 worth of enjoyment out of a fighter or shmup so the price dosen't bother me in the least bit.

I just have to assume the people you're talking about who will buy these at $20, are fairweather US fans, and well, they aren't even part of the equation for most of these games since they don't get released outside of Japan.

[freshzen]

raiden 3 as in the sequel to the games on Raiden Project? damn i love Raiden 2.
Hahaha, exactly. The Raiden Project is one of my favorite PS1 games. I especially like Gradius & Raiden over all other shumps, games like Giga Wing & Ibara kind of suck in my opinion.

[DigitalSpace]

The fact that the hardcore group shitted all over Sigma Star Saga was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. Instead of embracing a new style, they pretty much bashed the game and avoided it.
I wanted to enjoy Sigma Star Saga, but after coming across some of the glitches and hearing about more of them (especially one where you had to shoot a huge wave of enemies in the exact order to proceed or you'd be stuck) I sold it off. I was extremely disappointed at how rushed the final product was.

[pimp tyranny]

i just couldn't deal with the control scheme on SSS. as i recall, A i believe was go faster, and B was shoot, and how the fuck are you supposed to be holding one button down with your thumb while tapping the other? i was psyched about SSS, but the control scheme ruined it for me. i didn't even give it a fair chance.

[Megaboz]

Just a bit of a correction concerning Gamestop's description - the game is actually being released by UFO Interactive (http://www.ufointeractivegames.com), who seem to be intent on bringing to the States, some of the games that were localized in English for PAL territories by 505 Games. Along with Raiden III, they will also be publishing the DS games, Chameleon (KuruKuru Chameleon), Devilish, and Labyrinth (Mawashite Koron) for release in the US later this year as well.

I already own the Japanese versions of the above games sans Chameleon, but I'm sure I'll be repurchasing at least RIII.

[Kayden]

I imported it the day it was released. :oops:

[Roufuss]

I imported it the day it was released. :oops:

Hey don't feel bad, I was getting ready to import this myself because I thought it had been cancelled ;)

[zackattack]

thanks, preordered.

[DomLando]

Did Raiden III come out today? Ebgames.com has it backordered but out. I called a few Gamestops nobody had it. Also it lists Red Star to ship today so they should have it tomorrow.

[heybtbm]

Did Raiden III come out today? Ebgames.com has it backordered but out. I called a few Gamestops nobody had it. Also it lists Red Star to ship today so they should have it tomorrow.

It looks like Raiden III is stickly a "preorder only" affair. My local Gamestop got in 1 copy (mine) and zero copies for the other 3 Gamestops in town. It's currently backordered at Amazon and Gamestop.com.

Edit: It turned out my Gamestop got 2 copies...not just 1. Just clarifying.

[DomLando]

It looks like Raiden III is stickly a "preorder only" affair. My local Gamestop got in 1 copy (mine) and zero copies for the other 3 Gamestops in town. It's currently backordered at Amazon and Gamestop.com.
Man I hope that is not the case since I forgot to preorder.

[fatbeer]

family video has it for $27.64 after apply coupon code NEWGWMEM (for new user) with shipping it comes out to be $23.64

http://shop.famvid.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=268855

[Dr Mario Kart]

I believe Bestbuy.com has this available for preorder

[gunm]

Sweet, so the game actually did come out this week? Yeah, Amazon pre-orders are particularly slow if you take their free shipping. Ah well, as long as I get it, I can wait...

[DomLando]

family video has it for $27.64 after apply coupon code NEWGWMEM (for new user) with shipping it comes out to be $23.64

http://shop.famvid.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=268855
Just ordered a copy. Thanks!

[PikaPichu]

Just ordered a copy. Thanks!

Same here. Had to be a true CAG and go for .99 shipping. Now I have to wait 2 weeks! XD

[DomLando]

I wonder if Gamestop B&M will still let me preorder Red Star even though it comes out tomorrow. If not Amazon through Target has Red Star for $14.99 after shipping it comes to a little over $19.

[fatbeer]

I wonder if Gamestop B&M will still let me preorder Red Star even though it comes out tomorrow. If not Amazon through Target has Red Star for $14.99 after shipping it comes to a little over $19.

hmm it seem like cduniverse changed their google checkout. now the $10 off new users are back compare to previous orders of $29.99 or over.

$13.35 original cost with google checkout and shipping it comes close to $6.34
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=7116606&style=GAMES&cart=523753570

[gunm]

Yay, my copy at Amazon has moved to "shipping soon" status. Looks I'll be getting this next week...

[Karyyk]

Amazon.com now has it listed as "In Stock Soon."

http://www.amazon.com/Tommo-Raiden-3/dp/B000N6TYOY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5897225-6069412?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1176931602&sr=8-1

[fairtrade]

I hope this game comes out in time to pick it up at BB w/ a coupon.

This thread really just makes me wonder when Radio Allergy will finally be out though. :roll:

[addicted2games]

family video has it for $27.64 after apply coupon code NEWGWMEM (for new user) with shipping it comes out to be $23.64

http://shop.famvid.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=268855
Thanks! I just ordered one from them too.

[IbiteHRD]

Ordered my from family vid also. Thanks for the heads up!

[dyreschlock]

picked it up today at Eb Games.. too busy to play it though :/

[Jedah Doma]

Good to see this is out. Picked up my copy today while the car was in the shop. Pretty decent game. It's not mind blowing, but it's cool we got a chance to play it here in the States. That and it will be hard to find down the road.

[LLeopardGGecko]

Awesome. Ordered Raiden III and Red Star. Thanks guys!

[devilmaycry218]

Ordered, this is one game I don't want to miss out on. It's a shame we don't get more 2D shooters like this.

[phattsoe]

man, i remember playing through the raiden project for the psx. i just gotta get this game!

[silks]

This is $29.99 at Amazon with Free Shipping, BTW.

[Justin42]

family video has it for $27.64 after apply coupon code NEWGWMEM (for new user) with shipping it comes out to be $23.64

http://shop.famvid.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=268855

Has anyone had good luck with Family Video before? I've never heard of them and they don't appear to be in resellerratings.com...

[RollingSkull]

FamilyVideo has had lots of CAG deals recently, and CAGers have given them thumbs up. They just don't have a sexy website like Amazon or BB or... pretty much any other retailer.

[addicted2games]

Has anyone had good luck with Family Video before? I've never heard of them and they don't appear to be in resellerratings.com...
Well, this is the first time I ordered from them and my Raiden 3 has already shipped. So far, so good.

[PikaPichu]

Well, this is the first time I ordered from them and my Raiden 3 has already shipped. So far, so good.

I ordered the Transformers movie from them a while back and had no trouble with it whatsoever. The only bad part was waiting for the package. 5-10 business days is a LONG time, but then again it's only .99!

The USPS guy who works in my area is kind of prone to screwing up and often delivers my mail to someone who lives on the other side of the block and vice versa.

[shrike4242]

Has anyone had good luck with Family Video before? I've never heard of them and they don't appear to be in resellerratings.com...I've ordered Victorious Boxers 2 as a pre-order from them and it was an OK experience.

Family Video is a video-store chain (there's a number of them around here in the MO/IL area), though on a much smaller-scale.

[Justin42]

Cool, thanks for the responses, I'm in for Raiden @ Famvid!

[Knoxximus]

I picked up my pre-order from Game Crazy last night. They got 2 copies, and I was the only person who had pre-ordered it back in Feburary, and probably the only reason they even got in the 2 copies that they did. They sure did have an ASSload of Pokemon for tomorrow though!

[psincubus]

thanks, just placed an order with famvid. you guys are great :)

[PikaPichu]

Holy %$!@$!# I paid for .99 shipping, placed the order about 2 days ago and received it this afternoon. I'm shocked and surprised at their speedy delivery.