GD: Gradius II: Gofer No Yabou

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Kiken
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GD: Gradius II: Gofer No Yabou

Post by Kiken »

I did a search and didn't find a specific thread for Gradius II.. so here it is.

At any rate, I've been playing the Super CD version of Gradius II quite a bit recently and have noticed (as per usual with PC-Engine ports) that there are a few minor alterations that make the game more difficult.

The part in particular that I'm having trouble with is the mid-boss (Disrupt or Keeper's Core) in stage 9.

In the arcade version, you can destroy all of the little directional cannons (that fire the pixel-thin red lasers) as soon as the boss is assembled (I've done it in the Saturn Gradius Deluxe Pack and I watched the PCB replay from super-play.co.uk and saw the exact same thing). In the Super CD version, you have to wait several seconds until the the entire target becomes active (after you hear the guy yell, "Pnwd t3h Core!") before you can do any damage, and even then, it takes forever to kill those little cannons (even the one at the bottom which is receiving a steady stream of missiles), all the while you're being shot at.

At the moment, I'm using a clockwise rotation moving around the left edge of the screen... tapping up slowly and then dashing back down... repeat for about 2 minutes or until the 2 lowest cannons are dead (at this point, I can park in front of the Ducker hanger and safely take out the remaining cannons without having to move).

I'm using the classic Type 1 power-up meter and the LifeForce-style Force Field. For ease of targeting, I use Double to attack this mid-boss, BTW.
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RippleScythe
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Post by RippleScythe »

I'm about to get a copy of the PC Engine CD version very shortly, but I've played through the Famicom version a few times.

I do got a small question about the music, does it have both CD and PSG made tracks?
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Kiken
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Post by Kiken »

RippleScythe wrote:I'm about to get a copy of the PC Engine CD version very shortly, but I've played through the Famicom version a few times.

I do got a small question about the music, does it have both CD and PSG made tracks?
The PC-Engine Super-CD verison of Gradius II features CD-DA audio only (although, the tracks are all high-quality versions of the arcade original themes).
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Post by Gopher's Ambition »

Position yourself right in front of the shields, out of the firing arc of the cannons, but position yourself up a notch or two from the middle so the suicide bullets from the shields don't kill you. The walkers shouldn't be able to hit you either provided your positioning is accurate enough.
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Kiken
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Post by Kiken »

Gopher's Ambition wrote:Position yourself right in front of the shields, out of the firing arc of the cannons, but position yourself up a notch or two from the middle so the suicide bullets from the shields don't kill you. The walkers shouldn't be able to hit you either provided your positioning is accurate enough.
I had thought about trying this, but was worried that I'd get nailed but one of the cannons literally rotating down to target me.

But I will certainly try it. Thank you.
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Post by Vincere »

Ok so I bought Gradius Deluxe Pack and here's my 2cts about the game: it's HARD. I mean, come on, once you're hit, this is the end of your credit. As you can't last 5 seconds alive when you're "naked", the game is obviously made to be beaten in 1 life.

So I managed to pass stage 3 once, but this stage is AWFULLY HARD. I simply can't stand how to get through it. I watched superplay but can't seem to be able to do the same.

I seriously wonder if I'll keep playing this honnestly.
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Post by landshark »

Vincere wrote:Ok so I bought Gradius Deluxe Pack and here's my 2cts about the game: it's HARD. I mean, come on, once you're hit, this is the end of your credit. As you can't last 5 seconds alive when you're "naked", the game is obviously made to be beaten in 1 life.

So I managed to pass stage 3 once, but this stage is AWFULLY HARD. I simply can't stand how to get through it. I watched superplay but can't seem to be able to do the same.

I seriously wonder if I'll keep playing this honnestly.
Not true. Gradius 2 is continuable once you die. Just keep at it. All of a sudden you just get good at it.
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Post by Bloodreign »

I can honestly say I suck at Gradius 2 Duo, I need to practice more with it as I got to the Crystal Labyrinth stage only to be overwhelmed with crystals at one point, and when I did manage to sneak through all that mess, the Ice Core would melt my poor Vic Viper (I've actually done better on the X68K version, Moai stage, and the PSX Gradius Deluxe Pack version Moai stage as well, but not by very much). Of course it didn't help that I had the setting to hard to try and credit feed it to see the ending (lower difficulty just tells you to try the next higher difficulty, and professional mode is well out of my reach due to 3 continues and 3 lives, if I get good enough at it I can start trying it, but not any time soon), but I did manage to 1 credit it up to stage 3 an accomplishment for me and my slowed reflexes (too many new games, they ruined my sharp reflexes :P). Looks like something to practice on for awhile, while I learn how not to die in Gradius 3 PS 2 nearly as much. :lol:

And I refuse to quit because stage 3 is tough, that just means I need practice.
Last edited by Bloodreign on Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Vincere
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Post by Vincere »

I guess I'm in the same boat, need to practice for ages...
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Bloodreign
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Post by Bloodreign »

For awhile I practiced exclusively on Gradius 4, to the point I once, and only once, 3 credded the game (haven't been able to duplicate the feat since, the bio stage slaughters me), but seriously 2 is much easier than Gradius 3 arcade (unless your name is tviks or BGR, and if it's Gradius Gaiden then your name would be Kiken :lol: I just downloaded his Gradius Gaiden 1CC for the fourth time, everytime I delete it, and get an urge to see it again and again).

Of course the X68K version of Gradius 2 is nice since in the option menu you can choose between Gradius 2 (no continues) or Vulcan Venture (unlimited continues), that's the version besides MAME I used to exclusively play Gradius 2 on. Of course if you're looking to 1CC the game you choose the Gradius 2 option, but for now I'm content on the Vulcan Venture mode.

Just remember never give up, no matter how tough the game is, there is a point you'll surprise yourself and do that 1CC.
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Post by PFG 9000 »

Gradius 2 on the Deluxe Pack kicks my ass. I think I only got through that Ice field in Stage 3 once, and then the Ice Core guy beat the crap outta me. That really turned me off to the game for awhile. I have no doubt I'll try it again before long, but I don't have much of a desire to play it after that.
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Post by Kiken »

PFG 9000 wrote:Gradius 2 on the Deluxe Pack kicks my ass. I think I only got through that Ice field in Stage 3 once, and then the Ice Core guy beat the crap outta me. That really turned me off to the game for awhile. I have no doubt I'll try it again before long, but I don't have much of a desire to play it after that.
Best way to beat Crystal Core (in loop 1) is:

As he appears from the left, stay at either the top or bottom of the screen (about mid-screen or so) and then move around him as he closes his arms. Now, move up and get centered with him (he may move up or down a little to match you). As soon as his arms open, move straight ahead until the nose of the Vic Viper is barely touching the pair of laser cannons flanking the core barriers. I normally tap left and right a couple of times once in this spot to get my Options bunched up. But once in the spot, do NOT move up or down. The twin lasers will fire around you and the arms will stop just shy of you. If you get up here with 2 or more Options and laser, you ought to kill Crystal Core very quickly.
Bloodreign wrote:For awhile I practiced exclusively on Gradius 4, to the point I once, and only once, 3 credded the game (haven't been able to duplicate the feat since, the bio stage slaughters me), but seriously 2 is much easier than Gradius 3 arcade (unless your name is tviks or BGR, and if it's Gradius Gaiden then your name would be Kiken I just downloaded his Gradius Gaiden 1CC for the fourth time, everytime I delete it, and get an urge to see it again and again).

Of course the X68K version of Gradius 2 is nice since in the option menu you can choose between Gradius 2 (no continues) or Vulcan Venture (unlimited continues), that's the version besides MAME I used to exclusively play Gradius 2 on. Of course if you're looking to 1CC the game you choose the Gradius 2 option, but for now I'm content on the Vulcan Venture mode.

Just remember never give up, no matter how tough the game is, there is a point you'll surprise yourself and do that 1CC.
Actually, tviks is really good at Gradius Gaiden as well. I think my replay stands out a bit simply for the fact that 50% of players use the Vic Viper and about 40% use the Falchion Beta. The Jade Knight and the Lord British just aren't very popular.

Also, the Gradius Deluxe Pack (for Saturn and PSX) has a Continue option for Gradius II. You just have to turn it on in the options menu (it's set to OFF by default).
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Post by Kiken »

Gopher's Ambition wrote:Position yourself right in front of the shields, out of the firing arc of the cannons, but position yourself up a notch or two from the middle so the suicide bullets from the shields don't kill you. The walkers shouldn't be able to hit you either provided your positioning is accurate enough.
I figured out a different safe spot which I find far easier to get into. I park point-blank in front of the lower Ducker garage door. If I trail my Options in behind me at a diagonal, I can cover most of the area with fire and remain out of harm's way.

What's killing me now is the stupid 6 legged spider (I guess this is actually called Disruptor, and the large core boss is just Mid-Boss... guess I'll go with the Gradius V terminology and call it Keeper's Core).

The first and fourth passes are easily dodged... but the transition between the second and third is a pain. I decided to stick with taking the upper path for this (for more manueverability, since he doesn't plant the center upper leg while resting), but I'm getting nailed in cross-fire from all the Duckers on the ground. I have worked out a solution, though.
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Post by Bloodreign »

Not to jump offtopic purposelessly, I've looked around for Gradius 4 Superplays in order to maybe improve my skill on that game, unfortunately I can't seem to find any.

On the other hand I've watched Superplays for the other Gradius and Salamander titles, Gradius 2 in particular (unknown submitter though so I can't tell who did it), the way they seem to flawlessly pass through the Crystal Labyrinth stage tells me they put tons of time into the game, heck a little practice and I managed to get past it finally, it's the Upside Down Volcano and the numerous gunpods that do me in now, bullets everywhere.
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Post by zaphod »

as i recall those upside down stages are tailor made for double.
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Post by Klatrymadon »

(I guess this is actually called Disruptor, and the large core boss is just Mid-Boss... guess I'll go with the Gradius V terminology and call it Keeper's Core)
Just out of curiosity, where did you discover the names for those enemies? I'm familiar with the names of most of the bosses throughout the series (particularly the recurring ones), but quite few from V and Gaiden have thus far eluded me.

Cheers!

I can also vouch for the strength of the "parking in front of the lower Ducker hatch" method. It works beautifully in both the arcade and PCE versions, particularly if you're using Double and your options are positioned in front of the two groups of turrets. It's plain sailing once a few of those are out of the way.

BTW, a Wikipedia article refers to GII's version of Disruptor as "Crab", but it's not a fantastically reliable resource, and the page seems to ignore the existence of the Keeper's Core.
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Post by Kiken »

Bal-Sagoth wrote:Just out of curiosity, where did you discover the names for those enemies? I'm familiar with the names of most of the bosses throughout the series (particularly the recurring ones), but quite few from V and Gaiden have thus far eluded me.
Well, any of the replay DVDs of V had art galleries with the enemy names. However, the following website is very comprehensive in regards to Gradius boss names as well as differences between the multiple versions:
http://homepage1.nifty.com/IMO/gradius/

Oh, and I finally nailed the SLC of the first loop. I'll post the video to Super Play shortly.
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Post by Bloodreign »

Too much I can't read, but it looks pretty indepth. :(
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Post by Klatrymadon »

Thanks, Kiken. I've been meaning to pick up the GV DVDs, but would you recommend 'em given that I can already 1CC it? If they have any footage of gameplay beyond loop 3, they could prove useful.
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Post by MSZ »

I can't believe GII is giving people this much trouble...

I would rank it as one of the easiest in the series along with Gaiden.
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Post by Klatrymadon »

I can't believe GII is giving people this much trouble...
It isn't, mate. There's only one real query here! :D

Gaiden is definitely on the easy side, too. I 1CC'd the 2nd loop today, after a good stretch of inactivity.

You post at the GameStone forum, aye? I post there rather infrequently as Klatrymadon. Hails!
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Post by MSZ »

Bal-Sagoth wrote:You post at the GameStone forum, aye? I post there rather infrequently as Klatrymadon. Hails!
Your postcount at Gamestone is still bigger than mine though. :D
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Post by Kiken »

MSZ wrote:I can't believe GII is giving people this much trouble...

I would rank it as one of the easiest in the series along with Gaiden.
Gradius II FC/NES is certainly the easiest in the series... followed by Gradius III SFC/SNES.

When it comes to the arcade titles, Gradius is by far the easiest. Gradius II has a comfortable difficulty, much like V. III and IV are stupidly hard because they suffer from poor design. Gaiden is about on par with II though, I agree.

At any rate, I uploaded my No Miss of the first loop from PC-E SCD Gradius II to Super-Play. I decided to add commentary in the form of captions to this video (hence why it took an extra 48 hours to complete).
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Post by Klatrymadon »

III and IV are stupidly hard because they suffer from poor design.
The stage select options for practicing in the III & IV pack make them both wonderfully learnable, though. :)

Nice work on the video - they're always enjoyable.
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Post by Bloodreign »

Thanks Kiken for uploading the video, I decided to give Gradius 2 Duo a run on another Magic Engine I have, and due to me forgetting to set frame skip on the game played at a slower rate. And by having a slower playing game I managed to 1CC the game to the last stage, but ran out of lives just short of the Gunwall, something I was never able to do on Magic Engine running at normal speed.

As for my opinion of Gradius III and IV, lets just say I'm glad I own them, no matter how tough both games are.
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Post by Plasmo »

thanks very much for the video kiken!
entertaining subtitles and a nice tribute to shiners old gradius videos yay :)
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Post by Klatrymadon »

Monkey wad.

Subtitled replays are the future.

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Post by Bloodreign »

The subtitles on the replay are nice to have, some are witty, some informative, all are entertaining, though i honestly thought I read that you were quitting the subtitling after the upside down volcano stage, thankfully you didn't (nice jab at Shiner for wallcanoes not being on ceilings, haha).
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Post by Herr Schatten »

So I abandoned Psychosis for now and started playing the SCD version of Gradius II.

I wonder which wepon configurations are the most popular. Usually, I go for the fourth one, but then it seems that by stage 4 the rank goes through the roof, even if I don't max out my options.

Any hints?
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Post by Ghegs »

Herr Schatten wrote:So I abandoned Psychosis for now and started playing the SCD version of Gradius II.

I wonder which wepon configurations are the most popular. Usually, I go for the fourth one, but then it seems that by stage 4 the rank goes through the roof, even if I don't max out my options.

Any hints?
I did my run with the fourth weapon configuration and only took three options.
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