|
Gradius
Jan 16, 2010 10:19:31 GMT -5
Post by Shellshock on Jan 16, 2010 10:19:31 GMT -5
While we resurrect this old thread, I have two observations too. I have been playing both arcade and Gradius Collection Gradius recently, and Kurt, I noticed you didn't mention that the arcade version doesn't let you continue. This makes it extremely difficult to beat, and so I ended up moving on to the Collection version, where I at least can add lives and lower the difficulty. Still, haven't beaten it yet.
Also, maybe I missed it because I didn't read the intro, but the difficulty level and speed of bullets in the first game (and some others) ramps up according to how much powered-up the player is.
Are those fair things to mention?
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 16, 2010 17:27:31 GMT -5
Post by splatter on Jan 16, 2010 17:27:31 GMT -5
If you're playing the arcade game in MAME, you might want to try the US version, named Nemesis. It allows continuing up to three times and spawns a group of golden power capsule-bearing enemies whenever you die, making recovery easier. The way the difficulty increases as you collect power-ups is called "rank." It's a common feature of many shooting games, though it's not exclusive to the genre. Its importance varies from title to title... rank is barely noticeable in the R-Type series, but it's a major element of Zanac or Battle Garegga. I usually only get three options in the original Gradius to keep the bullet speed & density at a level I can manage, but it depends on what you're comfortable with. Anyway, here are some comparisons between the Game Boy game and ReBirth. I can't take Wii screenshots, so these are just some quick captures off of YouTube vids. Stage 1. At this point, there's not really anything to clues you in this is a Game Boy remake. Erupting volcanoes at the end. Big Core. The stage simply blinks out of existence in the original, while Big Core blows it up in ReBirth. Stage 2 is the organic stage. Another series staple, but it's usually purely biological, while these games give it an R-Type vibe by making it a mechanical area overrun with growth. Same boss. Stage 3. Moai! In the original game, the bouncing ball made of four smaller balls was the mini-boss and a spaceship was the boss. ReBirth gives the ball some more attacks and makes it the boss, while there's a different, Moai-themed mini-boss. Stage 4. Dinosaur bones, floating skulls, and weird nobby pillars in the desert, though ReBirth replaces the triceratops skeletons with tyrannosaurs. The Game Boy game and ReBirth have different bosses this stage. Final fortress. ReBirth also adds the gun wall from Gradius II and the electified machine from the first Gradius. The electronic computer at the end was replaced with a brain. It might not be noticable at first with the arcade-style graphics, but when you see the same five stage themes in the same order, the connection's pretty definite. I'd say the games are roughly as different from each other as the arcade and NES versions of Gradius II.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 16, 2010 18:00:02 GMT -5
Post by Shellshock on Jan 16, 2010 18:00:02 GMT -5
Wow. You have a good eye!
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 17, 2010 4:38:48 GMT -5
Post by splatter on Jan 17, 2010 4:38:48 GMT -5
Thanks! Of course, I have the easier task of just nitpicking articles instead of writing them. What exactly is the bug with the fire thing in Nemesis 2? It's rarely able to damage anything besides the popcorn enemies that die in one hit anyway. I could be way off base, but if feels like the hitbox for the weapon to register damage is buried inside the sprite for the stream of fire, and since the sprite stops when there's terrain or a larger enemy, the damage box never touches them. You can still kill big baddies if you string out your options and let the scrolling drag them inside your target before firing, but the damage isn't worth the trouble. I don't have the PSP collection, so my info on that comes from the Japanese Wikpedia article, which says there's an "extra setting" that lets the fire blaster function properly in Gradius 2. It works fine in Nemesis 3 and Nemesis '90 Kai, by the way.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 17, 2010 16:55:49 GMT -5
Post by Questor on Jan 17, 2010 16:55:49 GMT -5
Edit: Ah, you know what? Nevermind! I think I can kind of see it now. Anyway...
There's all kinds of references to Gradius games in Gradius Rebirth:
some enemy death sounds are from Salamander 2
pea shooter sound from the MSX games
the boneyard/sand stage that appeared in the PC Engine port of Gradius 1 shows up
Stage 2's second half is an obstacle course from "G Gofer No Yabou: Episode II"
Stage 3 theme is from Gradius: Interstellar Assault
Stage 4's music is from the NES port of Gradius II, end stage
laser sound is MSX sound until upgraded, then it is Gradius 1 ARC
missile shooting sound is Gradius 1 ARC
Gradius III ARC small bubble popping sound when you kill certain things
flaming birds from Lifeforce/Salamander 1 (in the form of sand birds in level 4)
It's kind of like they took every obscure reference they could think of and put it in.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 18, 2010 10:58:15 GMT -5
Post by brianc on Jan 18, 2010 10:58:15 GMT -5
If you're playing the arcade game in MAME, you might want to try the US version, named Nemesis. It allows continuing up to three times and spawns a group of golden power capsule-bearing enemies whenever you die, making recovery easier. It's less balanced, though. The rank skyrockets with only a couple power ups (way faster than the JP version) and it adds extra enemies in spots. It was the version used for Konami Arcade DS, though the JP version is still playable with the DS set to Japanese mode. Nice comparison with Rebirth and the GB Nemesis. It's nice how M2 remembers the b/w GB.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 18, 2010 13:04:51 GMT -5
Post by Discoalucard on Jan 18, 2010 13:04:51 GMT -5
If the Konami Arcade Classics looks at the DS regional settings, I guess that means I could switch my system to Japanese and play Twinbee instead of Rainbow Bell or whatever they called it?
Because that's really damn cool.
I didn't know about all of the Gradius/Nemesis differences either, I'll have to give that another go.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 18, 2010 14:00:25 GMT -5
Post by Ryu the Grappler on Jan 18, 2010 14:00:25 GMT -5
If the Konami Arcade Classics looks at the DS regional settings, I guess that means I could switch my system to Japanese and play Twinbee instead of Rainbow Bell or whatever they called it? Because that's really damn cool. I didn't know about all of the Gradius/Nemesis differences either, I'll have to give that another go. The only game that changes title screen when you play it in Japanese is Contra (it uses the kanji logo instead of the roman one). If you play any other game, the titles will be the same, but all of the supplement information, including the instruction card on the bottom screen will be in Japanese. They even refer to your ship as RainbowBell in Japanese.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 19, 2010 9:20:22 GMT -5
Post by brianc on Jan 19, 2010 9:20:22 GMT -5
The only game that changes title screen when you play it in Japanese is Contra (it uses the kanji logo instead of the roman one). If you play any other game, the titles will be the same, but all of the supplement information, including the instruction card on the bottom screen will be in Japanese. They even refer to your ship as RainbowBell in Japanese. The Gradius title screen changes, as well, but the title stays as "Gradius", despite how the version in English mode is actually Nemesis. Gradius even has different replays in JP mode.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 19, 2010 14:14:49 GMT -5
Post by Ryu the Grappler on Jan 19, 2010 14:14:49 GMT -5
For those curious, the Gradius ReBirth soundtrack album, which was released around a year ago. vgmdb.net/album/11291I'm mentioning this, because Discoalucard wondered why it was left out from the Contra/Castlevania ReBirth album.
|
|
|
Gradius
Jan 20, 2010 9:52:40 GMT -5
Post by Shellshock on Jan 20, 2010 9:52:40 GMT -5
Another small correction to the article. I just played Gradius III on PSP and it lets you save mid-game.
|
|
|
Gradius
Apr 27, 2010 16:46:30 GMT -5
Post by TheChosen on Apr 27, 2010 16:46:30 GMT -5
I have a question related to the series: What is the connection between the ship "Lord British", and the developer Richard "Lord British" Garriott? Or is it just funky co-incidence?
|
|
Lord Dalek
Full Member
WHY DOES HE HAVE A SECOND/THIRD/FORTH/ETC. FORM?!?!
Posts: 249
|
Gradius
Jun 10, 2016 12:21:32 GMT -5
Post by Lord Dalek on Jun 10, 2016 12:21:32 GMT -5
|
|
|
Gradius
Jun 10, 2016 13:17:24 GMT -5
Post by Magma MK-II on Jun 10, 2016 13:17:24 GMT -5
Holy Shit Gradius in my JoJo!!!
|
|
|
Gradius
Dec 15, 2016 9:06:09 GMT -5
Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Dec 15, 2016 9:06:09 GMT -5
Life Force JP: "Most of the music is the same, but the themes for stage two, four and five are different" I checked the vgmrips uploads and compared to YT clips, and it looks like these tracks are in the Salamander rom but left unused there. Stage two in JP Life Force uses a remastered version of Thunderbolt, stage 4 uses a remastered Slash Fighter, and five uses a somewhat remastered Combat. vgmrips.net/packs/pack/salamandervgmrips.net/packs/pack/life-forceThere are a few more differences too. The NES version uses Thunderbolt (replacing Fly High), while the MSX game uses Combat and has a couple of unique tracks. I could swear I've heard Operation Seedleek somewhere else though. vgmrips.net/packs/pack/life-force-nesvgmrips.net/packs/pack/salamander-msx"The music all comes from an old FM synthesizer - compositionally, it's all pretty good, but it sounds really tinny and weak." I just want to mention that the YM2151 chip can sound vastly different depending on who used it, and which sample-based chip it was paired with (usually for percussion and guitar samples). For example, Gradius II on X68K uses the same chip and sounds a lot better overall, or for pure FM examples, there's Knight Arms, Dragon Spirit and ChoRenSha 68K. What most don't know is that the chip is really similar to the often criticized YM2612 chip in the Genesis/MD, apart from a few less common effects you can apply to the FM synth being different and how it uses 8 channels of FM instead of 6 FM channels+3 PSG channels on the MD. I'm not sure why it wasn't generally the case, but a lot of arcade ports could've sounded more faithful on the MD than they did.
|
|