General Gradius thread

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What's your favourite entry in the series?

Gradius/Nemesis (Arcade/Famicom/PCE/X68000/PS1/SAT/PSP)
14
8%
Gradius II/Vulcan Venture (Arcade/PCE/X68000/PS1/SAT/PSP)
28
17%
Gradius II (Famicom)
5
3%
Gradius III (Arcade/PS2/PSP)
9
5%
Gradius III (SFC)
17
10%
Gradius IV (Arcade/PS2/PSP)
9
5%
Gradius V (PS2)
36
21%
Nemesis & Nemesis II/Gradius: The Interstellar Assault/Return of the Hero (GB)
1
1%
Gradius Gaiden (PS1/PSP)
42
25%
Gradius ReBirth (Wii)
8
5%
 
Total votes: 169

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EmperorIng
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by EmperorIng »

I have to chuckle at that last ad calling Gradius II a Gradius clone to beat all Gradius clones. Uh... wuh?
The famicom port does indeed look impressive, as is expected of Konami's home-porting prowess back in the day.

I've also put in a few credits of Sexy Parodius as I've sort of gotten cold on Jikkyo (see above). I used to credit feed it all the time for fun, but going for a 1cc is a whole new experience. This game is brutal starting in stage 2, imo. I've settled on Ivan the Penguin, whose badass army jacket and fierce demeanor were about as influential for a pick as his extremely versatile bounding ricochet shot. 8)
I don't know yet if his Metal Ivan shield substitute is actually a shield or not; it's hard to tell in the visual clutter of the bath house stage.

The farthest I've made it right now is stage 3's boss. A load of bullshit she is with that head spinning attack.

I also have a confession to make with these Parodius games. I'm playing on non-arcade defaults! Let me explain. I've turned off Roulette. It's an awful mechanic and I don't know why it persisted throughout the games. They must have even hated it since you can turn it off in the options. You try playing Sexy's stage 2 SPEED STAGE with a randomly-gained roulette and be fucked out of all your speed and powerups. NO THANKS. It is not a gameplay mechanic... it's an anti-mechanic.
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MathU
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MathU »

I usually play Sexy on Auto (which doesn't have roulette power-ups) because I find the adaptive difficulty ridiculous on Manual. I haven't yet been able to figure out a way to make the difficulty manageable on Manual when the last couple of stages come around, they get absolutely brutal.

Oh and roulette power-ups in all of the Parodius games aren't actually random. They're always dropped in the same spot by the same enemies.
Of course, that's just an opinion.
Always seeking netplay fans to play emulated arcade games with.
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EmperorIng
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by EmperorIng »

I find that very interesting! I wonder if there is a guide that lists which enemies drop roulettes. That'd be a 'game changer' for sure. Even in Sexy? There's no indication that the capsules will trigger a roulette at least appearance-wise. If they were green instead of orange... if only.

I used to play on Auto way back when I didn't know how to play gradius-style games (usually as Mambo for his wide coverage). I didn't know or realize it made a difference with rank. I almost don't believe you!
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versionfiv
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by versionfiv »

what are you guys opinions on Garudius 95 for pc-98
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MJR
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MJR »

This thread made me want to go back at Gradius 2 again on my PSX + arcade tank stick, for the sake of all the memories.

I can't believe that I once was able to get onto 2-2. Now I can go pretty much to the gunwall, and then I'm getting slapped. Looking at playthrough videos, everyone uses the safe spot on the bottom right screen just front of the hatch, but I wonder if you can recover from that part. The checkpoint is really heavy.

Another point worth cringing + chuckling is the highscore table, where you put up your age and the player picture will decay as it gets older.. now I've been saving high scores on memory card since 1997, when I was 23, so now my highscore table is filled with entries from age range of 23-46.. seeing my decay on that high score table is kinda eerie :o
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MJR
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MJR »

..and just when I said how I can't imagine ever playing to 2-2 in Gradius 2, I just did reach 2-2.. first time since nineties I guess.

I had totally forgotten how much fun the second loop is. Real top speed shooting bliss.

I also remember playing Gradius III to death with my Snes back in the day. Finally when I managed to clear the hardest difficulty (which was hidden) the game said: "I give up. Your application: Technical Monkey".

Gradius must be the series I love most, or at least the series I get the most nostalgic kicks on.
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Master O
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by Master O »

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MJR
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MJR »

This is a joyful day! First time in my life, I was able to 1CC - NO MISS Gradius 2 arcade version :D
Second loop was sheer brutality, though

Image
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BIL
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by BIL »

Congrats, that one's an essential! Lovely pic too!
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Sengoku Strider
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by Sengoku Strider »

With III announced for ACA, how does it differ from the SNES version? I've only played the home version and I love it, slowdown, flicker and all.
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MJR
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MJR »

BIL wrote:Congrats, that one's an essential! Lovely pic too!
Thanks! And it's the CRT tv magic, old games look so much better on tube telly.
Sengoku Strider wrote:With III announced for ACA, how does it differ from the SNES version? I've only played the home version and I love it, slowdown, flicker and all.
Arcade version is far more difficult, it has 3rd person perspective flying sections which can result to instant death = lose powerups, and sadistic "tetris" stage that took ages for me to complete.

Snes version on the other hand feels more fair, balanced and polished, and the much-hated flying parts and tetris stage are thankfully omitted, as even the developers regretted putting them in the arcade version.. but it also has hidden difficulty levels for extra challenge. While there are people here who like the challenge of the arcade version, I belong to those who think that the Snes version is far superior.
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Sengoku Strider
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Sengoku Strider wrote:With III announced for ACA, how does it differ from the SNES version? I've only played the home version and I love it, slowdown, flicker and all.
Arcade version is far more difficult, it has 3rd person perspective flying sections which can result to instant death = lose powerups, and sadistic "tetris" stage that took ages for me to complete.

Snes version on the other hand feels more fair, balanced and polished, and the much-hated flying parts and tetris stage are thankfully omitted, as even the developers regretted putting them in the arcade version.. but it also has hidden difficulty levels for extra challenge. While there are people here who like the challenge of the arcade version, I belong to those who think that the Snes version is far superior.[/quote]

Thanks, maybe I'll pass on that one then. Now that I think of it, I did have the PSP Gradius collection and it's on there, but it left no particular impression (such that I forgot I'd even played it). I've been thinking of tracking down a Super Famicom anyway, maybe I'll just pick the game up on that.
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MJR
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by MJR »

Gradius related:
My friend did rather nice 3D image based on the Gradius cover art (sans some scrambled laser beams), which I shared on the FB Gradius group

Edit: you can download different VR versions from this google drive folder
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NYN
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IV VV V

Post by NYN »

Playing around with OG and it's versions and III Arc and SNES. Improving, it seems to me.

After some time I booted V and I was stunned. It now feels to me not like a Gradius. Worse, I was annoyed with the differences; the option options and that it's polygonal. Almost shocked, at how strange it felt. I vagualy remember a vet here calling V a non-Gradius. Could I just have that glimpse now?

On the upside, I dove in IV and I think now of it as a much better game, that I thought it was. It's polygonal, with a nice style to it.
Never played Gaiden.

How is the quality of the PS2 port of IV? That's what I'm playing. Close enough?
"I've transmuted into a super being. I'll proof it by killing you." -NGIII ( words to kill by )
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copy-paster
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Re: IV VV V

Post by copy-paster »

NYN wrote:Playing around with OG and it's versions and III Arc and SNES. Improving, it seems to me.

After some time I booted V and I was stunned. It now feels to me not like a Gradius. Worse, I was annoyed with the differences; the option options and that it's polygonal. Almost shocked, at how strange it felt. I vagualy remember a vet here calling V a non-Gradius. Could I just have that glimpse now?

On the upside, I dove in IV and I think now of it as a much better game, that I thought it was. It's polygonal, with a nice style to it.
Never played Gaiden.

How is the quality of the PS2 port of IV? That's what I'm playing. Close enough?
V was developed by Treasure & G.Rev and I remember Konami asked them to make the game with modern touches, and they did (small hitbox, danmaku-ish, no checkpoint by default, lengthy stages) in my opinion it's the best Treasure game.

IV on PS2 plays nice it's close to perfect recreation to arcade, in real hardware the input is spot-on and looks great on CRT (avoid modern display cause it adds massive lag). But the port have ridiculous way to unlock stage select that is you must 1CC the game to unlock it :lol:
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NYN
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was that neCCesary?

Post by NYN »

Yes, I come to think it's just me, since I'm more in flavour for a "don't change a thing" IV, and that V is more modernized to get away from that.
Anyway, didn't know about IV stage select unlock. Funny.

There's not much reflection about IV I can find here. Could it be that unpopular? I tend to gravitate to such things, I learn now.
I'd guess players are more invested in the flaws (if so perceived) of III than the AFAIC fun of IV. Don't judge me for that, I'm only on stage 3, for now. :)

I would like to hear more, about IV in general. If it's it shunned somehow in the shadow of Gaiden, perhaps? A reversionist take, after some Gaiden evolution?
"I've transmuted into a super being. I'll proof it by killing you." -NGIII ( words to kill by )
SuperDeadite
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Re: General Gradius thread

Post by SuperDeadite »

IV is a fun game at first, but tends to get annoying quickly. The rank is brutal, and later stages like the cell stage are just too hard to be fun. I own the pcb myself, and its got the wow factor that keeps me from selling it, but it never stays in the cab for very long either lol. I adore the graphics though, being a 90s PC kid, the voodoo2 reflections still wow me. The one thing the ps2 port doesnt have is the arcades 24khz resolution. On a medium res crt monitor, it really is a gorgeous game.
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