Gradius V
- Pilot the legendary Vic Viper as you go on a non-stop shooter thrill ride, to the core of the invading Bacterian core
- Incredible new Options Control features like Option Bombs and Option Stocks — up your firepower to unheard-of levels
- Collect 12 incredible potential-ups and heighten the potential of your ship
- Blast your way owing to seven intense stages of classic arcade-stylishness action!
Product Description
Gradius V – the long-running space shooter comes to your Playstation 2, bringing all-new graphics and options, with the same classic gameplay!
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This poor game keeps getting delayed, and I know I’m not the only one who REALLY wants to see it released. The last I heard, 2 weeks ago, was that the game would be out Feb 18th (about 1 week ago). The fact that the release has been inexplicably hard-pressed back to July is not a excellent omen. Let us hope with all our hearts that this is only for polishing, and not because of some John-Romeroesque lack of product. For this would be a mighty addition to our beloved shooter genre.
Rating: 5 / 5
Let’s get something straight right now. In my opinion, Ikaruga is the release greatest shooter ever (and I’ve played plenty). In terms of timing, graphics, music, and by and large feel, it was everything that a shooter should be. So naturally, when Treasure finally got around to their next major release stateside, and it being a take on the brillaint Gradius to boot (the first Gradius for the NES is my favorite side-scrolling shooter), I was giddy with anticipation. The question is, is this another Ikargua, or another game like those mediocre Gradius sequels that came down the pike over the years?
Vic Viper T301
The first thing people are probably going to notice about this game is the option options (or multiples as they are now called). From the get-go you have four configurations to choose from, each with advantages and disadvantages. Later on (after you’ve beaten the game) you’ll get configuration options for your major weapon as well as your secondary weapon (missles and the like). While this seems like a excellent thought in practice, as far as actual gameplay goes in my opinion this makes things too complex, chief to your preferring just one stylishness, and then being crippled in the more hard stages when the weakness of that stylishness is exploited (in contrast to Ikaruga where it was all just a matter of timing and reflexes, here you can die repeatedly simply because you can’t shoot behind you or ruin the overwhelming amount of enemies on the screen before they crash into you).
Let’s Roll!
On the subject of gameplay this shooter is not anything if not diverse. It starts out similar to the first Gradius sports meeting in terms of level design, and then breaks away to become something else entirely at times (the level of green foggy liquid comes to mind). While the levels and bosses that pay tribute to the first Gradius game (my favorite moment in the entire game was when you fight a boss {second level third boss I reflect} who fires rows of tightly packed blue energy straight at you while an awesome remix of the music from the first Gradius plays) are a ton of fun and promise splendid gameplay to come, some of the levels in this game felt frustrating and just plain bizzare to me (again that green liquid, and get a load of the bug level ARGH!). Don’t get me incorrect, the level design is excellent, and the gameplay is excellent, I was just expecting something closer to incredible from the guys who brought us Ikaruga.
Impossible. There must be some mistake.
And then there’s the music, the graphics, and the by and large spectacle that are so vital in a shooter. To be honest, while the graphics are gorgeous, they rarely wow in the same way that the graphics in Ikaruga did. Green ooze and bugs just don’t do it for me. The explosions are splendid, and the bosses again are wonderfully diverse, but there aren’t that many truly splendid bosses where your strengths and their make for an epic battle (again, those bosses in the second level were probably the best in the game). When I reflect of how the last level of Ikaruga had you showered in blue energy, reflecting massive amounts of energy back at one of the bosses, just dodging and absorbing the final boss’ energy and then doing a suicide attack, the final level of this game where you go back into the enemy craft to ruin the second of two brains feels incredibly weak by comparison. But then again…
I guess I have no choice.
If you’re a huge fan of side-scrollers you should probably at least give this game a rent. It had gorgeous graphics, fascinating gameplay, and lots of customization after you’ve beat it (tons of weapons options to brilliant from). And let’s face it, side-scrollers aren’t exactly coming out every month like they are in Japan. If you desperately need a side-scrolling shotoer, this just might be your golden voucher. Just don’t go expecting another Ikaruga or Radiant Silvergun (or even another game like the first Gradius), because you won’t find it here.
Rating: 3 / 5
I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars. I could 1 man solve Life Force but there are a couple bosses on Gradius V that are just a small too insane. Still loved it by and large.
The Gradius & Contra series are the top reasons Konami was my favorite company in the Nintendo years though Mega Man & Street Fighter kept Capcom close.
Splendid sports meeting by splendid companies.
Rating: 4 / 5
This game has been touted as the best of it’s kind, I guess it’s just not my kind of game.
Rating: 2 / 5
I remember Gradius 2 visibly on my NES, it was the first game I ever got and I loved it despite it handing me my nadgers on a regular basis. This game, 4 console generations down the line has the exact same sentiment, just grandly visualized in the most enriching bling I never imagined. I like things unadorned, unless people do things fantastically well in a fashion I could never presume, in which case they can go to town and Treasure did just that.
Fantastic title for any gradius fan, far better than bashing a historical relic around in an emulator.
Rating: 5 / 5