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One big change is the medal system in Raiden Fighters Jet. The medals you find initially aren't the classic RF rectangular medals, but unusual cut-gem shaped medals. These new medals do not change, even if you collect Slaves. The airborne gem medals are attracted to your Slaves and will gravitate towards your Slaves. To increase their value, you need to combine several of these medals (those on the ground and in the air) together with the help of your Slaves into a single larger one. This 'mega-medal' can be worth up to 2,048,000 points! After you collect this 'ultimate mega-medal,' you have to get nine of the gem medals to appear on screen without collecting any of them. Once you have nine gem medals on screen, the medals will all explode, signaling you that you are in the 100,000-point medal mode from the previous two Raiden Fighters games. You will start seeing the classic 10K-100K Gold Medals from RF1 and RF2 appear.

The most significant new feature in Raiden Fighters Jet is the non-linear game stage progression. Unlike in the previous two Raiden Fighters games, where you play straightforward through seven stages, Raiden Fighters Jet has players progress through the game depending on how well they play. At the end of each level, you are graded on three things: ability, medals earned, and technical points. The total score you get between levels determines what level you go to next. You can be sent back a level if you do not pass the ranking system. The game even gives you a little evaluation at the end of a stage, like 'Switching to a mission of medium grade.' Even the number of stages you play in a single session depends on your performance. The stages are numbered in an unusual way:

- Level 01: Enemy Launch Base
- Level 05: Mine
- Level 10: Beach
- Level 15: Jungle
- Level 20: Desert
- Level 30: Canyon
- Level 35: Twilight Sky
- Level 40: Great Ocean (Battleships / Destroyers)
- Level 45: Ice River (Submarine Fleet)
- Level 50: Arctic Zone
- Phase 1: Night Sky Over City
- Phase 2: Weapons Factory

The stages have some of the most fearsome-looking bosses I've ever seen in any vertical shooter. And in some levels, you'll even see bosses from the previous two Raiden Fighters games make cameo appearances there! A red version of 'Hummingbird,' the menacing giant black boss plane from Raiden Fighters 2, appears as a midboss in Level 35. You'll see the colossal flying fortress boss from Stage 6 of the original Raiden Fighters return as an endboss of Level 35. RF2 final boss 'Red Eye' returns as the Level 50 endboss! In Raiden Fighters Jet, Levels 01 through 45 are 'simulation levels,' with Phase 1 and Phase 2 being the real battle levels.

Most of the fighters in RFJ return from RF2. One new fighter has been added, which is the Ixion. Included are the RF mainstays Raiden mk-II from Raiden II and Judge Spear from Viper Phase 1. There is a setting in RFJ to enable players to change fighters between continues. If this feature is not set, players will be forced to play as one particular fighter chosen at the beginning of the game if they choose to continue. The graphs of the fighters' capabilities are no longer shown on the Fighter Selection screen. This is a missed feature. Players of Raiden Fighters 2 may already know the capabilities of the seven standard planes returning in RFJ, but to new players whose first exposure to the Raiden Fighters series is RFJ, selecting planes is pure trial and error to find that which is most suitable for their style of play.

Also, most fighters in RFJ have the ability to fly over enemies, including air-based enemies. Not every fighter has this ability. The Hybrid Attack also returns from RF2, and it looks even more awesome now.

2007-01-04 23:43:00