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グラディウスII
©Konami 1988
Release: 1988-12-16 (¥5900)
Cartdridge RC832
Shooter/Horizontal
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Gradius II is an horizontal shooter by Konami and conversion
of their hit arcade game originally release in 1988. The Bacterion Empire
has risen from its own ashes and is once more spreading doom and destruction
throughout the universe. Led by the evil Gofer, the alien invasion now
hits full swing and must be immediately stopped. The Vic Viper is back
in service and ready to take on the upcoming threat. Gradius II retains
the power-meter originally used in Gradius - the player collects power-pods
left behind by orange enemies and moves onto the next available power-up from the
meter. Upgrades range from Speed Up, Missiles, Double Shots,
Multiples, Lasers and Shield. Unlike Gradius, this
sequel offers four different power-meter configurations (available at the
beginning of the game) which feature new weapons to choose from, such as the
Tail Gun, Spread Bombs, Photo Torpedoes, Ripple Lasers
and so forth. It also adds its own twist to the power system though,
and some weapons can be activated twice for additional power - for instance,
Missiles and Doubles can receive one upgrade each and Multiples
can rotate around the Vic Viper for a short amount of time. Gradius II
consists of seven stages and features an alternating two-player mode.
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As expected with Konami, this Famicom port of Gradius II
has some surprises in store. The weapons system features a couple of extras not
found in the original arcade game - some weapons can be further enhanced by selecting
them twice (Multiples rotate around the Vic Viper for a short amount of
time when at full power). The original two rotating-shields have been removed though
and the Famicom port only features the Force Field. Music tracks have
also be moved around. Most interestingly, Konami has edited and changed some of
the levels, read on. The first stage has an exclusive second phase reminiscent of the
fire level from Salamander and the giant burning suns have green space-stations
floating around them. Additionally, an exclusive robot-skull boss called
Gīga (picture on the right) awaits the player at the end of the second stage. The third
(Crystal World) and forth levels (Volcano) have been swapped around,
and Death MK II (boss from the Volcano stage) was omitted entirely
from the Famicom port. Although the Crystal World was blue in the arcade
game, it is now purple in this version. In the fifth Moai stage, the mini-boss is
a single jumping Moai head (whereas the arcade game had four). Finally, the
Boss Rush stage is also slightly different and Konami added a
Zeros Force sphere from Salamander.
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Game Staff (Copied from the end credits) :
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STAFF
Programmed by
S. Umezaki
Character Design
S. Muraki
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Sound Design
H. Maezawa
Y. Morimoto
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Special Thanks
AC. Team Gradius II
M.God Furukawa
K. Shimoide
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Directed by
Umechan
and
Osetsusan
Presented by
Konami
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G
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Japanese Guidebook
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Japanese Guidebook
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Click on picture to enlarge |
S
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Sound test/debug screen:
On the title screen, hold A and B
and press start to access the sound/music test screen (picture on the right).
Konami code:
The Konami code, as expected, works in Gradius II.
If you enter the Konami code (up, up, down, down, left,
right, left, right, B and A)
on the title/menu screen, the game rewards you with 30 ships!
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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The amazement you run into on the first play through Gradius II will
make your jaw drop and your gaming heart overflow and bleed tears of joy. This
is no overstatement; Gradius II is stunning. The music slaps you in the
face like a sharp wave, and when you hear the TV speakers shout out "speed-up!"
for the first time, you start to acknowledge Konami's achievement. Then you
remember all the sacrifices Konami had to go though to port the first
Gradius to the Famicom - Gradius II makes them look like fuzzy
memories. The Vic Viper can carry four options (without much slowdowns) and
the first level immediately throws you into the fray - burning suns, fire dragons,
full screen solar flares, enemy ships smoothly crossing your path. They all scream
perfection. The game does slowdown and flickers a lot in later stages (especially through the
Crystal World), but would a Gradius game be complete without any
slowdowns ? All in all, Gradius II is undoubtedly one of the best shooter
for the system. Even fans of the arcade game will enjoy this one, thanks to Konami
who decided to add exclusive content (often paying homage to Salamander)
to this already magnificent port!
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