                 Raiden II Player's Guide Version 1.0
                   written by DragonKnight Zero
                   e-mail: dragonknight_zero@hotmail.com
                       Started on 9/20/99
                    Version 1.9 complete: 7/17/00

Contents

   - Introduction
   - Legal jazz
   - Whats New
   - Game description
   - Scoring and mechanics
   - Scoring Table
   - Power up
   - Enemies
   - General hints
   - Level data
   - Mysteries
   - Challenges
   - Version Differences
   - Credits
   - This guide's future

- Introduction

     This game's been out for five years and I haven't found any game
information on it.  So I decided to share what I know about this very
challenging game.  Thos guide was writen with the hard version in mind.
The PSx port (not sure about PC) is the hard version.  The easy machine
will be covered in greater detail in the Version Differences section.

- Legal jazz

     Copyright 1999 by Erwin Lin.  You are encouraged to distribute
this guide for non-profitable use as long as it is unaltered and
includes this copyright notice.  You are free to use any part of this
guide in your own works or webpages as long as I am credited.  This
guide nor any part of it may not be used for profit nor distributed
with anything that will be sold for profit without prior written
consent from me.  If you want to make a profit off this work, I want a
cut of the profit.  This is MY work.  If you rip it off, there will be
hell to pay.

Raiden 2 is property of Seibu Kaihatsu c. 1993-1994

I have recieved a lot of e-mail asking where to find a copy of the
game.  Be aware that I will provide no assistance in finding, burning,
downloading, copying, stealing, or otherwise obtaining any illegal
copies of Raiden 2 or any other game.  It is alright to ask me about
legal conversions or buying or finding an arcade machine though I will
probably not be of much help.

- What's New

7/17/00 v1.9: New E-mail, added location of 1-up in level 6, added
another strategy for the level 2 boss.  More legal jazz; see above

4/5/00 v1.8: Added more to Enemies section, added something to Did You
Know, made some minor changes.

2/27/00 v1.6: Added a Did You Know section, fixed an error in Powerup
data, removed tracking bug mystery, started Enemies section, fixed an
error in Version Differences, more minor changes.

10/13/99 v1.5: Added the locations of two 1-ups; added the version
differences and unofficial soundtrack titles section; added boss hints
for levels 4, 6, and 7; covered the level 2 boss in greater detail;
added a little info on level 7; added "super secret" in General hints;
Credits section expanded; (naturally) made a few other minor and 
cosmetic changes.

10/5/99  v1.0: The beginning

- Game description

    Story?  What story?  Fly your Raiden Supersonic Attack Fighter
across the eight levels and destroy anything that moves or shoots back.
Controls are simple.  One button fires guns, a second drops bombs, and
the joystick moves the fighter.  This is a simple vertical shooter;
you don't have to worry about crashing into the terrain.  Overall,
Raiden II is a test of reflexes.  You never see who flies the planes.
For all anyone knows the pilots could be women, androids, moogles, etc.

- Scoring and mechanics

     At the start, your ship is armed with a single shot vulcan and 3
bombs, which is not enough.  Grab weapons and missiles to increase your
firepower (detailed in the next section).  Bombs cancel out enemy shots
within their effect area.  Anytime you shoot something or grab a
power-up, points are gained.  When you die, the shrapnel from the
exploding ship can damage enemies.  Also, several power-ups may come
out, you lose all your weaponry, and your next ship starts with the
peashooter and 3 bombs (regardless of how many you had when you died).
Lose all three lives (four on some machines) and the continue screen
comes up.  If you continue in solo-player mode, your score and medals
reset to zero.  Consider yourself good if you score 500000 or higher on
your first 3 lives.  The high score list will keep track of the top ten
scores and the level the player died on.  A =C= on the high score list
means the player continued after attaining that score.
     In two player mode there are twice as many Power Up Carrying
Enemies (PUCEs), the game throws in a few more enemies and missile
bays, and some of the bosses (particularly in Level 2) seem tougher.
Your score and medals carry over if you continue.  There is a separate
high score list probably due to this difference.

- Scoring Table

End of level bonus: 1000*bombs*medals (Remember: Medals reset to zero
if you continue in solo-player mode.)
Most weapons: 500
Gold medals: 500
Silver medals: 3000
Miclus (looks like a frog to me): 10000 (doesn't count as a medal)
Fairy: 10000
"Extra" power-ups: 5000
Unnecessary P: 10000
Mission 1 clear (all 8 levels): 1000000
Mission 2 and up clear: 3000000

- Power up

Guns: These cycle in color from red to blue to purple.  These are
usually carried by PUCEs.  Grab them to increase the power level of the
primary weapon.  Note that changing weapons does not increase the power
level.  Guns are fully powered at level 8 (weapon levels not game
levels).  Here are the weapons.

Vulcan (Red): the basic peashooter.  Powering it up increases its
spread.  Useful but lacks power unless you can get close so most of the
spread will hit.

Laser (Blue): A straight firing laser.  Powering this up will increase
the number and potency of beams.  This is the strongest in terms of
power.

Plasma (Purple): New to Raiden II.  At first, it's a lot like the laser
but firing until it turns into a single beam will enable it to lock on
to what it hits, enabling the player to move freely while still causing
damage.  Its great for beginners and reduces the amount of aiming that
needs to be done but is somewhat unreliable because it doesn't always
go where you want it or need it to go.  This is not a homing gun; you
still need to guide the beam to the enemy which you want to hit.  Plus,
the lock-on beam is weaker than the straight shot.  Despite its weak
points, this is the weapon I recommend for a one-player game.

Missiles: These provide support fire and come from underneath the ship.
Missiles do work on air targets.  You don't start with any.  Grab 4
of the same kind for full power.  Like weapon power-ups, these cycle
between the possible choices.  Fired automatically with guns.  These
are released from Missile Caches.

Nuclear Missiles (Yellow M): These fly straight and are quite powerful.
The slow speed can be useful for taking out enemies coming from one
part of the screen while the player is blasting things in another.
Even at level 1, these are useful.

Homing Missiles (Green H): Guess what these do.  In my opinion, not
nearly as useful unless fully powered because they're weak and
pitifully slow.  When fully powered though, they find their targets
fast.  The preferred missile for levels 3 and 5 due to the many little
ships.

Bombs: Bombs cause damage and cancel out enemy shots within the effect
area.  You can have a maximum of 7 at once; grabbing an 8th will only
give 5000 points.  These are also carried by PUCEs.

Bomb (Red B): A concentrated explosion causes heavy damage to anything
within the effect area.  It takes about two seconds to detonate after
releasing it so it needs to be timed well.

Cluster Bomb (Yellow B): Although not as powerful, this bomb has wider
coverage.  In addition, it also comes out faster and lasts longer
making it the "panic" bomb.  Very useful when you don't know what's
coming.  New to Raiden II.

P: This fully powers up your gun and missiles (if you have any).  These
are rare although if you and/or the other player die a lot, they'll
appear more often.  Just don't forget that you can still be killed by
a single shot.

Fairy: It's worth 10000 points.  When you die, it will drop some extra
power-ups.

1-up: adds one life  These are very well hidden.

- Enemies

Enemies fall into three catagories: land based, air based, and boss.
In general, air based enemies and bosses can kill by direct contact
whereas you can safely fly over land based enemies (but beware the
shots).  I will indicate which levels I remember seeing the enemy in.
The level notation only applies to the hard version.

Air-based enemies:

Beige Scoutcraft (Area 1 and 8): These just come down about 3/4 of the
screen, shoot occasionally, and fly back up the way they came.  Not a
big threat except in large groups.  One shot kills them.
Satellite (all areas): carry powerups and have a triple gun.  Takes
about 16 bullets worth of damage.
Alpha Warplane ( Area 1 and 7): Travels straight down firing twin
streams of five shots each.  If not killed on the first pass, they will
return from the bottom and fire a scatter shot if you fly below them.
These take about 12-16 bullets worth of damage but are still not very
dangerous as they don't fire frequently.
Vulture (Area 2): I call them Vultures because these little ships
circle above a bit before swooping in on you.  Once they dive in for
the kill, they will fire at a fairly rapid clip that is hard to slip
through.  Try to stay low as they can leave you very vulnerable if they
pass below you.  They won't fire when they first appear so that's the
best time to nail them.  One shot will take these down.
Reconnaisance Craft (Areas 2, 4, and 7)  When it first appears, it 
won't fire at you until you destroy one of its boosters which will
reveal a gun that shoots straight down.  For a quicker kill, aim for
the center of the craft.  You can destroy the shots of the one in Area
2 but not in the other levels.
Hornet Missile (Area 2): Attacks in droves just before the boss.  The
boss also launches these six at a time in its first firing pattern.
Attacks by ramming.  They don't shoot at all and only take one shot to
kill.
Beige Attack Craft (Area 3) Looks similar to the Beige Scoutcraft of
Area 1 but are more aggressive.  They pause even closer to the bottom
of the screen before trying to ram you.  Even though they take only one
shot to kill, they are quite dangerous if you didn't nail them right
away because they hover so low, it's hard to shoot them without homing
missiles.
Mosquito (Areas 3 and 6): Large ship that looks like one.  See Area 3
section for details.
kamikaze plane (Area 4): They descend from the top of the screen and
shoot pairs of shots.  In the easy version, they don't fire as often
but will try to ram you.  In the hard version, they stick to their
vertical line of descent.  Easily killed, three bullets is enough.
Formation V (Area 4): It's the group of 5 large planes near the end of
the level.  They take quite a lot of punishment to destroy.  Shoots
infrequently.
Brown Attack Craft (Area 5): Even more persistant than the Beige
Attack Craft of level 3, these guys will hound you until killed.
They will back up for another assualt if their initial attacks fail to
nail you.  This actually makes them easier as you'll have more room to
maneuver under them.
space debris (Areas 6-8): If it crashes into you, you die.  It doesn't
attack.  Comes in several sizes with the bigger rocks taking more
damage.
Sweeper (Area 6): I call the little ships of Area 6 by this name
because I usually wind up in a corner trying to avoid them and their
shots and get shot in the back like a rat.  These guys are really fast
and hard to realiably hit with anything except fully powered vulcan.

Ground based enemies:

Tank (Areas 1-6 and 8): Run-of-the-mill tank that drives on its
preprogrammed path and shoots occasionally.  Takes 4 bullets to kill.
Turret (Areas 1-3): Stationary gunpod
Tri-Cannon Tank (Areas 1-5, maybe beyond): A little tougher than a
regular tank and fires a tight cluster of three shots instead of one.
Otherwise not really different.
Laser Tank: (Areas 2-4, 6, and 8): Same as a regular tank except it's
red and its shots are white, not yellow.
Amphibious Tank (Area 2): See Area 2 section for strategy.
Disc Turret: (Area 2): Same as a turret except for firing destroyable
shots and two or three at once rather than one.
Fireball Turret; (Areas 2 and 5): Same old turret, different looking
shot.
Mobile Flak Cannon: (Areas 3 and 5): The two at the start of Area 3
are immobile.  It periodically fires twin sets of four at a small
angle.  You are safe from its fire if you are vertically alligned with
it.  It can fire to the side as well so watch out.
War Barge (Area 3): Consists of a turret on top and two tanks, one of
them under a hatch.  Except for the first two, they also have flak
cannons just like the Mobile Flak Cannons though these only fire
forward.  In easy, they shoot direct single shots instead.  These are
indestructable.  The turret shoots direct shots in threes.  The turret
is the target.  Taking it out also destroys any tanks on it that are
still alive and yields a medal (except for the first two).
Gunboat (Area 3): A boat with a gun on top.  Pretty much a tank that
can swim.
Boat Hanger (Area 3): The core is flanked by three Fireball turrets.
Destroy the core for a medal.  The core itself doesn't attack.
Docked Destroyer (Area 3): That gunboat-like thing near the end of the
level just before two War Barges.  Doesn't move and shoots in threes.
Shadow Hatch (Area 3): Opens, fires two shots, and closes.  Can only
be damaged when open.
Post (Area 4): Just sits there in the path of your shots.  A few hits
will blast it out of your way.  It cannot hurt you.
Statue (Area 4): It takes a decent amount of punishment and leaves a
medal when destroyed.  Other than that, they are like posts and are
dealt with in a similar manner.
Cannon Tower (Area 4): They sit in one place and fire their salvos at
set times.  The first salvo is a sparse five shot spread; the second
has four shots.  Both are fired in fixed directions.  From a frontal
position, dodge to the side slightly to avoid the first salve and move
back to avoid the second.
Railroad Car (Area 5): It fires in bursts of three.  They take more
damage than tanks but are dealt with in a like manner.  As the name
suggests, they patrol the rails in level 5.
Watcher Cannon (Area 6): A blinking light rotates around the structure.
If it faces you, the Watcher Cannon will fire like a Mobile Flak
Cannon.  The light resumes its path after firing.  This enemy is
immobile.

Bosses

See level sections for strategy.

Area 1: Death Walkers
Area 2: Ichneumon
Area 3: Shadow Submarine
Area 4: Fort Cyclops
Area 5: Dread Bomber
Area 6: Manticore
Area 7: Whisper
Area 8: Cranasian Headquarters

- General Hints

  Most enemies shoot directly at you.  Therefore, as long as you are
moving and not moving towards a gun, you will usually not be hit.
  Most enemies come out from the same place.  Memorizing the positions
will help. (easier said than done)
  Don't be afraid of using bombs, especially if you are a beginner.
Your stock is reset to 3 regardless of how many you had.  I've died
with 7 once: very annoying.  Conversely, you'll need to become somewhat
comfortable dodging through small spaces if you wish to become better.
  Don't worry about medals much.  Worry about staying alive.  It's
especially true if you can't even pass the level without continuing.
  When the continue screen is up, the screen KEEPS SCROLLING.  At
times, it may be to your advantage to let it count down before pressing
the start button to come back.  At bosses however, it's best to come
back ASAP if you plan on continuing.
  With plasma, sometimes it is better to use the straight shot instead
of the beam because straight firing actually does more damage if you
can keep on the target.
  Nuclear missiles do a lot of damage if you're close to the enemy due
to them firing more frequently.  Specific places are the bosses in
levels 1 and 2.
  Try not to change weapons too often unless you're already fully
powered.  Changing weapons does not increase the power level.  Very
little is more annoying than grabbing 7 power ups and finding yourself
with the starting peashooter.
  If a P appears, the ideal tactic is to have some kind of missile
before taking it so they'll be powered up as well.  Taking a missile
after the P will result in weak level 1 missiles.
  Power-ups will drift off the screen after a certain amount of time
passes (my estimate is 30-50 seconds) so don't wait forever.
  Balanced weapon combinations are stronger.  Vulcan's wide range but
poor power should be augmented by the destructive power of nuclear
missiles.  Laser should be supported by homing missiles to reach those
enemies not in front of you.  Purple works fine with either type of
missile.
  In two-player games, I recommend the players use different weapons.
Two people using plasma is not that powerful.  My power combo involves
the better player using laser and homing.  The other player should use
vulcan or plasma with whatever missile.
  Also in two player games: share the power-ups.
  Never insult another player's performance, no matter how much he or
she may suck.  Even if the other player is bad, the game is usually
more fun with them than without.

"super secret": Player 1 begins each life with three regular bombs.
Player 2 however, begins with cluster bombs each time.  You guessed it.
Play on player 2's side when playing solo and you'll probably do
better.

- Level data
     Because the game relies so much on reflexes, I'm not going to try
to write a walkthrough on each level.  There are some patterns that are
helpful to know which I will include.  I will also include my weapon
recommendations for solo players, # of PUCEs (multiply by 2 if there
are two players), and Missile Caches

Level 1:
Recommended weapons: plasma and nuclear missiles
5 PUCEs
2 Missile Caches (4 in two player)
  Consider this a warm-up level.  The fairy is easy to find; just shoot
the tree it's in while dodging shots.  The Death Walkers are fairly
trivial.  Most of the time, they will fire shots at the diagonals.
That's the time to get close and hose it with missiles.  When the 
turret starts turning, it will fire several shots straight at you when
your ship is in it's line of fire.  Two spreads of bullets will come
out a split second before on each side to make it tricky to dodge.  The
easy way is to drop a bomb a bit before it fires to cancel the shots.
Otherwise, back up and slip through.  Watch out for small tanks and
Beige Scoutcraft.  They come at fixed times.  The second Death Walker
will do the spread and turret combo continuously when it's nearly dead.

Level 2:
Recommended weapons: plasma and nuclear
6 PUCEs
3 Missile Caches
  Somewhat more difficult, though manageable.  There are some enemies
worth noting.  The large plane is trivial if you have vulcan or plasma
because its shots can be destroyed.  Just don't be hit by the tanks.
The two Amphibious Tanks later on serve as a sort of mid-boss.  They
have two firing patterns.  In the first, the side cannons try to box
you in and the gun holes shoot directly at you periodically.  It's not
too hard to dodge.  The second firing pattern is a wide spread that
locks on to your location then fires based on where you were a split
second ago.  It's almost impossible to go around unless there are two
players.  If your firepower is weak, it may be better to not do too
much damage so they stay in their first firing pattern since you do not
have to kill  them.  Near the end of the level, a car will speed from
the right.  It is worth 10000 points if you nail it.  Plasma or vulcan
level 3 or higher is good at the boss.  There are three firing
patterns.  The first is trivial; the wingtips and the twin gun in front
will fire five shots at a time straight down.  Destroy these so you'll
only have to worry about the Hornet Missiles the boss spits out six at
a time.  After taking enough damage or when enough time passes, the
boss will use its second and third firing patterns.  The second pattern
is not too hard to dodge.  I usually use a bomb to escape the third
firing pattern as it closes it though.  The boss will alternate between
the two patterns until it is killed.  With plasma, the third pattern
can be avoided by flying to the side of the boss while still being able
to hit it.  Ethan Larson's Raiden FAQ has bullet diagrams for its level
2 boss that may be helpful here.

Solo player strategy (George Montemayor)
"You can kill the level 2 boss without having to dodge the 2nd attack
wave after all little fighters have been exhausted where the bottom
guns slowly spread bullets, and without having to use a bomb. 

This assumes that you have maximum firepower in both weapons, and you
have the nuclear weapons.  I recommend to be using the vulcan laser for
this.  You may have noticed that if you severly damage the boss to
quickly, it will release all of its little fighters.  The trick is to
damage it somewhat, but not severly, until it has 3 batch of fighters
left.  At that  point, it will not release all of them no matter how
severly you have damaged it.  I suggest you fly right close to it at
that point.  Stay as close to it as possible even at the start of the
2nd attack wave." 
hint: The boss has 14 batches of fighters.

Level 3:
Recommended: Plasma and homing
5 PUCEs
3 Missile Caches
Extra power-up: Destroy the stationary gunboat-like enemy near the end
of the level just before two War Barges.
1-up: As you leave the large superstructure which opens the level,
there will be a hanger on the left which two tanks will come from and
an off-colored box with a medallion.  Kill the first tank but don't
kill the second one or the medallion cache.  If you're using homing or
high-level red: you'll need to stop shooting, go to the right side of
the screen, and use a bomb or two to burn away shots and the little
ships unless you're really good.  When the tank hits the cache, it will
explode and the 1-up will appear.  Takes practice to do, especially
without bombs.  I don't think it's worth the trouble with two players.
By the way, you can't die in the process.  Besides it being pointless,
the shrapnel from your ship is likely to destroy the medallion cache.
DragonKnight Zero recommends plasma and nuclear so you can still shoot
other enemies.  The 1-up will not be revealed if the continue screen
scrolls past this point.
This level is HARD.  98-99% of the time, I go game over here.  This
is the level to beat.  If you are still fully powered with plasma and
nuclear, switch to homing straight away (unless you're going for the
1-up).  It will help immensely versus the flood of little ships that
will assault you through most of the level.  By the way, they are more
aggressive that the little guys in Level 1.  With enough firepower,
the large mosquito planes can be killed before they fire.  Their wings
flicker really quickly before firing so if they're not dead, slip
through a hole.  Their spread isn't aimed at you so it's not difficult
to dodge.  Be wary of gunboats and little ships though.  When gunboats
start coming from behind, it becomes really hairy.  I usually drop a
bomb shortly after the 3rd PUCE appears and the two gunboats are coming
from behind.  If you survived the first water section, prepare for a
welcoming committee of a lot of tanks and ships.  The land section
before the next water section often kills me because the shots are hard
to see at times.  The second water section is also insane so don't be
afraid to use a bomb if you're feeling overwhelmed.  I use a bomb at
the end where the two War Barges are docked if I don't have plasma.
  Still haven't died?  OK, switch to nuclear missiles for the boss.
Full homing is good for the little ships if you're not using red though.
It is a big boat with a LOT of pop-up guns.  Your primary target is the
main cannon.  The pop-up guns on the side of the main gun will aim for
you, the guns in front only fire forward (and their shots can be
destroyed).  There are some more, but they are not a threat.  Other
dangers are the Shadow Hatches on the docks and the Beige Attack Craft
that will harass you throughout the battle.  It's not too difficult
until the cover on the main gun is blown off.  Once that happens, there
will be the main gun's spread to worry about.  It wouldn't be so hard
except for those pop-up triple guns in the back, the little guys, and 
maybe some Shadow Hatches if you were fast.  Use your bombs as needed.
I have passed this boss without dying only about 3-4 times when playing
solo. Another time when I was with another player, I was using fully
powered laser and homing and we killed the boss before the screen
stopped scrolling.  That sure felt good.

Level 4:
Recommended: plasma and nuclear OR laser and homing
4 PUCEs
2 Missile Caches (3 with two players)
Extra power-up: Destroy both cannon towers near the end.  There is also
a missile power-up between them.
  There's a hidden fairy in this level.  About the time when the first
mobile platform shows up, there will be eight targets arranged in a
circle on the left side of the playfield.  Destroy all of them and then
destroy the bush that appears to make the fairy appear.  It really
helps to have two players for this.  Don't bother if you're playing
solo, you're on your last life, and you don't plan on continuing.
Anyway, I find this level to be a bit easier than the last one.  Don't
let the peaceful BGM lull you into thinking this will be easy.  Switch
off red as soon as you can; it will be too weak.  There are several
dangers of note.  For starters, the large plane from level 2 is back.
This time, its shots are not destroyable.  Tri-cannon Tanks will also 
come out from under the woods.  A bomb is highly recommended if the
second plane appears before the first is destroyed though it isn't
always necessary.  Other dangerous enemies are the mobile platforms.
At first they appear to be part of the ground but they'll move out and
attack.  Beware: they don't show while the continue screen is up but if
someone continues, they'll pursue from behind.  You'll almost certainly
need a bomb or two to survive the section near the end with the third
mobile platform and 17-18 kamikaze planes bearing down almost all at
once.  Also, the formation of 5 planes right after will come back from
behind if not destroyed on the first pass.
  OK, the level may be slightly easier than the last one but the boss
is much harder.  The first enemy you see isn't actually the real boss
but it must be killed before you can shoot the boss effectively since
it will park right in front of it.  Both parts can make turrets pop out
of places on the ground.  More pup-up triple guns here.  Take out the
first part, then go for the triple guns flanking the core.  Take out
the mobile tanks on the sides only after the triple guns are gone
because destroying them will automatically expose the core, freeing it
to attack and create turrets.  If enough time passes, the cover on the
core will blow off on its own so don't dwadle.  In the easy version, 
the side tanks will shoot directly at you so be more aggresive about
taking them out.

Level 5
Recommended: plasma and homing
7 PUCEs
2 Missile Caches
  If you haven't noticed already, the enemy shots have been increasing
in speed throughout the levels.  Anyway, homing missiles are a must for
this level.  The aggressive little guys are back and they're more
tenacious than they were in level 3.  The tanks also seem to have
multiplied; they are everywhere, especially on the end stretch.  No new
enemies other than the railroad cars and the fighter near the end.  I
have made it to the boss without dying with the recommended weapon
combination, and it is one of the hardest things I've survived.
  The boss is a three parter.  The first part is relatively easy.  Stay
at the very back and center of the screen and make small movements to
dodge shots.  If you're afraid of dying it may be worthwhile to use a
bomb right away to quiet some of the guns and the thrusters but don't
use them otherwise.  You can fly through the thruster flames without
dying.  Part two is a little tougher.  It will come out automatically
after a set amount of time.  Stay vertically aligned with its center at
the back of the screen and make small movements to dodge its volleys.
The wingtip cannons are not a worry if you're centered.  When it sprays
shots seemingly everywhere, you really only need to make small 
movements.  Some players may need bombs but for me, it just throws off
my timing and I die.  Part three is a nasty one.  Again back of screen,
vertically aligned is the best position for dodging. Once you have a
feel for its pattern, it's not really that hard.  All these fights are
one on one so no other enemies will harass you.  Laser is the best
weapon if you happen to have it.
  Survived?  Congratulations.  It only gets worse from here on out.

Level 6:
Recommended: full vulcan and nuclear missiles
7 PUCEs
1-up: Early in the level, there's a structure with the infamous crystal
icon on it.  If you can destroy it when it's at the bottom of the
screen, a 1-up will appear.  Sometimes, it doesn't appear.  My guess
is that the time interval in which you can uncover the 1-up is similar
to the time interval in which you can uncover a bonus medal at the end
of each level. (1-2 seconds)
  There is a sequence before the level begins where your fighter(s) is
launched into space.  Once the music changes, it's time to get back to
action.  Space debris all around here.  Full red is actually better
than plasma because of the numerous, fast, little ships.  I can't
remember much else about the level other than the mosquito ships from
level 3 return somewhere here.  Because I rarely play past level 5 and
I don't have the Playstation version, I can't help much on this level.
I dare anyone to make it here on three lives.  It's near impossible.

Boss Strategy (Hisamatsu Iuchi):
  "Manticore (the oversized tank at the end of stage six) spends most
  of its time trying to blast you with its energy cannon, although
  continually weaving around will get you past the dangerous part.  The
  main problems are the two hatches shooting flak waves, and the
  advanced attacks which rain projectiles over the front of Manticore.
  A bomb is usually needed for the first version (both versions are
  telegraphed by the armor at the base of the energy cannon glowing
  white).  If you move quickly, you can just find a hole in the second
  version and sit there while the fireballs fall (unless some other
  weapon finds you, in which case you'd better have a cluster bomb 
  ready)." 

Level 7: no data available
  More outer space madness.  Lots of space debris around.  One type of
enemy will send shots in eight directions when destroyed if not killed
before it starts spinning.  Another enemy, if not killed quickly, will
destroy its exterior and send missiles after you.  When those are shot,
they fire a shot at you so move out of the way.  Not much else is
known about this level other than it's HARD.  Contributions, anyone?

Boss Stretegy (Hisamatsu Iuchi):
  "Stage seven's boss, Whisper, starts off (after taking off from the 
  battleship) by launching Rail Cannons from the Hangars on its sides,
  and shooting bursts of flak from its front engines.  When a Hangar is
  destroyed, it launches one last Rail Cannon in retaliation.  Things
  heat up when the Booster Rockets are disengaged (you can speed this
  up by shooting the Rockets)--the cockpit unleashes a pair of cannons
  which shoot discs straight down, and fire waves at YOU.  It's
  actually pretty easy once the Hangars and forward flak cannons are
  destroyed (the latter can only be shot when they're firing)."  

Level 8:
1-up: At some point midway through the level, a crystal will drift
around the top part of the screen.  If you manage to destroy it late
as it is leaving the screen, a 1-up will appear.  Pretty much requires
mid to high level plasma to do.  I haven't verified this personally but
it's here for the record.
  An interesting thing happened here the first time I played this
level.  I was waiting for the continue screen to hit 1 and the screen
filled up with so many ships that it stopped scrolling.  I'm guessing
the game hit a limit.  This level will throw everything at you.  I mean
it.  At the boss, remember that tanks will periodically come out from
within the structure.  It will be a long fight.  My big moment of glory
was when I survived the level (not the boss) on one life.  The other
player continued a lot.

  Once you complete the 8th level, the game will award you a million
points and will restart with the enemy shots being faster (as if they
weren't fast enough already).  No real ending; that's the worst thing
about this game.

- Did You Know?

  You cannot earn extra lives through points in this game.  The only
way is by finding the rare 1-up.
  Before someone dies, the order of power-ups recieved from blasting
enemies which carry them is always three weapon power-ups and a bomb.
I have confirmed this cycle up through stage 4. (the furthest I've ever
gone without dying) Therefore, it seems impossible to get a P on your
first life.  Then again, if you're on your first life, you don't
really need one.
  I can't prove this but it seems explosions from large enemies
blowing up and the follow-up if they crash on the ground can take out
smaller enemies.
  There is a medal hidden at the end of every level.  Shoot around to
find it.  Although the location changes, if you follow the same flight
pattern, you'll probably find it consistantly.  There's about a 1-2
second time interval to uncover and grab the medal before the area
clear screen.

- Mysteries

In all seriousness, is there an end to this game?  On the PSX version,
I've used mission select to start on the third time through and the
game goes to a mission 4.  Anyone with the home version or their own
arcade machine willing to find this out?  Whoever solves this mystery
as well as any others will be given credit.

When bosses are defeated, a crystal flies out.  What's it's purpose?

Robby Morrow suggested that the crystal contains the enemy
intelligence, which is put in certain large enemies to halt your
progress.  Makes sense; where else do those bosses' unlimited supply
of firepower come from?

- Challenges

Tests of skill devised by me.  I'm not going to make a record table so
don't ask.

-Training for those with a home version: Complete the first level,
shooting at nothing but the boss and dying no more than twice.  If you
successfully do this, you will be a much better player.
-At the end of level 1, kill the second Death Walker before killing
the first one.  To earn bragging rights, this must be completed on the
first life.
-Gain a level clear bonus of 100000 or more playing solo,  This can be
accomplished on any level of choice (except 1, where it is impossible)
-In level 4, survive the section with the third mobile platform and the
17 kamikaze planes without using bombs.  Heck, survive the boss without
bombs.
And of course . . .
Highest score in solo player on first credit.

That's all for now.  More to come.  If I post a submitted challenge,
that person will be credited.

- Version Differences

  There are two different versions of the arcade machine.  They can be
identified by the high score screen.  The easy version has the Raiden
MK-II in color on a black background; the hard version has a sepia shot
of an ascending fighter.  In general, the level layouts are a little
different.  The list which follows and all the enemy names within it
are by Hisamatsu Iuchi unless otherwise indicated.  I have not verified
everything on the list since I have never played past level 3 on the
easy machine but what I've seen is accurate.

General:  NO MICLI IN EASY.  Just normal and special medallions. 

  Stage one: 

  --In the easy version, after the first Missile Cache, there will be a
  Beige Battery Tank (its outer shell moves from time to time to fire a
  wall or cluster of bullets).  Two more follow just before the ruined
  highway.  In the hard version, Alpha Warplanes appear wherever
  Battery Tanks were in the easy version. 

  --Easy:  at the meander, two Alpha Warplanes attack.  Hard:  Alpha
  Warplanes replaced by Tri-cannon Tanks and a swarm of Beige
  Scoutcraft. 

  --Easy:  At the edge of the swamp right before the first Death Walker
  boss appears, there's a Subterranean Cannon.  It starts out as a flat
  orange panel with a light cycling around its sides.  If the light
  ever faces you, all four light sections flash, and the Cannon
  emerges.  It isn't present in the hard version (in ANY stage). 

  --Easy:  Both Death Walkers have the same sparse flak density when
  using the Fire Bow (rotating turret attack).  Hard:  The second
  Walker's flak density is MUCH greater. 

  Stage two: 

  --A few of the structures from which Laser Tanks (they have a fat 
  cannon that shoots the large, fast laser bullets) emerge in the hard
  version have only the ordinary Tanks in the easy version. 

  --In the easy version, when the Amphibious Tanks use their Laser
  Spread, if you stay exactly aligned with a Tank's bow, and only move
  vertically, the Spread will miss.  You don't have that luxury in the
  hard version.  The hard version also has more supporting normal
  Tanks. 

DragonKnight Zero says: If playing with two players in hard, the Laser
Spread is more sparse and easier to dodge.  That feature is not in
easy.

  --Easy:  At the entry to the military base, there are some Disk
  Turrets (destroyable shots).  Hard:  Medallion Caches instead. 

  --Easy:  Subterranean Cannon, moderate Tank population, and Orange
  Flak Trap after the base.  Hard:  Instead, huge, motley population of
  normal, Laser, and Tri-cannon tanks. 

  --The Car in the hard version isn't present in the easy version. 

  --It's not important, but once Ichneumon runs out of Hornet Missiles
  at the end of the stage, you can hear it retract the missile racks in
  the hard version, but not the easy version.

DragonKnight Zero says: Actually, the sound of the retracting missile
racks is a signal that the next firing pattern is coming.  It also
seems that the third pattern is easier to dodge in easy. 

  Stage three: 

  --A few Mobile Flak Cannons are on the first superstructure in the
  hard version.  Not in the easy version, where you get to tangle with
  a few Patrol Boats early on. 

  --The Boat Hangars change a bit in nature.  They have three Laser
  Turrets apiece in hard.  In easy, though, there are two Flak Hatches
  (the same things lining the canal with Shadow Submarine at the end of
  the stage) and a Cluster Laser (it shoots a tight group of four laser
  orbs).  Also, when you destroy a Hangar's core, you can't see the
  medallion in easy mode... 

  --Easy mode doesn't have the HUGE tank population from hard when you
  reach the beaches (or any Tri-cannon Tanks)--just three or four
  before the Satellite (PUCE) appears. 

  --The side cannons on the vertical War Barges change in nature a
  little.  In hard, they have a fixed pattern of periodically shooting
  down and diagonally.  In easy, they shoot single bullets right at
  you. 

  --During the open sea after the beaches, easy pits you against Beta 
  Warplanes (MUCH faster than Alpha, and much quicker shots).  None in
  hard. 

  Stage four: 

  --There are no Disc Tanks in easy. 

  --When you destroy a Statue, the medallion can be seen in hard mode,
  but not easy. 

  Stage five: 

  --In easy mode, they swamped area has a pair of Subterranean Cannons,
  and there's another at the very beginning.  Instead of these, hard
  mode has several groups of Tanks and Mobile Flak Cannons coming down. 

  --There are a trio of Silver Battery Tanks right before the railyard
  begins. 

  --The Attack Trains shoot quick strings of bullets periodically in
  easy, not single and frequent like hard. 

  --The large, beige structure--apparently the railyard's station--is
  rather  well-armed in easy mode.  Lots of Disc Turrets, and a Stealth
  Fighter (with constant, straight-down strings of discs).  The Stealth
  Fighter appears MUCH later (Dread Bomber's hangar) in hard mode. 

  --In easy mode, it's entirely possible to go above Dread Bomber's
  second phase, with little risk of getting rammed.  The Bomber's third
  phase isn't as varied in easy as in hard.  The overlapping waves of
  fire aren't complete (the upper portions are gone), and there's only
  one desperation pattern, the random fireball swarm (not the Fire Arc
  Switch). 

  Stage six: 

  --The Watcher Cannons (silver structures with flashing lights) from
  hard mode aren't present in easy mode. 

  --There are Tanks on the runways right before Manticore on hard mode,
  but not easy.  Also, when you actually reach the runways, easy mode
  has a Greater Flak Trap (like the ones in stage eight) waiting for
  you. 

  Stage seven: 

  --BIG difference in how the Golden Phantom Fighters work.  In easy,
  they move in some downward direction VERY quickly, shooting as they
  accelerate and, sometimes, as they exit the screen.  In hard, they
  steadily fly at a good clip towards the bottom edge, firing all the
  while. 

- Credits

Hisamatsu Iuchi: Detailed list of differences between the two versions
of the arcade game, reprinted in the above section.  Also provided the
location of a 1-up in level 3; tips and strategy for the bosses in
levels 4, 6, and 7; some information on level 7; almost all the enemy
names; and a few other terms.
jmangamen: solved the mystery of the crystal that floats around in
level 8, also clarified that extra lives don't come from points
George Montemayor: location of 1-up in level 6, more strategy for the
level 2 boss.
Ethan Larson and his Raiden FAQ: Some of the general hints and names
were found in his guide.  Also, his boss strategies for levels 1 
through 4 are applicable to Raiden 2 to varying degrees.
Lloyd "Pops" Clark, who lends me money to play with him when I am short
on arcade funds.
Gamefaqs, for inspiration and being a place to submit this guide to.
Gamepro March 1994: parts of game description
All the people who still play Raiden 2 (so it stays in the arcades)
Anyone else who deserves credit that I didn't mention above.

- This guide's future

Enemies list now covers most of the first five levels and some of the
next.  I'm probably not going to be able to finish it unless I snag a
home version so contributions are greatly appreciated.
As before, if there's anything you want to see in this guide that isn't
here, send it to me.  The information I'd like the most is power-up
data on the last three levels though anything else will be considered.
Locations of more fairies, 1-ups, and other secrets will be greatly
appreciated.  Unofficial BGM titles and challenges which I use will be
credited directly in the sections themselves while other contributions
will be in the Credits section.  Comments, corrections, questions,
submissions, and suggestions can be directed to my e-mail at the top of
this document.

- Unofficial Soundtrack Titles

Hey, the Castlevania (TM of Konami) series has titles for its BGM.  So
why not Raiden 2.  The BGM sounds out of place for a shooter most of
the time.  Unlike most Squaresoft pieces, the titles here do not 
reflect the opinions of Seibu Kaihatsu or anyone else beside the people
under the Suggested by column.  Consider yourself thanked if I or
anyone else suggests a title you may have copyrights attached to.  I
try not to use names that are already in use but I'm no a walking
encyclopedia on music.

BGM               Unofficial Title                 Suggested by

Level 1         Soaring Into the Atmosphere        DragonKnight Zero
Boss            Battle Stations                    DragonKnight Zero
Area Clear
Level 2 and 8   Weapons of Hope                    Hisamatsu Iuchi
Level 3         Noble Struggle                     Hisamatsu Iuchi
Level 4         Determination                      Hisamatsu Iuchi
Level 5         Sky Dance                          DragonKnight Zero
Level 6         Journey to Another World           DragonKnight Zero
Level 7         Where Heroes are Made              DragonKnight Zero
Mission Clear
Name Entry

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