Raiden Trad (Super Nintendo, 1992)

Raiden Trad, being a port of the old arcade game Raiden, is about as good as the old games get. Its level of depth is pretty spectacular for a game created so long ago, and its difficulty is outstanding. Most bosses will have an uncanny amount of firepower that often spans the entire screen with only minor gaps to fly your plane through. The added ability of two-player action within the game is very exciting, even though it does make the game easier.

My only gripes with Raiden Trad are that, after a while, levels begin to get too easy; on level 8, for example, you'll fight planes with the same attack pattern as you did in level 1. You'll also be able to predict the enemies' movement and period between firing. When I completed the game, I had a feeling of pride and joy, but I thought the final boss was too easy in comparison with the level of skill they demand you have up until that point. Also, as you probably know, it doesn't save high scores, but no SNES shmup did.

I recommend this game.