The Happy Fun 20th Anniversary Gradius Love-Thread.

Sly Cherry Chunks · Post by **Sly Cherry Chunks** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:14 am

According to Gradius Homeworld it's today.

Well, I've been enjoying these games since the late 80s so I thought someone should at least mention it on this forum.
Happy Birthday Gradius, I hope you're still around for your 40th anniversary.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:03 am

Happy birthday Gradius! Heck, I hope I am still around by the time of your 40th anniversary!

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:07 am

very happy birthday gradius! its just a shame konami hasn't bothered to do anything to celebrate it (like release an awesome gradius compilation or something)

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:54 am

theevilfunkster wrote:very happy birthday gradius! its just a shame konami hasn't bothered to do anything to celebrate it (like release an awesome gradius compilation or something)

Gradius Compilation would be awesome

Come on Konami! Also we want Nemesis 90 Kai onthe compilation

Tony Gradius · Post by **Tony Gradius** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:30 pm

My first contact with the game I had with the C64 version, which was called Nemesis in my region. Great game.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 2:43 pm

I've heard of Gradius for afew years but the first time I played Gradius was last year, My brother reveiced a plug and play device, on it was Gradius

Now I love shmups

alpha5099 · Post by **alpha5099** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:37 pm

SheSaidDutch wrote:I've heard of Gradius for afew years but the first time I played Gradius was last year, My brother reveiced a plug and play device, on it was Gradius

Now I love shmups

Was it just Gradius? Or did it contain a bunch of games?

My first exposure was to Salamander in MAME a few years back. Then I discovered Parodius. In time, I discovered how great Gradius was, but it look a while.

OmegaFlareX · Post by **OmegaFlareX** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:25 pm

The first experience I had with the Gradius universe was when I rented Life Force for the NES like, 15 years ago. I liked it so much that I rented it several times (guess I should've saved my money and bought it, huh?). Later, when I got my GameBoy, I got Nemesis for my birthday. That was a great little handheld shmup, even if it was a bit easy.

I never played the first Gradius until I got my own computer and dabbled about in Nintendo emulation. Now that I own the Deluxe Pack for Saturn, I can say that the NES version is very good for an arcade port (except the laser weapon is different).

mirkvid · Post by **mirkvid** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:37 pm

OmegaFlareX wrote:The first experience I had with the Gradius universe was when I rented Life Force for the NES like, 15 years ago. I liked it so much that I rented it several times (guess I should've saved my money and bought it, huh?). Later, when I got my GameBoy, I got Nemesis for my birthday. That was a great little handheld shmup, even if it was a bit easy.

wow! same here! I used to rent life force ALL the time! and i got nemesis for my bithday too......
ahh. shooting the core is bliss!

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:46 pm

lifeforce was my first experience with the gradius games and was the main reason i got a nes about 15 years ago and i still play it quite often (when my nes decides to work).

now i own pretty much all of the gradius/salamander/parodius titles.

SPACE HARRIER · Post by **SPACE HARRIER** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:59 pm

CHEERS GRADIUS!! now bring us part VI

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:02 pm

happy birthday Gradius. you are the only shooters i play lately.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:06 pm

Happy birthday Gradius, and thank you for dragging me into the awesome (tohugh expensive) world of shoot 'em ups

elbarto · Post by **elbarto** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:11 pm

I remember playing Gradius II and III in arcades when I was younger, and also the first game on PCE, but it wasn't until Parodius on the Super Famicom that I really started to take an interest in the series. Now the Gradius/Salamander/Paro series are some of my most played games.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:51 pm

alpha5099 wrote:Was it just Gradius? Or did it contain a bunch of games?

A bunch of games, about maybe 30ish nes games and 1 or 2 msx games

Sly Cherry Chunks · Post by **Sly Cherry Chunks** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:22 pm

^I know what you mean. My mum has this thing - I think it's based on NES hardware. It's called 'Power Joy'

She ordered it off some shopping channel. Gee, that was a wierd weekend, waking up one morning to find my mum playing Gradius....

Now she'll walk in when Im playing Gradius V and say' Oh, Gradius. Ive got this somewhere!'

Im 26!!!!!!!

Galaxius · Post by **Galaxius** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:23 pm

Throw me in with the people who first experienced Gradius through Life Force NES. Classic game!

Though I'm a bit sad Konami didn't put out something for the anniversary. It's COMPILATION TIME.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:35 pm

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, HaAAAaaAAAAApppPPPyyyYYYYY BBBBIIIRRRTTTHHHDAAAAYYYY TO
GRADIUS. Happy Birthday to you.

And just after a 2-9 run of Gaiden. Gosh.

Edit: I digged this old pic for the occassion:
[img=http://img192.echo.cx/img192/3/10808738oj.th.jpg]

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:54 pm

Galaxius wrote:Throw me in with the people who first experienced Gradius through Life Force NES. Classic game!

Though I'm a bit sad Konami didn't put out something for the anniversary. It's COMPILATION TIME.

My thoughts eactly.

And my first experience with the series was with Gradius III SNES.

EDIT: OT but SMB (not plain old vanilla Mario Bros) should be 20 years old as well either now or soon.

1985:

Gradius = Beginning of the modern hori shooter era

SMB: Beginning of the platformer era

(the real beginning, crap games like the B.C. platformer and Pac Land don't count)

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:46 am

Hey, that first BC game was pretty good, although I woulnd't call it a platformer as much as a moon patrol clone.

Anyway, Gradius. Yeah, I played some PCE Gradius at work today to celebrate. Is it just me, or is that version harder than the NES rev.?

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:14 am

it290 wrote:Hey, that first BC game was pretty good, although I woulnd't call it a platformer as much as a moon patrol clone.

Tell that to someone on TNL who a few months ago was determined to prove Nintendo was NOT "according to popular opinion" the originator of platformers.

nullstar · Post by **nullstar** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:05 am

Gradius was my second NES game...after Wrecking Crew. Took me a couple months to pass level 3 for the first time (actually reached level 7 on that run). Took another couple to repeat the feat and then defeat the game. :) (Did all that on a b/w TV, too.)

My most distinct Gradius memory, however, is the night I first played GIII on my cousin's SNES. Incredible stuff. I'd never played w/ four options before OR weapon edit OR sensed graphics and sound like that. Reached the boss parade; cleared the game on a second run the next morning...can't say I've ever repeated that feat. (In fact, with Gradius V, I seem to be back to my `few months to consistently clear the third level' regimen.)

In related news, I finally got a bona fide copy of PCE CD Gradius II this week; I am NOT used to a hitbox that big anymore -- but that game blows R-Type out of the water. I'd forgotten how pivotal that game was for the series; certainly dated more than most that have come after, but easily in the top 10 shmups of the 80s (along w/ Salamander and the original Gradius) -- and, like the rest, still worth playing today.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 10:40 am

nullstar wrote:I'd forgotten how pivotal that game was for the series; certainly dated more than most that have come after, but easily in the top 10 shmups of the 80s

Yeah. I think many forget that.

My first experience with Gradius was... Huh, I'm getting old and I don't remember well. However it was late. Maybe Parodius on Snes. In the first years of the nineties I was a loyal Amiga user. The Amiga is great but not exactly the most supported system by Konami.

However, even if I had not played a Gradius game until then, I used to know it like a Great Legend, simply because it was mentioned in so many shmups reviews. One of the first games that I played on the Amiga was DMA's Menace, so without knowing it I already was a Gradius fan back then.

Same for Project X: although its quality is always on debate, there's no doubt that some of its best features were Gradius rip-off.

Anyway, let me spend a word on the Gameboy version too, Nemesis which was surprisingly good and still has the best rearrangement of the first stage music, courtesy of Yamane-sama. I remember I was truly shocked to see the game ported so well on GB. I then used to say that a true test to a shmup's playability is how well does it fare when it's shrinked. R-Type, Xenon and other respected brands all failed to get a decent GB version.

ForteMP3 · Post by **ForteMP3** » Sun May 01, 2005 7:04 pm

My first experience was Life Force on the NES. Happy days, those...

And yes, a Gradius compilation would be awesome, we can only hope, eh?

MSZ · Post by **MSZ** » Sun May 01, 2005 8:22 pm

Happy B-day Gradius.

Next year we will celebrate the 20th ann. of Salamander too.

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Mon May 02, 2005 11:40 am

Next year we will celebrate the 20th ann. of Salamander too.

Come on konami, give us salamander 3

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Mon May 02, 2005 1:13 pm

My first Gradius game was the NES Gradius. I love Nemesis GB! That game rocks. I wish Konami would make something to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Gradius.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Mon May 02, 2005 1:19 pm

theevilfunkster wrote:
Next year we will celebrate the 20th ann. of Salamander too.
Come on konami, give us salamander 3

I hope it wont include the instant respawn though