Gradius V

[AnthonyVolpe]

Just picked it up today. The movies I saw of it online were more insane than Ikaruga and Einh?nder combined.

 

I'll let you know what I think of it once I've played it (cough) I mean got my ass kicked by it.

[Romier S]

Yes, I've played through the first three levels and god damn is it hard. I'm really liking it though. Treasure made sure to keep every last bit of what made Gradius in the game and added thier trademark insanity to everything. The boss battles are AWESOME. I really enjoyed R-type final but I'm liking Gradius V quite a bit more so far.

[dogbert]

It's very, very hard, and very, very fun so far. Wish there was an Xbox version so I could play it at home, but I'll make do with it in work for now

 

Treasure have done a very good job with it - they've captured the motion/controls nicely, and the level design is very well done too, though I did find one "locked door" in level 2 a bit cheap.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I hope to get this tomorrow, it'll be interesting to see if it beats out R-type for the top spot on the PS2. Does it retain Treasure's habit of wildly sweeping backgrounds/camera angles as seen in Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun?

[AnthonyVolpe]

Originally posted by Big Daddy Bling Bling@Sep 15 2004, 07:53 PM

I hope to get this tomorrow, it'll be interesting to see if it beats out R-type for the top spot on the PS2. Does it retain Treasure's habit of wildly sweeping backgrounds/camera angles as seen in Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun?

Yes. The backgrounds are insane.

 

Actually the whole game is insane. Epilepsy-inducing insane. Actually the hardest part of the game is powering up your ship and your multiples so high that you can't tell what's coming at you and you end up dying as a result. It's tempting to just hold the fire and multiple configurations the whole time and just let 80,000 missiles fly all over the place but that one enemy shot that you don't see will just blow it all to hell.

 

And yes, Brian, the door on level 2 is cheap as hell. :bang:

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

A word of warning: this game is on a CD and may not play on some PS2s (mine included).

 

There's something strangely violating about taking home a new game you've been looking forward to for a year then not being able to play it. Cue happy fun POS2 laser repair time. First and second modes of attack, cleaning the lens and realigning the gear, both failed. I then grew a sack and finally decided to adjust the laser voltage, which I'd been avoiding for over a year. The warnings about damaging the laser, shorting the circuitboard, shocking myself, etc. had left me disinclined to do it. Saying "screw it" to the precise adjustments prescribed in the FAQ, I set the CD laser screw to 'nuke' and tried Gradius again. Treasurey shooting goodness ensued.

 

 

Great game overall. I never really cared for the Gradius powerup scheme and weaponary, but Treasure has made the most of it. The weaponary in this game seems even more limited than that in past Gradius games, as even ripple lasers don't make an appearance. Given that the different ships basically only change in terms of firing directions and don't really have diverse weapons, it would have been better to just give options, missiles, and shots switches on the shoulder buttons that would let you toggle the different directions (IE: Press L2 to select missiles and left on the D-pad to toggle rear firing mode). Then you'd be constantly adjusting your weapons to the situation, balancing it with the fact that you'd be briefly stationary and unable to dodge while adjusting. Also, despite 'tradition', I don't like having to power speed up. Ship speed is a personal preference that ought to be set in the config menu.

 

Qualms about the lackluster weapons aside, the rest of the game is awesome. The graphics are the best yet in a shooter, and definately more than I expected. The camera work is the real star here, as all the tricks from Ikaruga and Silvergun are back, and then some. The use of color is outstanding as well, and the game generally moves at a fluid clip.

 

What I've heard of the music is also varied and excellent. While the first stage features generic (but well done) techno, the second stage changes to a more dramatic style. I didn't have enough lives to take note of the music in the third stage, as the second stage boss was quite 'persistent'.

 

Can't go wrong with this game at $30, although I don't know if I'd call it the best on the PS2. The ultimate shooter would take the levels from Gradius and the ships/weapons from R-type.

[blackcalx]

I want I want I want...but I don't have a PS2.

 

I've missed out on some very exciting titles on this account, but I'm out of things to sell to finance yet another console purchase.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

Made it to the 5th level today but got summarily vanquished before getting too far. I'm still loving the game and it goes highly recommended to shooter fans. I can now comfortably make it to the third level boss without dying, and the boss kills me once. Level 4 is an outright deathfest though. I read that beating the game unlocks a weapon edit mode that has some of the stuff from the old games, so that should give the incentive, and some extra firepower to tackle tougher difficulties.

 

What is everyone's favorite option config? I personally think the directional shot is by far the best and most versatile. The one weakness is that you have to wiggle left and right to line up all your options and fire at a core. The options where you control the spacing are good too, although that config is helpless against rear attacks and it's tough to collect the options if you die. The other two configs seem more defensive, but are pretty useless since the options don't absorb enemy fire. Rotating definately looks cool though.

[AnthonyVolpe]

Rotate is my favorite because I become one big fat walking wall of You Die.

 

Unfortunately the downside is that I'm tempted to just hold down the fire button the whole game and not see that one stupid enemy shot that kills me because I can't see it.