|
|
|
|
グラディウス
©Konami 1986
Release: 1986-04-25 (¥4900)
Cartdridge RC810
Shooter/Horizontal
|
Released in America as
GRADIUS
( NES-GR-USA )
|
|
Released in Europe as
GRADIUS
( NES-GR-XXX )
|
|
Gradius is an horizontal shooter by Konami and
conversion of the classic arcade game of the same name originally
released in 1985. The planet Gradius is under attack and the
Vic Viper space-fighter (called the Warp Rattler in the
American version) is the last line of defense against the oncoming alien
invasion. The player has to battle waves of enemy ships, odd entities
and erupting volcanoes until he eventually reaches and "destroy"
the Xaerous Brain. Red enemies and special ship formations
occasionally drop capsules when defeated - a power menu at the bottom
of the screen shows the currently available power-up and collecting
more capsules allows the player to move onto different weapon and
ship upgrades. The most basic one speeds up the Vic Viper
whereas others equip ground missiles, lasers,
options or a force field barrier. Blue capsules also
appear from time to time and destroy all the enemies on the screen
at once. Most of the seven stages have a small boss battle and a second
fight against a large big-core ship. These ships are invincible until
their blue center core opens up and turns red. However tiny destructible
blocks protect the core's entryway and must all be destroyed in order
to hurt them. Interestingly the player can skip a whole stage by
destroying a big-core ship fast enough! The game also features a
two players alternating mode.
|
|
Because of obvious technical limitations, the Famicom version
shows major differences with the original arcade game. Konami
gladly sacrificed some of the game's original features as long as the
gameplay was unaffected (which is perfectly fair). First of all the
size of the big-core ships has been considerably reduced. Then the
Vic Viper can only carry two options at the same time whereas
the arcade allowed four. Finally, the stages that could scroll up and
down (such as the Stone Hedge and Moai levels) are locked
and the "frame-looking" enemy before the final boss was omitted.
|
A special promotional version of the game was also available for the
Famicom system. The game was called "Gradius Archimendes Hen"
(the "Gradius Archimendes Edition") and released in limited quantities
to promote a popular Japanese ramen brand."Archimendes" is the name of the instant
noodles sold by the company - It is in fact a pun and the name is made up of
"Aruki" (walking), "Men" (noodle) and "desu" (be) - "super instant noodles
you can eat on the go". Both the cartridge and the box come with a special triangular sticker
applied to them, and each copy is
numbered (on the leaflet and inside one of the box's flap). However, and most
interestingly, the game is slightly different and the power-capsules
were turned into instant ramen bowls. This edition is extremely rare
(apparently 4000 units were given away) and consequently quite expensive...
please see the Omake section on this page for more images.
|
Teaser text from the American version:
It's a Duel
to the Death With
the Evil Bacterions!
You are the last hope of the
gentle people of Gradius.
You're just lifted off to confront
the all-out attack of the amoeboid
Bacterions.
Your hyper-space fighter is armed
with the greatest arsenal i the galaxy.
Air-to-surface and double beam laser
cannons for incredible firepower.
Powerful force fields for protection.
Time and space warps for fleeing
the dimension.
You'll need it all, just to survive.
Because at the heart of the
Bacterion Empire lies the
Xaerons Superfortress - the
nerve center of the all-knowing,
all seeing Bacterion
Bio-Computer.
It's a Duel to the Death,
While the entire galaxy
watches.
Waits.
And hopes.
|
G
O
O
D
I
E
S
|
|
Japanese Guidebook
|
Japanese Guidebook
|
Japanese Guidebook
|
Japanese Adventure book
|
|
|
O
M
A
K
E
|
|
|
|
|
Click on picture to enlarge |
|
|
|
LK
|
|
Add your Pov here !
|
P
O
V
s
|
|
Considering the hardware the game runs on, this Famicom
port of Gradius is surprisingly better than what I thought it
would be. The color palette had to be reduced, some enemy sprites took a
considerable hit in size and you can carry only two options - but overall
the game plays really well and the controls are flawless. My only grip
with the game are the 'speed-ups'. They feel slightly slower than the arcade
game and I often need to activate three of them in order to play - only
two feel "right" to me in the original game. Beside this minor and totally
subjective problem, Gradius is an incredible game. It is a bit
hard to play, but nonetheless, you'll surprise yourself going a little further
each time you boot up the game.
|
|
|
|
