A few months ago we reviewed Raiden Fighters Aces for the Xbox 360.  It was a collection of "classic" Raiden Figthers games for the 360 with some incredible value.  A few months later we have a full sequel to Raiden III on the same platform, one that's enhanced from the arcade version of Raiden IV.  Co-op, purple lasers and bullet - we review it.

UFO Interactive has announced a limited edition of Raiden IV today.  There's actually two versions of the limited edition - one exclusive to Gamestop.

Your normal limited edition will contain the game and a soundtrack CD, while your Gamestop Limited Edition will include the game, soundtrack cd, and a secret file cd.  The secret file cd contains concept art, strategy videos, and enemy data.  Siliconera as some screens of the secret file.

There's no word on pricing yet for the two player co-op SHMUP's limited edition - but the release date is now a mid September date after originally being schedule for August.  We're big fans of the Raiden series here, so we have high hopes for this one.

The smell of Raiden is in the air.  Hot on the heels of our review of Raiden Fighters Aces for the Xbox 360 comes news that Raiden IV will be released this August on Microsoft's console.  Published by UFO Interactive, the Raiden sequel will feature 3d graphics, online leaderboards, downloadable content, and of course two player co-op.

Like Raiden Fighters Aces, it appears to lack online co-op, which is a bit of a disappointment. The game does looks gorgeous in motion, check out the handful of videos we've gotten our hands on and make your own call.

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Are you a fan of co-op SHMUPs? If so you probably want to check out Raiden Fighters Aces for the Xbox 360 - we dive deep into the game's co-op mode and come up with a mouthful of nostalgia (and bullets).

Fans of the Raiden series of SHMUPs will be happy to know that the latest compilation for the Raiden Fighter Aces series has been released on the Xbox 360.  The set contains all three Raiden Fighter Aces games for $19.99.  Not content with just a straight two player co-op shooter, Valcon games has added some features.

The new features included a training mode that lets players modify every aspect of their ships and wingmen; skip to any level; or play in slow motion. There's a ton of screen and control settings that let gamers play each game full-screen as a side-scroller, or even vertically on a rotated 4:3 display.  Plus there's the ever popular graphical filtering options.

Finally if you want to show off your skills to your friends, or even your co-op sessions, you can upload replays of your game to the online leaderboards for other players to download and admire.  Not a bad deal for under $20.

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It looks like a rumor we posted about back in January is coming true, at least partially.  Valcon Games has officially announced it will be publishing Raiden Fighter Aces for the Xbox 360.  According to retailers we're looking at a late April release date with a $29.99 price tag.

The vertical scrolling shooter was released last year in Japan, and it features 2 player co-op throughout the included three Raiden Fighters games.  The game is going to feature a few modes of display, including; standard vertical scrolling, full-screen side-scrolling, or full-screen vertical scrolling on a rotated display.  My wife is going to love me rotating our 42" HDTV on the wall!

You'll also be able to see just how much better the rest of the world is at the game thanks to online leaderboards, complete with downloadable replays of of the top scorers!  

I'm a sucker for a good SHMUP.  I was pretty excited when last year we saw a solid remake of 1942 in 1942: Joint Strike and an Ikaruga re-release on the Xbox Live Arcade.  Since then, well I've been a sad penguin.  Especially since the island of the rising sun got Raiden IV.  Boo - no fair!

Perhaps sooner, rather than later, we'll be getting a game that was previously a Japanese only release.  Raiden Fighter Aces has been spotted on a few listings, including Gamefly and Amazon.com.  The game is a compilation of Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive and Raiden Fighters Jet on the Xbox 360.  If all goes as planned we'll be gunning down oversized tanks with our friends by March 3rd! 

What are some of your favorite SHMUPs of all time?  Personally I LOVE Raiden II.

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The Raiden series, particularly Raiden II is the pinnacle of co-op SHMUPs (perhaps next to Ikaruga).  So there's good news that we finally have confirmation that the arcade version of Raiden IV will make it's way to Xbox 360 consoles complete with two new stages and Xbox Live play! 

For the truly hardcore the developers of the title have also included the ability to save and share replays as well as support "swivel" LCDs.  What does that mean?  If you turn your 16:9 LCD on it's side so it stands upright you can play the elongated game that way with no sidebars. 

Unfortunately there's no word of an American release, but Japanese gamers can get their hands on the latest Raiden game on September 11th.