Nova say Nova Again.
Some in the UK may know comedy TV personality Adam Buxton, who was once the counterpart of Joe Cornish in the Adam and Joe Show (1996-2001), and, as recently as 2020, was still guesting on popular Channel 4 panel shows. Nowadays, he’s more well-known for The Adam Buxton Podcast, but in 1999 he walked into a London-based video game store where I was working as staff, and, retrieving a copy of Raiden DX from the Japanese PlayStation section, asked if I was familiar with it. I told him if he liked the series, it was by far the best entry and a superb arcade port full of bells and whistles. He immediately handed over the cash, wished me a good day, and left. I didn’t bother to say, “hey buddy, I watch you on TV”, but I was impressed with his gaming choice.
Raiden, you see, is like a secret handshake amongst the shooting game hardcore, a distinguished Masonic-like fraternity of middle-aged men who get enthusiastic about blowing things up with spaceships. It’s known by many, but played seriously by few, and since its debut in 1990 its myriad sequels have been largely overlooked by the mainstream. Regardless, it’s an excellent series, from the Raiden Fighters spinoffs to the newer polygonal sequels. So, why the celebrity flex? Well, it left an impression. Not just because it was Adam Buxton, whose TV show was popular at the time, but because I never forgot that Adam Buxton was both a shoot-em-up player and Raiden fan. That was cool.
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