Gradius V - Discussion [16th Feb - end of March]

[charlesr]

NTSC-uk Gradius V review 9/10

So, Gradius for wusses (hit box is smaller than ship size) who love eye candy (it looks great), or the ultimate horizontal shmup ("Gradius V competes alongside the monumental R-Type Delta as the greatest shooter of its type")?

Let's find out.

Those wanting to enter the score challenge, please post here. NOTE: new scores only. Please don't just post your old high scores.

Newcomers to the game or indeed genre: please post your scores - I'll post as many people as I can - not just a top 10. Please don't be put off by veterans.

Veterans: please offer your sage advice e.g. on Option gathering order etc.

[charlesr]

(I started the thread a few hours early because I might not be around in the morning to kick it off).

[pentarou]

Just got this out again tonight, and its just as hard as I remember. Been playing it with the Neo stick which makes it a bit easier to play but theres definitely room for improvement!

[lurch996]

So, Gradius for wusses (hit box is smaller than ship size) who love eye candy (it looks great), or the ultimate horizontal shmup ("Gradius V competes alongside the monumental R-Type Delta as the greatest shooter of its type")?

For me Gradius V is the greatest horizontal shooter. The Level design is second to none, the bosses are epic and it looks and sounds fantastic. I also think it's Treasure's finest shooter and one of the best games ever made!

I hope this replay gives the game a few more fans because this game deserves it.

[Number45]

I'm waiting for my US copy to arrive (I have the JP version already, but I'd like to play it on my US PS3), so I can join in this time.

Be interested if anyone can confirm/deny whether the VFHG stick works with it?

[Kubrick]

Just had a quick credit and reached the bit with the giant worms on stage 4.

I envy those who are about to play it for the first time. I remember being amazed by some of the stuff in it - the way the stage 1 boss arrives onscreen, the explosion when you kill it, the seamless move between cutscenes and gameplay in stage 2, the way the spider boss on stage 3 kinda goes "ping" before it explodes in a massive fireball, hearing the remixed Salamander music and updated versions of vintage Gradius tunes...I could go on.

[charlesr]

I'm away all weekend I'm gonna have to rack this up at lunchtime for 20 mins. I've had it for ages, but never played it more than to check the disc works. I've played Gradius GBA a lot, so hopefully that will prepare me a little.

[Klatrymadon]

Aye, I envy the first-timers, too! One other nice little touch I like is how they kept the crazy "waaaaaaah!" sound effect from the end of Salamander and used it on the Zelos forces here. The last boss has the best death speech ever, too (well, this side of X-Multiply ).

The bosses are class. My favourite one to fight is 'Beacon' on level 7, because it's just so satisfying to eventually nail the bastard's pattern. Another milestone is probably overcoming the level 5 boss. The first time I saw it I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and a tad un-Gradian, but the encounter quickly reveals itself to be entirely learnable and, in time, becomes piss-easy.

I'm a bit rusty at the moment (deliberate Gradius-fasting!), but I can normally 1CC it, so I'll definitely try to share some strategies and/or point-milking opportunities. I'm a type 2 player, but I'll be switching to type 1 (freeze) for this wee comp - it's all about the lols. I hope there's no fixed deadline, 'cos it's always good to get people talking about Gradius!

"Let's roll!"

[msm13579]

great game, played it loads when it first came out, but on easy, i'll give the high score thing a go

i'd say its more gradius for people who don't like gradius than "gradius for wusses", i think all the other gradius games are a bit pants, but V is really good - something to do with treasure no doubt.

[Klatrymadon]

*msm13579 wakes up in a cold basement with a bar of soap in his mouth*

[msm13579]

yeah, it's only my opinion, i know most people like them

[Swallow]

Looking forward to my copy arriving, not really played any shooters before

Any tips for complete novices? Looking forward to seeing my score owned...

[Klatrymadon]

I dunno, really. It eases you in pretty gently! You should pick it all up in no time. When you're powering up your ship, though, it's a good idea to go straight for two speed-ups (or more, if you want them), and then get a couple of options/multiples and lasers (or the double shot, if you fancy it). The worst thing you can do is get the force field right off the bat, 'cos your offense is much more important.

[charlesr]

For complete shmup novices, my advice is don't pay too much attention to what's going on on the screen.....

Sounds silly, but during the first couple of hours of play, see if you can focus on JUST the bullets so that everything else just kinda fades away in your vision. Then you can get used to the way the bullets move and figure out how to dodge them. Once you're happy with the bullets, then move on to learning the order things appear - I don't actively do this though; it's just a passive learning through reapeated play.

Don't worry about only using 1 credit to start with. Use up a few credits so that you can see a level right through to the end. Then once you know what's going to happen on a level, switch to restricting yourself to just 1 credit and restart religiously if you lose all your lives. As you improve, you'll finally finish the level on the one credit, or even the one life.

Then repeat for the next level.

Finally string it all together after 30 hours and 1cc the whole thing

However, you may find you are a twitch-god and can do the whole thing straight away.

[Kubrick]

I normally do the first half of Stage 1 with one speed-up (Speed-up>Option>Laser>Option is my usual routine) then pick up another once the spinning Core is defeated.

I love that "Waaaaah!" sound too. Seems to fit in perfectly with the music.

The size and location of the Vic Viper's hitbox is displayed on this Japanese website along with level maps.