I just got Gradius Gaiden...

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captain ahar
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I just got Gradius Gaiden...

Post by captain ahar »

I bought Gradius V a few months ago and thought it was really great. I still suck at it but is still an enjoyable time. Then an opportunity arose to snag a JP Ps2 (thanks to this foru actually), and i grabbed it.

after receiving the system and securing a few other shooters (verts), i thought to myself "Hey Gradius V is awesome, let's give Gradius Gaiden a try. It seems like it'll be pretty good!"

oh hell did i under-estimate GG! this game is very much in my top favorite shooters now (and way better than V in my opinion). i still can't really claim to be skilled, per-se, but i can make it to stage four on one credit (mostly one life). i start to fall apart when the moai heads start getting really dense (with the giant heads and the smaller ones that spit rings and shoot lasers from their eyes).

anyway, my main thing i wanted to say is, if someone had asked me before, 'Do you like v-shooters more or h-shooters?' my answer would have been simple, verts. Well, my line of thought just got a whole lot fuzzier.
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Bonus question: I am now thirsting to buy the rest of the series. III and IV are simple because I can get that PS2 release for cheap, but I and II? I know that they released the Gradius Deluxe Pack, but which format? Is one better than the other? To be honest I would like to have the whole series on Playstation, since I've already started that path, but not at the cost of an potentially inferior release.
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Thanks so much for sticking through my happy rant of opinions many already have!
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elbarto
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Post by elbarto »

The Gradius Deluxe pack was released on Saturn and PSone.

I don't know how they compare, as I've never played the PS version, but I do know that the Saturn version is much easier to find, and usually much cheaper as well.
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Turrican
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Re: I just got Gradius Gaiden...

Post by Turrican »

Great, Gradius converts you to horiz!

there is no difference between the PSone and the SS Gradius DP. Be aware though that if you don't have a Psone, but plan to play it on a PS2, Gradius II will run at half speed (which of course sucks).

Also, the Saturn version is cheaper, I think.
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captain ahar
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ooh, i guess no consistency for me

Post by captain ahar »

i will be playing this game on a ps2, so saturn it is (or will be)! thanks to posters.

sorry turrican, i am not converted. i am bi!
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Turrican
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Re: ooh, i guess no consistency for me

Post by Turrican »

captain ahar wrote:sorry turrican, i am not converted. i am bi!
ah ah, don't worry... that's the first step! :wink:
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Post by Ghegs »

If you wanna go all-out you might want to find Salamander Deluxe Pack (PSX/Saturn) as well. Works great with a PS2, too.
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Post by Turrican »

Ghegs wrote:If you wanna go all-out you might want to find Salamander Deluxe Pack (PSX/Saturn) as well. Works great with a PS2, too.
Listen to him: Salamander games are the perfect choice for "bi" :lol:
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Post by landshark »

Ugh. Gradius III - the most evil of all shmups.

Gradius II on the otherhand rocks.
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Post by Stormowl »

Gradius Gaiden vs. Gradius V has been a toss up for me. the Level Design in Gradius V is virtually unmatched, with only R-Type Delta as potential competition. on the other hand, the bosses in Gradius Gaiden are so much cooler than the ones in GV.

Gradius III for arcade is just pure evil, it almost makes Garegga look tame. the SNES version, on the other hand, is tons of fun.

Gradius IV is lackluster and boring (only exception being the last level).

Gradius II is excellent, right behind Gaiden and V

Gradius is good to have just for historys sake. the rank can get pretty nasty, but it probably has the best ending of any shmup. ever.
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Post by BrianC »

My favorite Gradius games are Gradius Gaiden, Gradius V, and Nemesis (I need to get a version of Gradius II). I like Gradius Gaiden for the awesome level design, great power ups and cool bosses. The level design of Gradius V is extremely sweet, but I personally like the level design of Gradius Gaiden better. It's the subtle little touches that make the levels of Gradius Gaiden stand out, IMO. I mean the laser reflecting crystals, different sized moais, laser moais that shoot out one final laser before they die, the junkyard stage full of classic Gradius bosses that suddenly come to life, and many other little touches in the levels really made the levels stand out.

I like Gradius 1 quite a bit, but I actually like Nemesis a bit better. I like how Nemesis starts out like Gradius 1, but then goes in to much different stages, including a couple Salamader style ones. Also, stage 1 is different enough to consider Nemesis as a GB exclusive. The only thing I don't like about Nemesis is that the configuration screen makes it way too easy to cheat. I personally think that the GBA is the best portable system for Gradius. You can play great versions of Gradius and Salamader on the PC Engine GT, but it doesn't have as many Gradius games as the GB.
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Post by iatneH »

I got both Gradius gaiden and Gradius V while I was in Hong Kong last summer (although I wasn't able to play gaiden until I came back in September)
I love the level design in GG, although I found GV to be so much more challenging, like in the first stage with the red globes, that part already made me go "WTF OMG!!" so many times..
Great purchase!
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Post by whoisKeel »

I still haven't played Gaiden, but I'm currently hooked on V.

I've played:
Gradius (nes)
Gradius II (pce-cd)
Gradius III (snes)
Galaxies
V

Gradius II is my favorite after V. I think they may have added a stage or two in the pce-cd version? 3 for snes just seems like a rehash of II to me, with alot of slowdown...and from what I've heard about the ps2 version of 3, I'm staying away. I'm just loving V!

Now here's my question: How is Gradius (I) for pce? Is it as well executed as gradius II for pce-cd? What issues does it have (including slowdown) and how much better does it stack up against the nes version?
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Post by Bydobasher »

Gradius PCE is my favourite version of the game (I've also played the arcade game and the NES port).

Unlike the NES version, the PCE game still allows you to possess as many as four options. There is also a PCE-exclusive stage, which brings the total number of stages to eight (it's the fifth stage ... see pictures of it in Malc's review).

Audiovisually, it looks just as good as the PCB and it sounds even better, although it definitely slows down quite a bit in a few places. If that bothers you, consider yourself warned.
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captain ahar
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for those Salamander suggestions

Post by captain ahar »

sorry, too late. i have had the Salamander Deluxe Pack on Saturn for a good long while. haven't played it in a bit, but LOVED/LOVE Salamander, didn't really play Life Force, and Salamander 2 was kind of meh in my eyes.

In Salamander i can do pretty well up until the boss that shoots the bouncing blue spheres, that is when i tend to lose my men.
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captain ahar
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Post by captain ahar »

it's kind of funny. when i first got Gaiden i was kind of hesitant to play it because i had gotten so used to G5. i just played G5 for the first time in a couple months today, and i completely suck at it! i died two times on the "ring of death" boss (the first boss in the game :P). it seems now that Gradius Gaiden has become my security blanket. hmm... maybe i should try playing them both!
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Re: I just got Gradius Gaiden...

Post by Gozer »

I'm glad to see that you gave Gradius Gaiden a try. It's definitely my favorite Gradius game. I still have not played the second loop. I'm really curious as to how hard Heavens Gate is.

I still need to purchase the Gradius Deluxe pack.

captain ahar wrote: anyway, my main thing i wanted to say is, if someone had asked me before, 'Do you like v-shooters more or h-shooters?' my answer would have been simple, verts. Well, my line of thought just got a whole lot fuzzier.
I'm in that same fuzzy area. I play verts mostly, but my love for the Gradius/Lifeforce and Parodius games is so strong that there is no swaying my choice. ( I also just recieved my Progear board a few days ago. +1 for h-shooters)
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Post by TWITCHDOCTOR »

I've owned Gradius Gaiden for years, but I never really got into it.
I mean, it has nice graphics, the music sounds really good, its a "Gradius" game, but it never gets much play at all. I always was more of a Gradius III(SNES) freak anyway.
Maybe its because I have so many others. I even have a handfull of XBOX games I haven't even played yet!

I 'm sure one day I'll play it again, as I keep rotating what I play.
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Post by gameoverDude »

Gradius III(Arcade) is too hard UNLESS you lower the difficulty to 1. Good luck getting anywhere further if you die and lose all your powerups. Konami did back off a tad in Gradius IV.

Gaiden gets it just about right. Bosses are challenging though not infuriating, and you at least have some chance of coming back after you die. The graphics look better than GIV's 3D realtime renders, but they're neck-and-neck with GV's. GV's instant respawn in 1P mode is a good move given that the game is already challenging enough- getting bopped by one of the bosses and then regressing back into the stage in other Gradius titles is frankly a bitch.
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Post by Nemo »

Gaiden is epic, Gradius V is just long. Konami knew they couldn't top the masterpiece that was Gaiden so they didn't even try, good call.
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