I bought this game on GOG.com and had the opportunity to play an experience what I didn't get to experience long ago.
--- Raptor: Call of the Shadows ---
"Raptor: Call of the Shadows" is all about shooting down and blowing up opposition that comes your way either in the air or on the ground. Your plane carries a mean pair of machine guns but can later be equipped with other powerful weapons. I would say this game is more about just blowing crap up than being tied to some soppy storyline. If you don't feel confident enough to play a full game, you can play Training Mode to where you get a general feel for the game. After that, difficulty goes to Rookie, and you're on your own. Other difficulty levels include Veteran and Elite. The harder the level, the more enemies will appear. It will also take more hits to destroy most enemies on the harder levels.Sectors.
There are three sectors in which Raptor takes place- Bravo Sector, Tango Sector, and Outer Regions. Each sector consists of nine waves. So you are taking part in 27 levels of pure madness. Deadly craft roam the skies trying to take you down with their host of weapons. You earn money by destroying both enemies and property. You can pick up various powerups and money additions through each level. Here is a look at the three sectors:• The Bravo Sector is your first order of business with mostly simple enemies and basic bosses. Most of the enemies attack with simple cannons and missiles. It is the sector you play in the shareware version of Raptor.
• In the Tango Sector, you will encounter ships and bosses with much more powerful weapons. For starters, you will find some ships that attack with many missiles as well as powerful laser beams.
• The deadliest enemies you will face are in the Outer Regions. These are some powerful enemies with powerful attacks. You may need to invest in at least two Phase Shields before taking on this sector.
Weapons and Other Items.
In Raptor, you have a handful of items to help you out as you try to take down your opposition. Various weapons will help give you that needed edge to win. A lot of the weapons are selectable while some are always equipped. Here are some of the many (get the full game to see the full array of items!):• Energy Modules are your blood in the game. You have a maximum of 100, and when all 100 are gone, so are you and your jet.
• Buy an Ion Scanner to detect hit point levels of mid-bosses and bosses.
• Megabombs can be unleashed to devastate all opposition on the ground and in the air.
• A Phase Shield is like an extra life, and you can have several equipped at a time. They will last for as long as you have one equipped. If you have a Phase Shield set up and pick up an Energy Module pack during a Wave, the Energy Module will recharge your Phase Shield by 25 units.
• Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground missiles are good from a tactical standpoint.
• If you need a tactical advantage (as well as a LOT of help), the Auto-Track Mini Gun automatically locks onto targets and pelts them with machine gun fire. This is a weapon to invest in and can really come in handy when taking on many enemies at once. Best of all, this attacks both air and ground targets.
• The Laser Turret (not available in Shareware version) works like the Auto-Track Mini Gun. However, instead of machine gun fire, an auto-tracking laser quickly attacks incoming enemies. Its only weakness- it only attacks aerial opposition.
• When you need money, there are some items you can pick up that will give you some money. A quick way to earn money is to destroy certain ships carrying certain cores. Each of these cores are worth $50 to your account in the game. Blast certain weapon sheds or ships to get other items that will earn you big money.
You can also get some money back by selling certain items when back at the hangar. Sell certain items you have more than one of and don't want. Like if you have two air-to-air missiles, you can sell one of those air-to-air missile items to earn some money.
Tips.
Here are some tips to help you out...• If you want to invest in something early on, try to save up to get the Auto-Tracking Mini Gun. It will help you greatly when battling multiple ships at a time. Then try to save up for the Laser Turret.
• The Micro Missile and Plasma Cannon are the only weapons that are always equipped. Purchase both to gain a decent advantage in combat.
• Do NOT run into ships! The damage you take will be intense.
• You will lose certain equipped items when your shields are low. If you are defeated, all the money and items you received in that level will be dumped. Try to clear each level as best as you can with as many of your items intact.
• If you have Air-to-Ground missiles or the Auto-Track Mini Gun, use these against ground-based bosses. You will destroy ground-based bosses quicker using ground-based items.
• This one should come to no surprise to anyone used to scrolling shooters- pay attention to the attack patterns of bosses. They will use the same attack pattern. Learn these patterns and find the right moment to attack.
• When in doubt, and if you have a Megabomb... USE ONE!
This covers just about all the bases.
--- Raptor Review ---
"Raptor: Call of the Shadows" was one of the finest games for a reason. It has intense and frenzied aerial combat. This game is one of the best vertical scrolling shooters. While it may not be like Aero Fighters (or Sonic Wings) series or the Raiden series, it is perhaps the best scrolling shooter for PC. I think you'll enjoy this game if you just want to enjoy intense vertical scrolling shooter greatness.If you could knock this game, you could probably say that there could be a broader array of weapons and effects or even an interesting storyline that keeps you connected to the game. And as far as the 2010 Edition package is concerned, I would have preferred to have the original MIDI music instead of looping WAV music. That's just the classic purist in me. The last knock I'd give this game is that when you die, the game sometimes will not let you exit the death cutscene easily. Almost as if the game wants you to experience every moment of you and your plane going down. Otherwise, the 2010 Edition of Raptor is as good as the 1994 edition.
--- Raptor Video Preview ---
This is a rather long video, but it is a look at the classic PC game, "Raptor: Call of the Shadows." This video features the original Raptor. Check it out:^ "Raptor: Call of the Shadows"
Now you know about the game you just read about.
That's all from this Texas boy. Thanks for checking out my blog post and also thank you for reading!
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