Radiant Silvergun (1998) Action, Adventure, Drama | Video game released 23 July 1998 A mysterious object known as "The Stone Like" is discovered and soon later wipes out all life on the planet Earth in a magnificent flash. "[12] Sega Saturn Magazine also thought the game had some of the most impressive Sega Saturn graphics, and highlighted the great mix of 2D and 3D graphics. [7] Although the team was eager to develop the game, there were still concerns. [15], Critics also praised Radiant Silvergun's gameplay, and most commonly highlighted its replayability thanks to the depth of its scoring system and hidden bonuses. Whether you're weaving in and out of bullets, circling bosses to find their weak points, or wielding your sword like a dragon slayer, everything feels just as it should. Your eyes stare at the screen, trying to comprehend how you're going to manage seven separate guns at once. Every hour you spend fighting waves of enemies adds another life onto your total, so even those who aren't proficient in shoot-'em-ups should be able to amass a large enough collection to succeed. The sword can also be continuously held in front of the ship to inflict damage and absorb special bullets to power up for a special large sword attack. DumpsterJuice. "[15] Sega Saturn Magazine argued that there are role-playing games with less depth than Radiant Silvergun. The A button fires standard, forward firing projectiles, the kind that you’ll probably be using most of the game. Solid controls give you complete command of your ship, Seven weapons offer lots of strategic diversity, Grinding to become more powerful is tedious. You control a little dingus called the Silvergun, you shoot other ships, and they explode. [8], Radiant Silvergun was released in Japanese arcades in May 1998. These 9 Things Will Totally Happen In Gaming In 2021 (Maybe), By It was originally released in Japanese arcades in 1998 and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn later that year. [6] Iuchi treated the arcade version as the "test version" with the console version released soon after that. The core mechanics are so well implemented that you can never blame the game for your mistakes, which goes a long way toward lessening the frustration. 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And because Radiant Silvergun is so challenging, there's no reason to feel bad for admitting you're just not good enough. If you're still stuck, Practice mode gives you a chance to test out the best strategy in a specific portion before you make a legitimate run for it. The right side of the screen displays all of the weapons you currently have access to, as well as the buttons that they're mapped to. [6] The team also made the bullets deliberately slow to appeal to a wider playing audience. Radiant Silvergun is the precursor to Ikaruga. [5] Much of the staff were fans of the genre, having grown up during the genre's golden age, but entering their careers after fighting games started filling arcades. The four secondary weapons have more specific uses. This boss demands an artistic style all its own. [8] The programmers and designers worked hard to use every bit of power from Sega's hardware. [26], Following Ikaruga's rerelease, fans began asking Treasure why Radiant Silvergun had not been rereleased as well, so Treasure began work on a port. [5] They chose to develop for the Sega ST-V arcade board because Treasure had normally developed games for Sega and it was similar to the Sega Saturn home console, which they were planning on porting the game to. But you have to play levels many times before you understand these methods. Then Anthony brings the vertical shooter oddity Radiant Silvergun and its recent Data Discs release, which currently represents the ONLY extant vinyl release for music by Hitoshi Sakimoto. In retrospect, it is considered one of the greatest shooters and Sega Saturn games of all time. The team had knowledge of the Sega Saturn's hardware from developing previous games for it, so they believed it would be easier this time around. Radiant Silvergun is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up.The player is given a wide arsenal from the start of the game featuring three primary weapons: a standard forward firing shot, weak but versatile homing projectiles, and a spread gun which fires two powerful exploding lasers at a wide angle. It's a whole new experience. You misjudged an enemy's attack pattern or flew too close to a barrier. Radiant Silvergun is an overhead shooter where you have three primary weapons, assigned to three primary buttons. The game was developed for the ST-V arcade board first and later ported to the architecturally similar Sega Saturn. If you aren't prepared for this onslaught, it's easy to lose faith and move on to a less demanding game. In response to this, Iuchi's first thought was to develop a non-Toaplan style shooter. When you throw in modern amenities, such as leaderboards and downloadable replays, this turns into an addictive challenge for anyone who loves chasing high scores. Radiant Silvergun, restored by Treasure, is now available! [23] Because of the game's limited availability, it soon became an expensive and sought after collector's item, selling for at least US$150 by 2011. [7] Only ten people worked on the game,[8] including three programmers, four artists, and one sound designer. The persistent Story mode is the most interesting way to play Radiant Silvergun, but if steep difficulty is too much to handle, you can dive into Arcade mode for a breather. © 2020 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. [6][8] The title is in reference to an early concept that had people flying through the sky holding silver guns in each hand. Treasure's classic Saturn shooter, Radiant Silvergun makes its way to the Xbox 360. This Xbox Live Arcade shoot-'em-up proudly carries the mantle of its genre peers, staunching your enthusiasm with its relentless swarm of enemies gunning for your fragile ship. Treasure was primarily known for developing action and platform games for home consoles before Radiant Silvergun. The story of Radiant Silvergun is told non-linearly through animated videos and scripted dialogue between stages. A persistent upgrade system lets you carry your powered-up weapons through each story mode run so that you're slightly stronger than you were the previous time. [5] Maegawa thought it would be best to keep the arcade and console portions of the development cycle separate, because arcades and consoles are so different. Recorded in 2012. [1] In the year 2520, scientists on Earth have unearthed a giant crystal along with a robot bearing the same serial number as another robot called "Creator" on the Tetra spaceship orbiting around Earth. Radiant Silvergun[a] is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. Member. [6] He believed that if the team was not successful with the console port, the 2D shoot 'em up genre would soon die. Treasure released 3 different machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1998. Radiant Silvergun is a vertical scrolling shooter by Treasure, released exclusively in Japan for the arcades (on the Sega Titan-Video hardware) and on the Sega Saturn in 1998. Never has a shooter combined relentless, thoughtfully-designed action with such stunning graphics and sound...Radiant Silvergun makes you feel as if you've never really played a shooter before. But it's impossible to completely eliminate the feeling of helplessness in a game this difficult. [7] The game's music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. [5] Gonzo had previously done animation for Treasure's Silhouette Mirage (1997) and Iuchi was happy with the outcome of their work on Radiant Silvergun. Radiant Silvergun. (c) Treasure 1998 Radiant Silvergun FAQ v.2k.FINAL And so ends the era of true gaming.. . [5][8] Iuchi was also concerned there would be no place for a 2D shooter in an arcade space that was advancing more towards large and specialized 3D game machines. [10][11], In July 1998, Game Machine listed the game as being the fifth most popular arcade game in Japan at the time. Maybe grab power-ups from destroyed enemies? Since the company's inception, Treasure had primarily been a developer of action and platform games for home consoles. [2][5] Sega had repeatedly asked the company to develop an arcade game for them, but Treasure president Masato Maegawa was concerned the shrinking arcade business would be too risky from a business perspective and arcade goers would not appreciate the effort placed into their game. [4][12] GameSpot concluded their thoughts saying: "This game is an absolute must-buy. Lock-on missiles, a sweeping laser, and rear assault fit right in with what you'd expect, but the final weapon is quite different from the norm. The Silvergun pilots fight through hordes of enemies until they eventually reach the crystal which they destroy. The weapons stay powered up for the remainder of the game. Radiant Silvergun (Sega Saturn Games) Simply put, this is the finest example of the shooting game genre you will find on any platform, home or arcade, to date. THANK YOU. Attention from collectors the world over soon followed, and rightly justified. Tom Mc Shea Radiant Silvergun is a vertically scrolling shmup. Video Games PS4 Xbox One Switch Wii U PC 3DS PS3 Xbox 360 Accessories Virtual Reality Trade-In Deals Best Sellers More Gaming ... Radiant Silvergun Japanese Format (NTSC-J). PS4 Will Get a New Shooter From Creator of Critically Acclaimed Shoot 'em … In addition to gaining a higher score, chaining attacks on the same color increases the effectiveness of the weapon used to destroy them. The shoot ‘em up gameplay that made this a legend remains unchanged, but a hidden "Ikaruga-style" shooting mode gives everyone something new. Development lasted two and a half years. To combat this, he made the game progress simply through shooting and dodging, and mapped weapons to individual buttons and button combinations instead of needing to press a button to cycle through weapons. For the uninitiated, Radiant Silvergun is absolutely daunting the first time you start things up. The player hosts an arsenal of six different types of shots to choose from, and a sword to destroy nearby targets. [8] The game was released at retail for the Sega Saturn on 23 July 1998, and sold around 50,000 copies. He brought in skilled players who held national records at shooters to debug the game. They praised the parallax backdrops, Mode 7 style distortion effects, and use of 3D polygons to create imaginative bosses. Optimum OS = D0S mode <--- use edit.com AXELAY IS NOT BETTER THAN RADIANT SILVERGUN. PS4 (physical) Last edited: Aug 6, 2020. [5], Iuchi thought arcade developers of the era were not innovating enough and only settling for rehashes of old ideas. Only 4 humans and a robot remain to stop it. [1][2], The game's scoring system is based on enemy color. [3] There are also hidden dogs that when shot, will give the player bonus points and unlock more game options.[4]. Edge wrote the game was "arguably the finest technical showcase the Saturn has ever played host to." "[14], In retrospective reviews, Radiant Silvergun is considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, and one of the best Sega Saturn games. Description Radiant Silvergun, restored by Treasure, is now available! Oct 27, 2017 3,086 California. Other machines made by Treasure during the time period Radiant Silvergun was produced include Gun Beat, and Ikaruga. Also released was Radiant Silvergun.Now, technically this is a Treasure-owned title and not a SEGA game (hence my * at the start), but the game is synonymous with SEGA, as SEGA published the original arcade version in 1998 and just two months later it was brought to the SEGA Saturn as a console-exclusive. There are many shoot-'em-ups where enemies flood the screen with so many bullets that the games have become known as "bullet hell." If all these segments are destroyed first, the player will earn a greater bonus. [9] The team was anxious about whether it was going to be received well in arcades since it was such a unique shooter and their first arcade game, so Maegawa went in person to arcades to gauge the player reaction. [4][12][14][15] Arcade called it "the kind of repeat play magnetism that makes you wonder why 2D shoot 'em ups fell from grace in the first place. The shoot ‘em up gameplay that made this a legend remains unchanged, but a hidden "Ikaruga-style" shooting mode gives everyone something new. [4] Computer and Video Games thought the game outclassed graphics capable on the PlayStation or Nintendo 64. Radiant Silvergun was developed by ten people, with Gonzo outsourced for animated cutscenes. The ship is also equipped with a sword that can be swung around the ship damaging nearby enemies. The stages are tightly designed to present players with scenarios that can be approached differently with the various weapon types. The last time we received a console port of Radiant Silvergun was on the Xbox 360 back in 2011, so it’s about time the game was given a new lease of life. Those easily intimidated need not apply, but anyone craving a serious challenge should look no further, and the novel persistent upgrade system offers a healthy change from other shoot-'em-ups. [12] Both Edge and Sega Saturn Magazine shared positive thoughts on the game's weapon systems, and also agreed that it was satisfyingly difficult, although Edge complained that sometimes it sacrificed fairness for visual flair.