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Thread: Gradius V

  1. Gradius V

    In space, nobody can hear you implode.

    Gradius V - PS2 - Rating 8
    How long has it been since the last time you had the chance to sit down and enjoy a great new shooter? Noticeably, the shooting scene has dwindled down to near extinction, even in Japan where they're generally well received. But with the arrival of Gradius V I'm hoping the season is ripe for change because we definitely need more games like this. I'd take shooters, fighters and traditional RPGs over first-person shooters, Mario 64 wannabes galore and strategy games with terrible la-la-la-la singing anyday (only a few of you will know what I'm talking about). Gradius V is the gamer's game, a testament to the power of Treasure. Yes, I said Treasure--they're the main party responsible for this gaming feat. Truly, this is what gaming is all about: Nerve shattering action that requires unearthly reflexes and relentlessly applied skill. There's never a dull moment throughout this game's entire length which is at or around an hour. I'll come right out and say it -- Gradius V surpasses Gradius III in almost every way. This is all the proof I needed to know just how much quality Konami/Treasure demands that their products deliver.

    If you're new or relatively new to the shooting scene, you'd best brush up on your skills with something like Life Force (NES) before stepping up to this challenge because, I assure you, easy Gradius V is not. If you're a veteran such as myself (and perhaps you've played Ikaruga to death) you're only somewhat prepared for what's in store. Even on Very Easy difficulty, you'd be hard-pressed to find a shooter, nay, a game as arduous as this. Stage 1 begins like every standard Gradius title, with you destroying rows of ships and collecting Power Up Capsules. Within just a brief moment you'll come face-to-face (or, more appropriately, ship-to-ship) with the first boss from the original Gradius; its role has been reduced to that of a mere enemy, so prepare to see it more often throughout the game. Just a bit further on, your Vic Viper will have to take on huge red balls which bounce around and shrink as you shoot them until they finally explode. Anyway, you'll soon meet the first boss: A huge ship which covers the screen (and you) and which can rotate around and maintain laser fire with just a small amount of space for your ship to navigate around, all the while being shot at from several compartments and/or the main target. The best way to defeat this boss is to have several Multiples and the Laser, stay back in the center of the screen with all of your Multiples kept in the center with you and distribute constant laser fire upon the central target. If you succeed, the boss should fall before it even has the chance to rotate. That's Stage 1. It only gets more intense the further you make it....

    Now check this out. When you beat the game (on any difficulty) the game loops around again, only things are changed and much harder. Remember how the first boss had one target for you to take out? Yeah, well, now you're completely surrounded. You cannot stay in the back area and fire upon the target because there's another one directly behind you. The amount of chaos which ensues has to be seen to be believed. I know that the back of the box says "7 Explosive Levels" but there is actually 8. Some stages have to be seen to be believed. Stage 4 seems to take place inside of a massive organism complete with the return of those pesky amoeba and some newer critters. If you're playing this stage on a harder difficulty setting you'll have to contend with an unprecedented amount of crawling nasties and amoebas so take heed and use either Rotating Multiples or Freeze Multiples. This will become obvious when you're stuck in ultra-tight sections and they're still coming out in waves to kill you!

    I'll get back to the stages and talk about the splendor of the visuals, but I must talk a little about the gameplay. Everything you know and love about Gradius is the same as ever except now you must select one weapon array from out of four types. If you can complete the game on Very Easy or whatnot you'll have the ability to access Weapon Edit which allows for even more different weapon types and the ability to freely select in each parameter (speed up, missile, double, etc.). The Options are the biggest change. Once you've selected a type and you obtain Multiples, you can do several things with them by holding/pressing the R1 trigger button. For instance, if you choose Rotate you can (obviously) make them constantly rotate around your Vic Viper simply by holding R1. Or, you can choose Direction which allows you to freely choose which direction they'll fire in by holding R1 and holding in the desired direction. The other two are Freeze and Spacing. Basically, everything else remains the same gameplay-wise. I wouldn't have it any other way.

    Back to the stages. If there are certain laws which game developers must adhere to whenever creating shooters, Treasure has broken them and should be arrested. Seriously, Stage 5, literally, is way past insane! Asteroids are floating around EVERYWHERE and they NEVER STOP COMING!! And you've still gotta contend with various enemies and such! Just.... insane. The song playing during this stage only adds to the freak factor, and the boss could very well make a grown man cry. It's so daunting and formidable that you'll be at a loss for words. I actually won't describe it because I personally believe it is something to be experienced. Suffice to say, it's one of the most memorable boss encounters I've ever come across in any game, ever. Stage 6 brings new meaning to the word "ferocity." It's a little scary. No, make that extremely scary. I can see the developers all standing around with uncomfortable grins as this game gets put into production and they realize that what they've done is just wrong. I've been scared before in a few other shooters--a few of the later bosses in Gaiares, the final boss in Galactic Attack (any difficulty setting)--and this one is right up there. You'll know what hard is when the screen begins to tilt and turn while something very, hmm.... inappropriate occurs. I don't mean inappropriate in a dirty way but in a downright nasty way. I'll just stop now and leave the final two stages for you to discover for yourself. Play through it on Hard or Very Hard to witness what may very well be the hardest final stages ever conceived in shooter history. Thus far, I have beaten Gradius V on Very Easy, Easy and Normal difficulty settings. I made it to the final stage on Very Hard and ran out of continues, so I'll have to try again (I've got over 10 hours of gameplay put in; it keeps track of your total play time). Fortunately, as you play it more and more you'll gain more credits.

    Aside from the fact that Treasure has managed to cram outer space onto a disc, everything is normal. They must've gone up into space with a vaccum, sucked up all sorts of planets, stars and such, came back down to Earth and put all their findings into game format. Visually, GV is so intoxicating, so rigid, yet so elegant and coherent, it tops all previous efforts. Virtually everything is in full 3D and textured to the breaking point. The PS2 is a monster, in the right hands. Konami/Treasure is the right hands. The smoke and light show which preceeds Stage 6 made me think of Chris Benoit's green laser light show entrance back in the latter days of his WCW career, for some reason. Prepare to be broken.

    If you are familiar with Gradius tunes, you'll be delighted to hear some familiar songs every now and then. But for the most part GV bears a stunning new soundtrack which is far more gritty and hard hitting than previous efforts with less reliance on melodic construction and more on intense beats and visceral thrills. That's not to say that the songs aren't good, just that they've changed to accomodate the impact of what's currently happening. GV does have a better soundtrack than most other games you'll find these days, that's for certain. And the sound effects take it to the outer limits. The boss explosions are the best ever, both visually and aurally. So crank up the volume and the bass, 'cuz we're gonna take a visit into hostile outer space!

    $30 or less for one of the greatest experiences of this generation. HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG!? Gradius V is easily the best shooter for your money this year. Ignore all the reviewers that dare to rate crap like Catwoman higher than this shining star, or who give this game a half-page--or less!--of coverage (here's looking at you Game Informer). What the hell is that sh*t about? I'm not suprised. It figures that another great title is going to get cheated of the success it so rightly deserves. But no matter what those lame brains do, they can never take away the excellence from the shining might that is this game, Gradius V, the highest power in shooters this generation. Own a copy today!

    EGM doesn't even know the difference between Option and Multiple. *tsk* *tsk*

    If you're interested in more of my reviews, I've done over 200 on the Magic Box Forums here in my section ~ http://www.the-magicbox.com/forums/s...6&page=1&pp=15 (Includes an Index.)
    Last edited by Icarus4578; 02 Oct 2004 at 09:16 AM.

  2. Nice overview of the game
    (though you should really put some spaces between paragraphs to make it easier to read)

    One thing I'd like to add is how well-balanced all 4 option types are. Many sections have multiple "solutions" based on the Type you use, and they all have advantages and drawbacks. Playing a stage over again with a different option type just feels a lot more fresh than in past games in the series.

    But...umm...what are the differences between Option and Multiple? I thought they were just used interchangeably. I know at least one other game in the series used Multiple.

  3. In Gradius V, "Option" differentiates the various forms of Multiples used. And it's very true that whichever Option choice you make directly affects the strategy of play. But that's inherently obvious. Seeing as we all have our individual tastes and choice winning formulas, we essentially create our own strategy from the choices presented.

    I'll paraphrase the review since you requested I do so. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy GV as much as I do.

  4. Nice review Icarus. I got this game the day it came out and I dig it as well!

  5. Gradius V is up there with Contra:Shattered Soilders as the greatest shooters of all time. Games like this are the reason i play games. Nice to see Konami has some respect for one of their series (not like Castlevania)

  6. My dad who is 58, has never played a videogame before in his life.

    Last night however, I introduced him to Gradius V, he was blowin away by it Was a fucking nightmare trying to explain how the game works, specially as he couldnt remember where all the buttons were.

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    NEGATIVE FORCES FORCE US TO LIVE LAWLESS - Jehst

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