#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO FULL#
#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO PC#
#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO SERIES#

See, I just described a mix between II and III, but I played it before I even _saw_ those two. The intro was like Gradius III's, and the first level was more like Gradius I's - you go forward in a cavey thing, halfway along it scrolled down diagonally, then you came to a boss which was the classic dirt snake type thing.

#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO SERIES#

There’s also an exclusive score attack “omake” level available on the title screen, though it’s completely different from the SFC version.I think it's absolutely necessary to post again and say I think it's the best Gradius, and the music is the best in the series too (because Motoaki Furukawa always makes amazing stuff - Snatcher is another fine example) - but Gradius III's soundtrack is pretty awesome in parts too, and Gradius IV isn't without its moments.Īctually, you know what confuses me? I remember when I was 12 my corner store had a Gradius game which doesn't exist. There’s a new, rather strange intro in this version, with what appears to be the various enemies holding a festival. However, the Vegas dancer hip shake is in this version. The Moai battleship and ice cavern stages are also missing. The screens needs to scroll up and down to fit the playing field, the music is somewhat downgraded, and there’s some noticeable flicker.

#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO PC#

The PC Engine port looks decent, but it’s not as faithful as the SFC version. To make up for it, there’s an extra phrase in the megaphone attack – “Koshi fura sete yo!” (“Swing those hips!”). Despite her skimpy outfit, apparently that hip sway was just too much for the folks at Nintendo of Japan, so it was removed from the Super Famicom version. In the arcade version, the Vegas dancer would occasionally stop, make a moan and swing her hips. There is, however, an odd bit of censorship. This version was released in Europe, which translates the megaphone messages (“Shaving is boring”, “Toaster overheated”) and renames the “omake” mode to “lollipop”. It includes an extra level that takes place in a bathhouse, and an “omake” mode, which is a bonus level. It looks almost identical, and outside of some slowdown, plays faithfully too. The best of the console ports is the Super Famicom version. Subsequent titles not only develop the humor but also offer some gameplay variations that make it stand out a little more. Parodius Da! is a great game, but it really is just Gradius with different levels, graphics and music. Like Gradius, on the high score entry you can pick your gender, but there are also several “other” options, including an alien, a baby, a Moai, or a pair of boobs. Songs include the “Can Can”, “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker Suite, as well as tracks from Gradius games. Much of the soundtrack, again, consists of classical music, and the richer arcade synth makes them sound much better than the MSX version.

Some of the bosses include an eagle dressed as Uncle Sam a spiked pufferfish that grows to nearly the size of the entire screen, similar to the rock monster boss from Super Castlevania IV and a sumo pig, based off famous wrestler Asashio Tarou IV, who whips off its fundoshi (sumo undergarment) to attack. There’s also a battleship stage, similar to the one found in R-Type, where the screen slowly scrolls around as you dismember a giant vessel commanded by a variety of strange Moai heads. Two level themes are recycled from the MSX game, though the layouts are completely different: a dessert level, and a graveyard level entitled “Night of the Living Dead”, filled with zombie penguins.

#GRADIUS 2 X68000 INTRO FULL#

Subsequent levels include a circus, where the Moai heads are replaced with clowns, and the spider robot from Gradius II is replaced with a gigantic Vegas dancer (named Chichibinta Rika) a Japanese themed stage features cheery blossom trees that walk around on their own volition an area full of pink clouds and bubbles an ice cavern and a pachinko-themed stage decorated with neon lights. The level boss is a flying penguin in a pirate outfit, one of the few returning enemies from the MSX game. It’s here where the famous cat-faced battleship is introduced, which mews adorably as you shoot it, then explodes after taking enough damage, with a simultaneously baffled/annoyed look on its face.

The first takes place in a pirate themed ocean cove.

In the arcade game, there are a total of ten stages. The 16-bit arcade hardware allows for much brighter, more attractive visuals than the MSX game.

Gradius 2 x68000 intro