Weapon Power-ups – In Gradius II your not just limited to one set of weapons you have a choice of four different sets and a choice of two shields. While the core gameplay mechanics are the same there some notable differences that lift Gradius II into the realms of the arcade hall of fame. But for me it was the sequel that raised the bar for shoot em ups, 8 stages of pure shooting genius. Without a doubt Gradius was brilliant and still stands out as a classic and very playable shoot em up. As for the final boss, I won’t spoil it so you’ll need to play the game yourself! Gradius II: Gofer No Yabo (Gradius II: Gofer’s Ambition) The boss at the end of stage six is a much more menacing looking bad guy that appears to have been grown into the structure of the stage. It’s worth noting that these big bosses do die of ‘old age’ assuming that you last long enough and aren’t that skilled in taking the boss down. Sounds easy? It’s not as the Boss enemy has superior firepower than the minions and the core is protected by layers of shielding. There are a further four stages in Gradius that add more variety although the fourth stage is just a copy of the first but it’s been flipped upside down and it’s much harder than stage one! Stage five sees you battling though pink tentacled aliens, stage six is a bio-mechanical themed stage and the final stage sees you battling though the superfortress of the Bacterian army.Īt the end of each stage you face a rather large and nasty enemy that must be defeated before you can progress to the next stage.
It is fortunate that you can actually shoot these circles or you’d have some major problems. A very tricky stage as the spit out lots of nasty glowing circles of death. Stage three is a personal favourite – the Easter Island Moai Statues.
Gradius 2 arcade marquee full#
The first stage is a mountainous planet with lush forests and volcanoes. Your movement on this stage is limited to the single screen area which you travel along but the second stage is where things get more interesting as your not confined to travelling along a ‘tunnel’ you have full freedom of movement and the screen scrolls up and down as you move the Vic Viper around. You start each stage in open space before moving into the main area. While this power-up system was copied in other games it’s Gradius that did it first and does it best. Once you have reached a power-up that you want you jab the select button to gain that power-up and the bar is reset to nothing. The more you collect the further along the power-up selection bar you move. Gradius has a very unique weapon power-up system where you collect the orange orbs that enemies leave behind. I said in my opening that Irem’s R-Type is considered by many to be the pinacle of arcade shoot em ups but I disagree and here’s why!
Gradius 2 arcade marquee series#
Personally I think that Konami produced the best arcade shoot-em-ups and the Gradius Series including the spin-offs Salamander & Parodius are amazing games. Packed with everything: great graphics, superb sound and second-to-none arcade action, Vulcan Venture is a worthy sequel… My Thoughts Gradius: …like an old friend it’s a more than welcome coin-op in this age of beat-’em-ups and never ending race games. Defender fanatics have the upper hand as they are already used to the style of play but anyone can learn it easily.Įh? Defender? It’s nothing like Defender it has more in common with Scramble…Īnd here’s one for Vulcan Venture from the magazine TGM Nemesis is one of the most addictive games I’ve seen for a long time. Speed, quick reflexes and non-stop action will keep you on your toes for as long as you can stand the pace… I’ve not managed to track down what would be called a traditional review (it lacks any kind of scoring system) but C&VG did feature arcade games in the magazine. It’s a duel to the death, while the entire galaxy watches, waits, and hopes! Critical Reaction Because at the heart of the Bacterion Empire lies the Xaerous Superfortress – the nerve center of the all-knowing, all-seeing Bacterion Bio-Computer. Time and space warps for fleeing the dimension. Air-to-surface and double beam laser cannons for incredible firepower. Your hyper-space fighter is armed with the greatest arsenal in the galaxy. You’ve just lifted off to confront the all-out attack of the amoeboid Bacterions. You are the last hope of the gentle people of Gradius. With the iconic weapon selections, the Vic Viper ship along with a great soundtrack and varied environments you have a killer gaming series. Gradius I & II are the simply the best arcade shoot-em-ups ever created.
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