The appeal of Raystorm HD is severely hindered by its steep difficulty and high asking price.
There's no questioning the accuracy of RayStorm HD from its original arcade source. Everything is as you remember it---with none of the senseless tweakings of previous localization efforts getting in the way. There are eight stages in total, ranging from Earth cities to space stations---even an asteroid field. In addition to both the Arcade mode and Extra mode, the player will also unlock "13 Ships" mode which forces them to play the game using 13 different variations of R-Gray ships and their configurations. However, RayStorm HD benefits the most from the inclusion of high-definition displays and widescreen support. Fantastic as it is, the widescreen gives an unsettling impression for a vertically-scrolling shooter, and there are noticeable graphical blemishes here and there. Even more disheartening, there is no such option to configure the aspect ratio. Still, for what it's worth, the game looks better than it did in the arcades and in the PlayStation release.
RayStorm was unlike most traditional shooters at the time----namely due to the fact that you can fire two sets of weapons. You can select up to three different variations of your R-Gray fighter---each with their own individual attack patterns and strengths. No matter which of these you choose, your R-Gray fighter can fire standard shots as well as a lock-on laser for dealing with enemies outside of your standard firing range. At the end of each level, you're ranked by the number of targets you've killed using both of these trajectories, so it literally pays to shoot at anything that moves. Fortunately for you, you can configure your controller to fire both your standard shot and lock-on lasers with one button, making things a little easier for casual players, but hardcore gamers have the option of manually changing button functions in this regard as well.
That said, RayStorm HD is not an easy game. Because you are dealing with enemies that appear both in front of you and swirling around in the backlot, you must constantly keep an awareness of not only when they appear, but how they appear. For example, unlike traditional shooters, ground-based enemies cannot typically be destroyed by normal fire---you must deploy your lock on laser. Certain boss fights also demand that you use lock on lasers in addition to your standard firing mechanism to dispose of specific weak points. These added challenges are not typical of an average arcade shooter and will suit a masochist just fine, but for casual players, it's almost like a lamb to a slaughter. Fortunately, Easy mode isn't too unforgiving for the latter (though it can still be difficult in some aspects), and the good news is---you can play the game in its entirety through Easy mode as opposed to the senseless tweakings of the North American Playstation localization.
The 360 Live Arcade port of RayStorm HD handles fine with the 360's D-Pad and works even better if you happen to have the recently-released Limited Edition 360 controller with the improved D-Pad on hand. Exclusive to the 360 is the addition of a fourth ship---known as the R-Gear---which has homing missiles. Not particularly noteworthy of an addition, but a fine ship to use anyhow. The music by Zuntata is excellent and comes in two flavors to accommodate a player's individual style. Achievements can be a challenge to earn, especially given RayStorm's overall difficulty, but don't let this discourage you if you're determined to earn them because as hard as they are, they're not impossible. Leaderboards, per usual, provide an online scoreboard for when you want to prove your skills (or lack thereof) to the world. My only major complaint is the 1200 asking price ($12)----as good as RayStorm HD is on the outset, the game is hardly worth that amount and doesn't offer enough incentives to justify it.
For what it's worth, RayStorm HD can be just the ticket for a challenging gameplay experience, but tread with caution. Fans of the original PlayStation game looking to relive the good old days will find a lot to like here; even though it may not fare exactly the same with everyone else. It can be a good experience if given the chance, but a steep difficulty curve and a questionable price point severely limit RayStorm HD's overall appeal.