FINALLY QUALITY! Ray'z Arcade Chronology (Rayforce Collection) Review!

FINALLY QUALITY! Ray'z Arcade Chronology (Rayforce Collection) Review! One of the best shmup (shoot em' up) releases of 2023 nearly snuck under my radar! Ray'z Arcade Chronology is a collection of the excellent Rayforce series: Rayforce (Layer Section), RayStorm, and RayCrisis! A lot of us are familiar with Rayforce, it being an arcade classic, but many players, including myself, are less familiar with RayStorm and RayCrisis, which were originally ported to the PS1 and were during that early 3D era of the genre where devs were doing a lot of interesting stuff with dynamic backgrounds and sprite scaling! In today's review, however, I am not so much concerned with the quality of the game themselves, as they have already proved themselves are very strong entries into the genre (hence being in a collection in the first place). Instead, what I really want to investigate is how the games have been ported and if this collection is respectful to the source material, especially when compared to unofficial emulation. There are a lot of game collections out there that look promising on the surface, like the TMNT Cowabunga Collection, or Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha, or the MegaMan X Collection, but when you actually analyze the performance of these games, especially with input lag, the final result is an awful mess.
What makes this situation even more confusing is that recently Rayforce had another port by City Connection called Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute, which was laggy and lame. And then on top of that there is another collection coming out called RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection - which is actually just an incomplete version of this collection. So overall, if you want to get the heart of what is quality and what is not, this review shall be your guide.
As of right now the Ray'z Arcade Chronoloyg is available on Nintendo Switch and PS4/PS5. Sadly both PC (Steam) and Xbox got the shaft.
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#rayforce, #shmup, #shootemups

[@d.r.k565]

Spreading education on port input lag and quality is invaluable and why I appreciate The Electric Underground’s content (I say this as I look at my copy of MMX Legacy collection in regret 😂).

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Absolutely!! It's such an important issue for players to be aware of, as it massively degrades the quality of the gameplay and I think is really disrespectful to the original games. And yep, I look at my copy of MMX legacy in anger, shaking my fist at the sky ha.

[@fazares]

me too

[@seanmcbay]

Yup. I understand it’s unavoidable completely due to how emulation works but most reviews don’t talk about it at all.

[@kitestar]

I look at my copy of Mega Man Legacy collection 1+2 with absolute disdain because _half_ the game is on the cart and the other is just a code in a box

[@dingo535]

Man awhile I certainly would like to think I value good input response, I am certainly not always sensitive or too aware of it as I’ve been playing through X4 again (I originally played it on PS back in the day) via the collection and wouldn’t have thought the input lag was particularly bad. I also use Redream as my Dreamcast emulator of choice which is allegedly on the laggy side but I love it as it just works from the jump and has a super polished interface.

[@TomFry]

M2's work is like presenting these games with silk gloves on a velvet pillow, an absolute treat that sets the bar for other developers in this space. I've only recently subscribed to your channel Mark and I love your open and frank coverage and especially the emphasis you put on input lag - more players should be made aware of this to put the onus on developers to focus more resources on this side of development. 2 frames for Ray'z!? Astounding!! Though, given M2's prior work, I'm not *too* surprised! I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical version of this illustrious collection, I adore Rayforce and Storm + Crisis are a joy as well. Keep up the great work man, quality channel.

[@protolegacy9184]

Dude you are hardcore. You put the hammer down with the information and tell it like it is. You have a passion for the shoot em up genre and I appreciate that. Thank's for taking the time putting out these vids.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

What a kind comment! Thank you so much my dude! Yeah I do get pretty into shmup ports and stuff ha, it just kind of drives me crazy how excellent ports like this just get lumped in with subpar ports like the Saturn Tributes by City Connection and most players sort of assume they are equal in quality because the scores are all the same.

[@supermetroid009]

My man, you mentioned bomberman hero’s OST, instant sub.

[@HitserOner]

Solid port. I Have the Japanese version. As always fantastic coverage Mark. I watched your review of the Saturn port and decided to wait for the Ray'z release. You really helped me dodge a bullet there! Thank for all the heavy lifting you've done for many here.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh i love to hear that! I am so glad you saved your money and then spent it on the quality port of the game, this is good stuff! Rather than you buy the laggy port by city connection, play it for 10 minutes, get annoyed, and then never play rayforce again.

[@HieronymousLex]

I’ll be honest, this was one where I was thinking “I know it’s m2 but I’ll probably just stick to shmuparch”, but the in-game leaderboard replays (a personal favorite of mine in any game), the option to use new or original graphics, and the 2 frames of lag sold me on this collection so I just bought it. Thanks for giving us the lowdown

[@TheElectricUnderground]

oh yes playing on arch is usually my default position with any shmup ha. But the m2 ports generally deliver very excellent quality and online features, which I think gives them value even in the face of unofficial emulation.

[@tournaline3448]

Thanks again Mark, you covered everything we all wanted to know. M2 really are in a league of their own when it comes to ports. I think I’m in the minority here, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an M2 Raiden Fighters collection.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

That would be so cool!!! Yes Raiden needs some M2 love, especially raiden fighters which is my fav of the series.

[@Elzilcho87]

2 frames of lag? That's god-tier levels of emulation for a widespread release. M2 are once again outdoing themselves.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It is super impressive!!

[@retrosuperbox8434]

Rayforce looks incredible and as you guessed, i completely missed out on it. Great review and the difference in quality/features/options is apparent over the less polished CC and similar collection releases

[@soohz]

Thank u so much for more great content for shmup enthusiasts. Please keep up the good work. You deserve much more credit.

[@100hundert]

Okay, just bought this. I always wanted to get into this series, and the way M2 present games makes them such a joy to play - this is what proper game preservation looks like. I'm really excited!

[@mrkirkaldy6633]

Once again your right in time I have the M2 version but two days ago came across the Crisis version on Strictly Limited and was confused Thanks for this video

[@TheReki007]

this guys are on another league, they respect their products and costumers like no one

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Absolutely, also m2 have some real quality control on their games that other devs just don't seem to have.

[@wiegraf9009]

They are but they absolutely refuse to do PC ports when asked because they just don't like PC and mostly do this for fun. It's fair enough but it means that the longevity of their excellent ports are compromised...

[@Gryzor88]

Thanks for the review, Mark 👍🏻 I was waiting for your analysis, before picking up the Switch version :)

[@defordefor9865]

Why yet another release with two games instead of three? Quite simple: Strictly Limited Games has released the full collection (content wise the same as Japan release) in limited quantity requiring a pre-order, and later ININ publisher (owned by the same company!) released an incomplete gutted version to the general distribution. It's their standard practice as they already did it a few times for other games. Shady? Sure! Welcome to the world of limited publishing where the FOMO is the king! :(

[@ArcadeHell]

Heck yeah, great review of this port. I never saw this collection coming so I bought the Saturn Tribute and lemme tell you, as a newbie to the genre, I still noticed the lag immediately. It made it so difficult to play that I just put the game aside. I'll definitely be picking up this version though. M2 delivers again!

[@TheDavy609]

Great video!! Enjoy your content.

[@meegz149]

Thank you, I had no idea which version to get.

[@gutsxgriffith6950]

thanks for the great videos man , really my fave schmup tuber ( : currently trying to 1cc futari on maniac . Ngl its pretty hard hahaha

[@marcretro]

thanks once again learning alot from yourself and other Shmup channels like Shmup Junkie etc getting into shooters big time again. Grew up with golden age of Arcades and always loved the challenge. I just bought it and didnt realize it was a better version of Ray Force i guess i got burned lol but got to see how awesome it is. Taito firing on all cylinders! great channel cheers!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh thank you very much marc! Your not alone as this port nearly snuck under my radar as well.

[@AndyC_111]

Great review as usual Mark. You're not going to like this, but the Ray'z Collection you bought is still not 'quite' complete. The Strictly Limited physical version also has the single level R-Gear prototype included (also was briefly available as a Amazon Japan exclusive, albeit only as a download code). While I love these Taito-M2 collaborations, they don't half make them a headache to navigate the differing releases!

[@stephenrocks6390]

Rgear isn't available in the download version

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Ha that is really dumb. Jeez these taito m2 physical releases are a hot mess. I personally don't care that much as I don't find prototype stuff like that all that interesting, so I'd just grab the $50 digital version and call it good ha. No need to battle all the weird physical releases.

[@RazgrizIV]

​​​​@TheElectricUnderground I'm so confused. Where do I buy a NTSC version for the ps4 in physical copy?

[@craigslisp8904]

Super agree with you. I was on a Saturn shooter collection binge and picked up a few fun bits but Layer Section was probably the most time I put into that Saturn outside of Street Fighter. I never did beat it but the gameplay, boss fights, music by Zuntata, all just came together for perfect 90 action.

[@beebot]

Yeah this was an instant buy for me. NB: Fit to screen is useful if you output onto a CRT via something like a HD-Fury (on the PS4 port for example) as it forces the 1080p to display fullscreen. When you choose the stretched option it ends up being perfect (which I love M2 for, as this was definitely intentional). I'd have liked an option for reducing the hitbox for RayForce or a "special" mode but what we've got is pretty damned nice. They included burn-in reduction (appreciated when running it constantly via a CRT cab), contextual rapid-fire (and even emulate the rapid-fire shots from the PCB). They make good shit.... the only thing that felt like they forgot about was that controls can't be rotated (if you wanted to play it in tate but with rotated controls -- that would have been nice on the switch port) but that's really clutching at straws.

[@MegatechBody]

Really a shame that the US physical doesn’t include RayForce. Can’t wait to hear your rundown on the collection.

[@Rivalseeker]

Do you mean the one from ININ Games? That one isn't the Ray'z Arcade Chronology, technically. I think that one may be being offered for those who previously purchased Layer Section/Galactic Attack S-Tribute.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I KNOW!! I complain about that big time

[@MegatechBody]

@@Rivalseeker This is true, but one can’t help but feel like someone paid for regional exclusivity here. The SLG set has it.

[@MegatechBody]

@@TheElectricUnderground Good to hear. People need to know this before they drop $40 on that version.

[@Rivalseeker]

@@MegatechBody Yeah... probably.

[@deadlyraver4454]

Nice. Now I have to find this version as I wanted to get all three games.

[@corkman111]

Thanks for the review. I'm waiting for the Ray Ban collection where you get the quality Ray series ports and a pair of sweet sunglasses that makes me have the same drip as Mark MSX.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Ha that would be awesome!! Rayforce series Raybands :-)

[@KrieGor27]

I was hoping you'd review that release. I spent so much time playing the Ray I know the first and second one by heart.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It's funny because this release almost snuck under my radar, I initially thought it was another City Connection release.

[@wc999]

great news about the input lag thanks for the review

[@Th0tpocket505]

The first time I ever played Ray crisis was on Android I really like it so I think I'm going to cop great review

[@davy_K]

M2 is the hallmark of quality. I'm at a place where I'd buy their games without waiting for reviews. Got this collection for Switch a while back from a JP game seller and it's marvellous. You can even select the soundtrack from the Saturn port (called Layer Section) which I prefer. Rayforce feels a bit more difficult in this collection that on Saturn or MAME. The rank seems to be a bit higher - not sure why that is. I can understand why the Saturn port feels a bit easier but it's odd that playing in MAME feels easier - maybe it's to do with the different versions of the arcade game? The game I play in MAME is called Gunlock!!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah M2 are the one developer where I'd feel comfortable picking up their games without a review, but then again I am the reviewer and so I often have to do that anyway lol. But the difference is when I get an M2 game I'm excited and when I get a City Connection port I feel a sense of dread ha.

[@kitestar]

Interesting to know that the full compilation came _before_ the cut down release

[@PedroFerreira-sx2gd]

Good video from a acclaimed series that unfortunaly for unknown reasons i was never able To get into (my problem).best wishes for m2 , so it can edit more games with the same quality

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah i could see the rayforce series being a bit of an acquired taste. I think if you haven't tried raystorm that's the one to try, as it's more streamlined due to the auto lock on option (which I enjoy)

[@squeeeb]

Excluding RayForce/Layer Section in the upcoming re-release is a cardinal sin!! Thanks for the awesome review.

[@wiegraf9009]

These are my favourite SHMUPs of all time so I'll definitely pick this up! It's awesome to have a definitive port of Raycrisis!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

the rayforce series is really slept on for sure. Especially the 3d ones!

[@zhukov2116]

Thank FUCK for your reviews. I figured this collection was the same as the City Connection version, and had no idea. I am forever in your debt.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

glad this review helped my dude! Yeah i honestly almost overlooked this release too. I was like I do not want to review another city connection review (at least for a few months ha). Luckily m2 pulled through.

[@MustachioedBear]

I found out about this port by accident when searching for something else lol. I already have layer section 1 and 2 on Saturn but I never played Raycrisis. Great collection of games.

[@ManOnTheDune]

Great job from us Cali-boyz , the ps4 is the way to go lag wise.

[@wargameboy72]

The reason why it's so confusing is ININ games. ININ games is a Company that has stripped English and content out of games. They have chopped up game collections, so all regions don't get all the games. Even on the Ray Force Collection, they stripped out an unreleased unfinished Ray Force game. That you can only play if you purchased it through Strictly Limited Games. I personally hate when Companies do dirty stuff like that.But don't take my word on it, look it up your self. Anyway, great video. Awesome review I enjoyed it a lot.

[@opaljk4835]

I wish I didn’t buy the strictly limited version. These things just take too long for me. I’m fine with a not limited edition or import, and it just feels like something I don’t really feel a lot of passion for. I’ve been playing Rayforce on the Saturn lately and I’m absolutely loving it. Looking forward to taking it on the go on the switch, though.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah man I absolutely know where you are coming from. This is why i swapped over to just buying the games digitally. Getting the physical version is cool, but sadly it takes forever.

[@opaljk4835]

@@TheElectricUnderground it also kind makes me feel dumb when regular ass prints happen of some games. I honestly don’t understand how some of the companies really operate. They make you feel like a dolt for missing out, and then it turns out you can buy as many copies you want of something like Castlevania Requiem collection, it’s just through Best Buy exclusively and doesn’t come with some holographic card. I have Dangun Feveron from one of those companies though, which is dope. But in the future I’m just going to stick to digital and things that aren’t primarily based on fomo.

[@tom11zz884]

I have it for my PS4 and it plays great with the Victrix Fight stick. I feel like i'm in an arcade playing Rayforce.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh yes playing this port in tate does feel like your playing the arcade version, it is that responsive :-)

[@Retro_Jet_Elite]

Excellent video

[@Steve-Fiction]

I completely missed this as well, but I picked it up now. Now brb to "kick some serious ass" on the leaderboard

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Another m2 stealth release ha. Their marketing is so subdued at times I wonder if they are intentionally making their ports hard to find ha.

[@peterk1837]

Love Rayforce/Layer Section/Galactic Attack/Gunloc (lol) and love your work. Just a note, "full screen" zooms it to the height of the screen. "Pixel perfect" is integer scaled. So if you go full screen, it won't be as sharp as it's stretching over a fixed number of pixels. Also no idea if that introduces any lag as sometimes there's processing to blend a non-integer scaled image. Also adding scanlines on a non-integer image can often come out wonky (I find that on MiSTer with a lot of filters), but dedicated ports can sometimes fix for this.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh that's some awesome insight!! This is purely a guess but I think the scaler that m2 uses is nearest neighbor which keeps the pixels looking nice and sharp. Pixel perfect does look fantastic but I generally want to try to squeeze out the extra screen real estate. I could see pixel perfect being amazing on a crt though!

[@peterk1837]

@@TheElectricUnderground Nice. I go full screen too when in the lounge on the couch. I'm kinda nooby, but yeah I'd say pixel perfect would be best on a crt as you would be converting the sharpest possible image, and from there you can streatch out to full screen using the crt's own geometry options. As crts don't have pixels it won't suffer by stretching. Not sure how much lag is in the digital to analogue conversion though. Depends on method used I guess. Fingers crossed a well coded Rayforce comes to MiSTer one day. I've heard rumours that someone is looking into Batsugun. Only issue is the lack of savestates/training options which will almost always be the case with MiSTer, especially arcade cores.

[@jankmedia1985]

I freaking love Rayforce though I always refer to it as Layer Section. I really need to get this version, my go to is the Saturn but something like this needs to be supported and the save states will allow me to practice the levels that trip me up.

[@MysteryEzekude]

I happen to own and enjoy the RayStorm x RayCrisis Collection on my Nintendo Switch. =) But I understand your frustration about the marketing procedures used for RAY series re-releases.

[@truxardus4331]

Very helpful video. I had seen this multiple times while browsing Playasia for other games and had dismissed it as one of the many lazy shooter ports on the Switch without looking too much into it. I've only ever played Layer Section, which is a pretty cool game.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yep that it why I started the review trying to clarify which port is which, because this is a gem hidden among a bunch of other weaker ports ha

[@davidk5093]

I got it for Nintendo switch for $30 😇 on Sale instead of 50.00 💥. Great review. Thanks for your help

[@InitialDL84]

Maaaan I hope this gets released on PC so I can play it on my Steam Deck. It'd be perfect to play on there! Quality review as always my dude!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think it could be possible, as the Darius collection was released to PC :-) also playing on the deck sounds fun!

[@SaturmornCarvilli]

Hopefully, the M2 version makes its way to Steam. I've been super impressed with each of their collection games so far. It'd just be nice if more of them make it over to Steam. Until then, or if it doesn't, I have RayForce on my Egret mini II. I can't say I underrate Rayforce, it's currently listed as my 14th favorite shooter. Made more impressive as Kamui is listed 115th. Because they both share that two layer gimmick. In Kamui, I can't stand it. But in RayForce, I kinda like it.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think it is possible it might come to steam. I would imagine this is the same team that did the darius collection port, and that came to steam eventually :-)

[@micaholson7293]

Finally. Been waiting for this review.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Here it is! This release nearly snuck under my radar ha.

[@micaholson7293]

@@TheElectricUnderground So glad it didn't. And that it's 2-3 frames on Switch. From how M2 did, it's either a miracle that they pulled that off or it shows that other publishers are half assing their ports. I'm hoping that it's the latter and that it lets other publishers know that they need to step up their game. Thanks for bringing this awareness to us.

[@robross6462]

Great review! Received mine from Play Asia last week! Believe Ray Force is copyrighted by another company in the US. Maybe this why it was omitted from the NA release?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I would imagine its some kind of stupid situation like that ha. Though you can get this release on the USA eshop, so maybe its an issue with some kind of physical port? who knows ha.

[@Mingodough]

Raystorm has one of my favorite shmup soundtrack. Classic

[@TheElectricUnderground]

it is really awesome

[@Ishmokin]

excellent review !

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thank you my dude!!

[@PixelCherryNinja]

I stopped by to say, I love the thumbnail 😮

[@RetroTuna]

Nice review i picked it up when it came out on Ps4, M2 doing great as allways and yeah it's getting silly with all these diffrent version amd pick and mix versions. the toeplan games are the same with the pc, evercade, console versons all by diffrent companys.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah these port shmup IPs are getting passed around and not being treated very respectfully. Sadly the only two companies who seem to have a solid port track record (that I can recall) are M2 and Livewire. The rest are hit and miss, and mostly miss.

[@seanmcbay]

I’m glad M2 still knows what they’re doing these days.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, I'm still really looking forward to DOJ port!

[@neonjm8289]

It seems like M2 knew exactly the kind of people who wanted to play these games with this port, more ports should be like this one. On a side note, it would be cool if you reviewed the Mega Man collections at some point, every time I watch one of those from someone else they all sound like the exact same review ("this collection tickled my nostalgia" or whatever they love to say).

[@cpavon7486]

Hello mark, i am new to shmups, but this last month i lost my job and i have been playing shmups non stop. Can i have your opinions and advice on starting a youtube channel? I am by no means a good player with no 1cc clears but i have fallen in love with the genre and i wish to share this new found love with the world.

[@soohz]

Sorry to be off topic, Mr Miyaggi, but I've been trying to follow your perfect arcade stick formula. Exactly what kind of grease do u use on your metal actuator? I put some silicone grease but it still feels a bit scratchy.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh it s been a while let me think, oh yeah so i actually used some sowing machine oil! That i think works super well :-)

[@NicholasMitchell-uv1vb]

Has mark ever talked about Kamui from Siter Skains Alltynex trilogy? Fans of ray force would prob love Kamui. It’s basically a clone with a modified lock on mechanic.

[@dy031101]

I bought the Steam version and have no regret so far! I was lamenting about Layer Section's slightly-better music...... until I found out that I can get those tracks via the sound option menu. The only thing that's missing is the console remaster version.

[@damonke79]

Thank God. I bought this one almost a full year ago already. When the hell am I getting it?

[@justdrinkingmycoffee]

Thank you for this review, I didn't know there was another collection as I was looking into the HD collection. But seeing this I'll get the Rayforce collection

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I stopped you just in time! YES, PLEASE, buy this release instead of the dumb HD collection because your gonna miss out on rayforce and only save $10? what a dumb idea ha.

[@dingo535]

Nice review, I definitely want to grab this to try out Ray crisis in particular as I’ve never done so. This is just PS4 and switch? I can’t recall if you said steam or not. They eventually brought G Darius HD as well as Darius Cozmic collection to steam so I was glad I waited.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

just ps4 and switch i believe, no pc yet sadly

[@dingo535]

@@TheElectricUnderground yeah your right, looking into it I guess the other HD collection coming that doesn’t have ray force is also the M2 ports at least which is kinda cool but also weird. Only cool thing is that it is getting a physical but honestly I tend to buy digital for better or worse and really they should have just done a physical of the RayZ collection and call it a day. The existence of the 2nd one really doesn’t make much sense.

[@johngavalas74]

Maybe the $40 price tag on Raystorm/Raycrisis has to do with them adding HD lol

[@TheElectricUnderground]

No it doesn't because this port has the HD versions as well, so the raystorm/raycrisis release has no additional content over this version, and yet drops rayforce and still charges $40? It's a really dumb value proposition because remember this collection is $50

[@itanocircus2106]

Are the Playstation and Switch versions equal in performance and visual fidelity?

[@ChronoMoogle]

M2 are the gods of arcade ports, thanks for the great review!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

They really are on another level in terms of consistent quality.

[@Crcvmbdfl]

Could you put a list of all M2 ports on Nintendo Switch so far as July 2023, pretty please? Looking forward to get all the physicals made so far

[@ChronoMoogle]

@@Crcvmbdfl there’s very little on Switch, but many PS4 ports of them have been released by LRG.

[@JonathanWillow-zz7rb]

I agree about the excellent look of PS1 style 3D graphics and how it gives an almost-rail shooter look that is very interesting.

[@NB-1]

I just stumbled upon the physical copy of RayStorm HD X RayCrisis collection on Switch. While I'm happy for Switch standards regarding input lag, M2 again forced vsync although the original had it turned off. In G-Darius it's way more noticable since it scrolls horizontally. Instead of "smooth" screen tearing slowdown we get fullscreen stutter which in this case is less noticable. Even less in handheld mode. I really wonder why M2 didn't follow the original way of display and performance.

[@markguyton2868]

Would love to try it, but I don't own a PS4 and don't like playing shmups on Switch. Didn't get the bad Steam port either due to it only having controller support. Will try it once I can though.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

oh yeah m2 are slowly forcing all shmup fans to get a ps4, the amount of amazing ps4 only shmup ports keep stacking ha. Especially with DOJ ps4 coming soon

[@titi64230]

Good review! I was waiting for’your final advice . Do you know if the input lag on switch is good as well or close ?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think the input lag on the switch should be fine, at about 3 frames. But this is only a guess as i didn't buy the switch version, m2 tend to have solid switch performance though (like the darius collection).

[@titi64230]

@@TheElectricUnderground thanks Adrian ! Was it good , this darius collection ?

[@ecabmad]

Amazing review, but have you tried the Switch version? Should be the same as the PS4 or worst case scenario one frame more?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I have not as I didn't get any review codes for this release and I don't want to spend another $50 bucks ha. Very likely the switch version should be 3 frames, but I can't guarantee that.

[@energyzer_bunny1913]

The HD versions of the game almost remind me of the Dreamcast. I kind of like the HD look on these games. I like the original as well, but the HD look is starting to grow on me.

[@yoppyzx]

Trying to remember a Shmup I saw at a drive in theatre as a kid. One of the specials/bombs you turned into a flaming bird shape and did either a giga fire beam blast or a torrent of flame arrows. Any leads? The playable character was a plane of some sort.

[@lazorsbear7068]

Dragon Blaze?

[@yoppyzx]

no it was fighter jets I think. @@lazorsbear7068

[@CC42_]

My only gripe is I wish there was an option for enhanced visibility for bullets for raystorm and raycrisis

[@TheElectricUnderground]

that would be really good! Like if it had a way to make all the bullets pink or something

[@elreins]

I would assume the JPN release (which I got) would be identical to the US release? The JPN version was already in English. But yeah, looking forward to this. Your title already says it all though, and nothing less should be expected from this release.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes I am highly confident that the US and JPN release are the same :-)

[@darylward7273]

I feel the Rayforce influence on Eschatos :) These games are amazing, as are M2

[@CarmenOfSpades]

I had mine preordered since last year and when I finally got around to getting it shipped here, I was blown away. I've been playing Raycrisis for decades now ever since I imported the PS1 port back when it came out -- the jump up in quality from that is night and day. All of a sudden bullet patterns I found impossible to do anything about in the PS1 port (which was probably a very good port all things considered) I am dodging without even thinking about. It almost feels like cheating sometimes :P If the rest of the industry could match what M2 does in terms of input lag, we'd all be in a much better place now. I do understand the love for Rayforce but Raycrisis is not to be slept on either! Very unique game that honestly feels like nothing else out there.

[@FFTHundoCommunity]

So glad you brought up the issue of Rayforce missing. Leaving out Rayforce from the US release is the stupidest decision I think I've ever heard in my life when talking about shmups. I was content to skip this release for that reason alone, but I didn't know that Japan got the whole trilogy on a physical cartridge. Definitely renewed my interest. Seriously, I'm not sure what the publisher of the US collection was thinking - maybe that the US audience wouldn't want to play Rayforce because it didn't get the HD treatment like Storm and Crisis got, like that matters somehow.

[@ronniepatterson2827]

This trilogy plus Einhander was what I cut my shmuping teeth on back in the day, so glad everyone is getting to see how its done. Actually being able to see all the cool ship, environments, & enemy designs is so refreshing. Which speaking of, with bullet hell games being more about rushing to the top of the screen so you dont have to endure seeing a cool enemy, interrupt your coveted cascade of stars & boxes falling all over the place, im curious, why does bullet hell game devs even create ships & enemys? You focus in on a tiny dot, & kill everything before you see it, seems like you could get a ton more bullet hell titles, without the time needed to create the ships, environments, etc. lol

[@scouthatesrainbows]

To be clear, does the switch version also have 2 frames of input lag?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

no, it likely has 3 frames of lag but I can't confirm that but the switch is almost always a frame laggier

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

Impressive!

[@ViperAcidZX]

Am I one of the only ones who wasn't completely confused by all these different modern ports of the RAY series? I was already aware about that M2 would be involved with the new _RAY_ series collection from news sites I follow and discussing the features of the _Ray'z Arcade Chronology_ and who was handling it. When I also saw the _RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection_ being released alongside the _Ray'z Arcade Chronology_ collection, I figured the former would be for those who already own the _Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute_ port by City Connection (not to mention this wasn't the first time _RayStorm_ and _RayCrisis_ got released as their own bundle pack), but at the same time, I feel even people if they own the City Connection port, they may as well spend the extra $10 and get the complete _Ray'z Arcade Chronology_ anyways since you're getting a vastly superior port of _RayForce_ and more bang for your buck. Granted Taito should have marketed these games better and in all honesty should have consulted M2 to begin with, it would not only saved people $30 in the long run but could have saved Taito a lot of lost resources and money to develop one definitive collection of the _RAY_ series instead of having a two different collections by M2 and a subpar port of a port running under a custom version of Unity by City Connection in the long run. That being said, I cannot wait to get my hands on the _Ray'z Arcade Chronology_ whenever Strictly Limited Games gets the pre-order copies shipped out and play the upcoming Steam port of the collection this Fall. I wish I could afford the Collector's Edition since all of the extra bonus material (the artbook and guidebook, soundtracks, the concert Blu-Ray, etc.), but I'm happy I was able to snag a physical copy for the Switch.

[@ps3inquisition441]

I totally missed this one too. Is it worth getting when I already have Layer Section on Saturn? I’m thinking yes.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yep it is, because you have savestates and online leaderboards with possibly less lag than the saturn version ha. I'm pretty sure this version is more responsive than saturn ha, as saturn tends to be 3 frames

[@jasp2003]

So i have this on Saturn and the Egret 2 Mini is it worth getting on ps4 as well? Or maybe on switch for the tate? Or should I just stick with the Saturn?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I personally would get this port as it is likely a frame faster with response time (most saturn games are 3 frames) and it has savestates, which are really helpful to practice. Rayforce can be pretty brutal so I know i'd need savestates to practice it.

[@tom11zz884]

Egret 2 Mini version probably has around 6 frames of lag or more due to it being a mini

[@PR_Hound]

How do we get in touch, The Electric Underground? I'm part of a PR team that looked after this title.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Hey playa! I think you ended up getting a hold of me on discord (just double checking).

[@jackburton2680]

Very tempted to get this however bit uneasy about the difficulty. I've read several comments various places from folks saying Rayforce is among Taitos hardest games, and it or maybe it was one of the 2 sequels here are its hands down most difficult ever. As much as i love the aesthetic of Darius, that series is simply too hard for me. How does this trilogy compare with Darius 1, 2, and Gaiden? The latter is difficult to the point of me hardly ever coming back to it, just no fun constantly dying once i get 3 stages in.

[@fazares]

i will be content with my ps1 ports of the 3d ones and the egret II mini and sega saturn versions of rayforce, thanks..but i appreciate these m2 ports for a wider audience

[@TheElectricUnderground]

The funny thing is that this port could very likely be more accurate than the older ps1 ports, because remember these are based off the arcade versions of the games, and in the ps1 era ports were rarely that accurate.

[@fazares]

@@TheElectricUnderground indeed but i have kinda of a soft spot for them

[@TheRestartPoint]

Rayforce is easily the best and is a really unique feeling game even now, I love it. Crazy to buy the set without it! I have it on Saturn, what are the disadvantages of the Saturn version of Rayforce compared this version in this set do you think?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

so the saturn version is 1 frame laggier than this port most likely and also doesn't have save states or online leader boards, so I would consider this version a definitive upgrade.

[@Skyline1994PL]

In City Connection's port of Rayforce the input lag noticable immediately. I played on Switch and it was unplayable. I cant wait for my SLG version to ship. I never played Raycrisis.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah 6 frames on an arcade shmup is a very high amount of lag, I'd say no way, especially now that we have the m2 port of the game.

[@gcavrubio]

Maybe I missed it, but how much was the Nintendo switch lag compared to the PS4 version?

[@tom11zz884]

3 Frames.

[@gcavrubio]

@@tom11zz884 this was for ps4, no?

[@Rastan78]

For some reason the Switch port has less save state slots. Of the top of my head it's only 12 per game? Worth pointing out for those deciding between Switch/PS4.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

WTF ha, that is so stupid. Just another reason to go with the ps4 version

[@Mingodough]

To make it more confusing. Raystorm HD for the 360 was 16 by 9 and had additional ships, but that’s not included in this collection. The original is probably more balanced but makes things so confusing

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I've seen that port before, but I'm willing to be one of my shoes this version of storm plays more accurately ha. Forcing the game into 16:9 seems like an awful idea ha. You don't want to overstretch a virtizontal shmup, that's for sure

[@jonnyeh]

@@TheElectricUnderground was it stretched or was there a wider visible area?

[@itanocircus2106]

I’m having a real hard time deciding between the switch or PS4 version >_

[@Tomorer]

There is hope for the future!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah wargameboy it really does feel like ININ are chopping up this poor port and spreading it around like crazy. That's why I think it's best to stick with the full version here, otherwise you are paying nearly the same price for an incomplete version.

[@Tomorer]

@@TheElectricUnderground It's all about crwative freedom for the programmers. Studios seem to always be rolling with spanners in their on some level, usually upper. .... If only we could crowd fund freelancers. To hell with copyright ©

[@deltatango-six7941]

M2 continuing to do God’s work 👏

[@whoevencares219]

The only thing that could make this collection a gold standard for me is if it had a way to turn off or heavily reduce the slowdown for the other 2 games, and if they added a level select for all games (oh and add the 36 save slots for the switch version since for some reason it only has 12 there).

[@TheElectricUnderground]

M2 won't ever remove slowdown ha, even if it's kind of an interesting idea (which I think it could be as an option), they want that arcade accuracy. The switch version only having 12 slots is really stupid, I bet the reason why is because the little images next to the save state slot probably cause the switch loading issues or something. In that case I think they should have dropped the images because 12 slots is not enough. Just another reason to go with the PS4 version for sure.

[@whoevencares219]

@@TheElectricUnderground They made a setting to heavily reduce the slowdown in their previous port of G Darius HD , that's why i thought it was possible.

[@JGrove303]

Hold up…the Ray’Z collection has the HD versions on the PS1 games as well?

[@BlueflagAlpha]

Yes

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes it does :-) Technically they are actually the arcade games, not the ps1 games, but yes it's ps1 like hardware so close enough ha.

[@Crcvmbdfl]

Why is SLG collectors edition so expensive... Is that edition worth it? Need advice 😬

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I have no idea, i personally don't get collectors editions. I'd just recommend the standard digital release :-) Save yourself some extra money :-)

[@ViperAcidZX]

Depends if you're into learning more about the game both gameplay and from the developer's perspective, like having artbooks and CD soundtracks, or having collectible merch. The Collector's Edition of _Ray'z Arcade Collection_ has an art and material book, a guidebook, a Blu-ray and CD soundtracks of RAY'z MUSIC LIVE - STRAHL - (a one night concert by ZUNATA, BETTA FLASH, and CASIO), A2-sized posters, an A4-sized reproduction of one of the arcade flyers, an arcade sticker set, a _RayForce_ pixel frame, and of course a physical copy of the game for PS4/Switch that comes with a full-color manual, all packaged in a special collector's edition box with a magnetic latch to store all of the extra stuff.

[@hngdman]

Yeah, I don't really get what ININ was trying to do here. You would expect them to release the three games as individual downloads for people who don't like one or two of the games and a full version.