The
Gradius games, first introduced in
1985-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13 1985...
, is a series of scrolling shooter video games published by
Konamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. In other games of the series, ships the player controls is the Lord British Space Destroyer, Metalion, Sabel Tiger, Thrasher, Vixen, Alpinia, Super Cobra, Jade Knight, and the Falchion
Beta.
Recurring gameplay elements
There are several gameplay elements that are common to almost all the
Gradius games. These include, but are not limited to:
Power meter
One of the defining characteristics of the
Gradius series is the use of a "power meter". The power meter is powered by a
power-upIn computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character. This is contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
item, whose purpose, when collected, is to move a highlight to the next power-up on the power meter. When a power-up that the player wants becomes highlighted, they may activate it, causing the highlight to move back to the beginning again.
Thus, when the player collects a power-up item for the first time, the first power-up (usually a speed increase) becomes highlighted.
The player may now activate this power-up to increase their speed, in which case the meter will revert to its original unhighlighted state. If, however, the player does not activate the power-up, and collects another power-up item, the highlight moves to the next item; in the original game this was a missile.
The player may now activate this to receive a missile weapon, again causing the bar to revert to its unhighlighted state, or choose to hold out for the next item, a double gun. Traditionally, the power-ups with greater effects are placed toward the end of the bar, so that the player must do more work to obtain them, although in some titles like
Gradius IIIis a side-scrolling shooting game originally released for the arcades in Japan and Asia in . It is the second sequel to the original Gradius for the arcades following Gradius II, and was followed by Gradius IV. Gradius III was later released for the Super Famicom in in Japan and for the Super...
a harmful power-up exists at the end which will restore the default (weak) weapon configuration.
Other games using a similar power-up method include
Contra ForceContra Force is a 1992 run and gun game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released by Konami. The game is a spin-off of the Contra series, but has no plot ties to the previous games other than the game's title...
by
Konamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
,
Slap Fight, also known as Alcon, is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. It takes its inspiration from Xevious and Gradius...
by
Toaplanwas a video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous scrolling shooters and arcade games, yet the company declared bankruptcy in 1994....
, and Rare's
Cobra TriangleCobra Triangle is a single-player game developed by Rare for the Nintendo Entertainment System following the success of their previous game, R.C. Pro-Am. Similar to R.C. Pro-Am, this game is an action racing game in the isometric perspective, though instead of cars the game features boats...
.
Weapon edit
Weapon edit, first introduced in
Gradius III, allows players to construct a custom weapon route from the basic categories, such as missile and laser, and replace these accordingly with a variation of a weapon of their choice.
Core warships
The concept of the "Core" is a central part of
Gradius. Cores are usually blue, glowing masses of energy hidden within large warships and protected by a series of barriers. All cores must be targeted in order to defeat a warship, which normally comprises several phases and often uses the terrain to its advantage. Additionally, the announcer will normally urge the player to "Destroy the core!" or "Shoot the core!" prior to an encounter. For other types of bosses, like large beasts, the announcer may command the player to "Destroy the eye!" or "Destroy the mouth!", depending on the boss.
Moai
For reasons unknown, the famous
MoaiMoai or mo‘ai are monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the island's perimeter...
statues appear as enemies in several
Gradius games. They are mounted on either side of the ground (which are flat free-floating platforms) and fire a series of colorful rings at the Vic Viper. The weak point is at the mouth, when open. Because they face at an angle or lie flat on the ground, the up-facing Moai are best destroyed with missiles. Since then they have become so intertwined with the series it is not uncommon for them to cameo in other Konami games. There have even been four games where the Moai have even been a
playable characterA player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. The first being in an action
platform gamePlatform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
with Konami characters called
Konami Wai Wai World, "wai wai" being a Japanese onomatopoeia for a noisy, crowded area, is a 1988 Family Computer platform game released only in Japan by Konami. The game itself stars various Konami created characters as well as Mikey and King Kong, who appeared in two Konami-produced, movie-based...
and a platform/puzzle named
Moai-kun, both for the
FamicomThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
. After turning up in the
PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
battle game
Poy PoyPoy Poy is a video game for the Sony PlayStation developed by Konami.In Japan, it is called Poitter's Point.- Gameplay :Poy Poy is a multiplayer action game in which four players battle each other using various props, such as rocks, logs and blocks of ice in one of six environments. Each character...
, they later appeared in a
racing gameA racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first- or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
titled
Konami Krazy RacersKonami Krazy Racers is a kart racing video game published and developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America and some PAL regions. It was a launch game for the system...
for the
Game Boy AdvanceThe Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color...
and in the
fighting gameFighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in one-on-one close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena...
DreamMix TV World Fightersis a 2003 multiplayer fighting video game for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in Japan. It features licensed characters from a few well-known Japanese companies, including Konami, Hudson Soft, and Takara.-Story:...
for the
Nintendo GameCubeThe is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....
and
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
. In the PS2 game
Castlevania: Curse of DarknessCastlevania: Curse of Darkness, known in Japan as , is a console video game developed by Konami for the Xbox and PlayStation 2.-Gameplay:...
, a player can collect a Moai item behind the castle, provided they have a
Lament of InnocenceCastlevania: Lament of Innocence is a video game created by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 console. It was originally released in Japan and North America in 2003 and Europe in 2004 as...
save on the memory card. They make brief showings in the video game
TyrianTyrian is a computer game developed by Eclipse Productions and published in 1995 by Epic MegaGames.The game was officially released as freeware in 2004, and the graphics have been made available under an open license in April 2007.Tyrian was programmed by Jason Emery, illustrated by Daniel Cook,...
by
Epic GamesEpic Games, also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology.-History:Epic Games was initially...
. And a Moai mask also can be found on Hideo Kojima's Snatcher. In the Salamander OVA; the antagonist Paola deceived one of the protagonists (Eddie) into destroying a moai obelisk in the deserts of northern Gradius. Unknowing to Eddie; the moai statue was actually repelling the Bacterians from planet Gradius; whereas Paola lied that it was drawing the Dark Forces to the planet.
Easy final bosses
Unlike other scrolling shooters, as well as many video games in general, the final
bossA boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle...
of most
Gradius games (including its spin-offs) is surprisingly easy given the difficulty of the final stage and previous bosses (although one could say that the defenses immediately before the boss are so strong precisely because the boss is so weak--it desperately needs the protection). The final boss is usually brain-like in appearance and occasionally taunts the player in a brief "this is only the beginning"-type speech prior to destruction. They can usually be vanquished by shooting once at a number of cores without any retaliation from the boss. Sometimes, you don't need to shoot at all as some final bosses will die while the player waits (or if boss does attack, simply dodge).
Multiple loops
After the credits roll at the end of the game, the game restarts at the first stage with the Vic Viper stripped of all power-ups. Each loop becomes progressively harder as enemies gain greater speed and projectile capabilities. This cycle normally continues up to the limit specified within the settings for arcade based titles and indefinitely for certain console versions until the player exhausts all reserve ships and chooses not to continue.
Boss Rush
First introduced in
Gradius II, and in some instances referred to as 'Boss on Parade', the Boss Rush is a sequence of boss encounters where the player must fend off four or more Core Warships and in some cases biological entities, some of which are recreations of preceding games.
Option Hunter
The Option Hunter (also called "Option Eater" and "Option Thief") appears from the left side of the screen at regular intervals if the player carries four Options. Before launching from the left, it briefly makes its presence known with a loud siren and temporarily mimics the player movement to better its chances of capturing Options. Unless the player takes evasive action, any or all Options may be removed. The Option Hunter has never appeared in any of the Salamander series.
Series
GradiusThe Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, is a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
(1985): Originally released as an
arcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
, and later ported to other platforms. It is known to exist on the following platforms:
NES/FamicomThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
,
MSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. It was a Microsoft-led attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers, conceived by one-time Microsoft Japan executive Kazuhiko Nishi. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the...
,
PC EngineThe TurboGrafx-16 , known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
,
Sega SaturnThe is a 32-bit video game console that was first released on November 22 1994 in Japan, May 11 1995 in North America, and July 8 1995 in Europe...
,
PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
, certain mobile phones, and computer (Saturn, Playstation and computer version are all packaged with Gradius 2 as Gradius Deluxe Pack), as well as a re-release of the NES version for
Virtual ConsoleA virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
). In some territories,
Gradius was released under the name
Nemesis.
Salamander (1986): Set in the same universe as
Gradius. The game is noteworthy for a number of reasons. Most prominently, the game switches between horizontal and vertical stages, one of the first games of its kind. Also,
Salamander was one of the first shoot'em ups to include
cooperative gameplayCooperative gameplay primarily refers to a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates with the absence of player-controlled competitors. Cooperative gameplay is usually built around the single player mode of a game, modified to allow additional players...
.
- The first player ship is Gradiuss own Vic Viper ship, while the second ship is the Lord British space destroyer (sometimes called the "RoadBritish").
- Unlike Gradius, Salamander uses a more conventional weapons system, with enemies leaving a wide-variety of distinct power-ups. The NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
version of Salamander, called Life Force in North America (and marketed in that region as the "sequel" to the first Gradius), and the MSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. It was a Microsoft-led attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers, conceived by one-time Microsoft Japan executive Kazuhiko Nishi. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the...
port, used the more traditional power-up bar used in the Gradius series. There also exists an arcade game named Life Force that is identical to Salamander released in Japanese arcades the same year, except that a Gradius-style power-up bar is used instead of conventional power-up items, and the stages were recolored slightly and given some voiceovers to make the mission about travelling inside someone's body, rather than through space; stages took on names such as 'Kidney Zone' and 'Stomach'. An American release was also made, but it retained the original power-up system of Salamander, though it was renamed, rather confusingly, as Life Force.
Gradius 2Gradius 2, retitled Nemesis 2 in the west, is a video game released for the MSX computer in 1987 by Konami. The game is a sequel to the original MSX version of Gradius, but is unrelated to the arcade game Gradius II Gofer no Yabō...
(1987): The MSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. It was a Microsoft-led attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers, conceived by one-time Microsoft Japan executive Kazuhiko Nishi. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the...
Gradius 2
is unrelated to Gofer no Yabō (which used the Roman numeral 'II'). Instead of controlling Vic Viper, the available ship is called "Metalion" (code name N322). This game also has some semblance of a storyline, which is told by cut-scenes. The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the rest of the series, though there are some power-ups that temporarily gives the ship some enhancements. In addition, when the bosses are being defeated, if the Metalion flies where they are, a mini-level can be accessed in order to obtain new permanent upgrades, assured that the mini levels are successfully cleared. This version was ported to the
Sharp X68000The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU, 4 MB of...
computer under the name Nemesis '90 Kai
, with a number of graphical and aural enhancements.
Gofer no Yabō Episode II
(1988):The second game of the series to be released for the MSX platform.
Gradius IIis a horizontally-scrolling shooter originally released for the arcades in Japan in . It is the sequel to original Gradius and was succeeded by Gradius III. Ports of Gradius II were released for the Family Computer, PC Engine, and X68000 in Japan...
(1988):Bearing no relation to the MSX game titled Gradius 2
, Gradius II
is the sequel to Gradius
in terms of chronology. The game was never released in North America in any form, until recently with its inclusion in the PlayStation PortableThe PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
title Gradius Collection
.
Gradius IIIis a side-scrolling shooting game originally released for the arcades in Japan and Asia in . It is the second sequel to the original Gradius for the arcades following Gradius II, and was followed by Gradius IV. Gradius III was later released for the Super Famicom in in Japan and for the Super...
(1989): This title introduced the "edit mode" method of selecting weapons, which allowed players to create their own weapon array by choosing power-ups from a limited pool of available weapon types (some weapons in the preset weapon types are not selectable in Edit Mode, although it includes weapons not in any presets). The SNES/SFC version is not a very accurate port; levels, enemies, and weapons were altered. For example, two entire stages were cut from the
Super NESThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
version: a 3D stage which involved avoiding hitting cave walls from a unique first-person perspective behind the Vic Viper, and a crystal stage in which the Vic Viper was challenged by crystal blocks blocking off areas like a maze. Also, the order of stages was changed. The final stage in the SNES version was based on an early stage in the arcade version. The original arcade version's ending had the main boss in a mechanical setting, then going through a speed-up zone to escape the enemy base, where the SNES version had the player simply avoiding the final enemy's laughably simple and slow-moving attack patterns with no challenge afterward. However, the SNES version introduced the Rotate and Formation Option types, both of which were reused in Gradius V
. The difficulty and major boss tactics were toned down to make it easier. The original arcade version is available for PlayStation 2 bundled with Gradius IV
(Gradius III and IV
), although the port has some slight differences from the original.
Nemesis
(1990):The first Gradius
for a portable system, in this case Nintendo's Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
. The name Nemesis
was kept for the game's worldwide release. It combined elements from Gradius
and Gradius 2
(the MSX versions), as well as some all-new features.
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
(1991):Another Gradius
game exclusively for the Game Boy. It was one of the larger Game Boy carts in existence at the time (2-MegabitA megabit is an SI-multiple of the unit of bit for digital information storage or transmission. The International Electrotechnical Commission's standard IEC 60027 specifies the symbol to be Mbit, but Mb is also in common use....
s), and was completely different from the rest of the series - most of them used music, enemies, bosses and even levels from previous games in the series, but this one did not, except for the boss music from the first Gradius
game with the addition of a small original part to the piece. A little bit of the "between levels" music from Gradius III
can also be found at the very first part of the game. It was released as Nemesis II
in Japan and as Nemesis II: Return of the Hero
in Europe.
Salamander 2is a scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Konami in 1996. The game is a direct sequel to 1986's Salamander and is part of the long-running Gradius series. The game is notable as it is the first in the Gradius series to incorporate three-dimensional graphic elements into its base of 2D graphics...
(1996):The follow-up to Salamander. Had several interesting features, such as the Option Shot, the ability to launch the Options as homing projectiles. After firing, an Option would revert to a smaller, less powerful unit called an Option Seed, which revolves around the ship firing the default shot. Weaponry includes Twin Laser, Ripple Laser, and standard Laser. Like its predecessor, Salamander 2 uses a power-up system, rather than the Life Meter. Upon acquiring a second power-up of the same type, your weapons are twice as powerful for a short duration (10 seconds). The game features variations of previous Salamander bosses, such as the Golem and Tetran.
Gradius Gaidenis horizontal scrolling shooter video game produced by Konami and released in Japan on August 28, 1997. It is the first Gradius-named title to incorporate 3D graphics.-Gameplay:...
(1997):The first Gradius
produced exclusively for a home console. This is also the only Gradius game (other than GOFER no Yabou Episode II
on the MSX) where players can select which ship they wish to use. Gradius Gaiden
includes the Lord British Space Destroyer from Salamander and two (relative) newcomers -- the Jade Knight and the Falchion β (a variation of the ship from the Famicom Disk SystemThe was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer console in Japan. It was a unit that used proprietary floppy disks for data storage. It was announced, but never released, for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System...
game Falsion
). It was originally released for the PlayStation
console and ported in 2006 as part of Gradius Collection
for the PlayStation PortableThe PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
Solar Assaultis a three-dimensional shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1997. As its title may suggest, the game is a spin-off to the long running Gradius series. This title retains most of the gameplay characteristics of its 2D counterparts including the same enemies, protagonists, the selection bar power-up...
(1997):Solar Assault
is an arcade 3D rail shooter in the lines of Star Fox
or Panzer Dragoonis a rail shooter released on the Sega Saturn in 1995, and later released on PC, and as an extra in Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox. It follows the story of Keil Fluge, a member of a hunter party who encounters a fight between two dragons, colored black and blue...
, with Gradiuss settings. As usual, Vic Viper makes an appearance here. This game was very obscure and was never ported to any console system.
Gradius IV Fukkatsuis the fourth arcade installment in a series of scrolling shooter video games produced by Konami. It was preceded by Gradius III, released in 1989, although other non-numbered spinoffs had been released such as Gradius Gaiden. This title brings a considerable graphical upgrade, particularly with...
(1999):Released in Japanese arcades as
Gradius IV Fukkatsu (
Fukkatsu being Japanese for "revival", since it was the first arcade Gradius game in 10 years, following 1989's
Gradius III). IV lacked the Weapon Edit function of its predecessor, but it had a bigger array of weaponry than the original Gradius games. Weapons exclusive to this game included the Vertical Mine missile (which detonates in a vertical line shortly after deployment) and the Armor Piercing laser (a shorter, more powerful laser). Released on the PS2 as a compilation pack together with the arcade version of Gradius III ("Gradius III & IV").
Gradius GalaxiesGradius Generation , also known as Gradius Galaxies and Gradius Advance , is a horizontally-scrolling shooter handheld video game published by Konami in 2001. The game, released for the Game Boy Advance, is the only Gradius title to be available for the system...
(2001):The first
Gradius to be created by a development team other than Konami's own internal teams (by Mobile 21 Studios, to be exact). It exists for the
Game Boy AdvanceThe Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color...
. It is known as
Gradius Advance in Europe, and as
Gradius Generation in Japan. The Japanese version, being the last to be released, has a number of exclusive challenge modes added that the other versions did not, and includes an additional invisible 5000 point bonus in one of the levels.
Gradius VGradius V is a Japanese-developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004 as part of the Gradius video game series. The game was released in Japan in July 2004, in North America in September 2004, and in PAL regions in October 2004...
(2004):
Gradius V was released in September 2004 for the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
. Graphics are rendered in full 3D, although gameplay is still mostly
2D2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
; some areas change the position and perspective of the camera to emphasize the 3D environment. Treasure (developers of the classic games
Gunstar Heroesis a run and gun video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega.On February 23, 2006, Gunstar Heroes was released as part of the Gunstar Heroes: Treasure Box Collection for the PlayStation 2...
,
Guardian Heroesis a 2D side-scrolling, beat 'em up video game in the vein of Golden Axe. The game features RPG elements. Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console...
,
Radiant Silvergunis a vertically scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure Co. Ltd. It was released in arcades on the ST-V platform in 1998 and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn, with added cutscenes by noted animation studio GONZO. The game was not released outside of Japan...
and
Ikarugais a shoot 'em up video game developed by Treasure. It was released in the arcades in on the Sega NAOMI, subsequently released on Dreamcast in Japan and then worldwide to the Nintendo GameCube, and was released on Xbox Live Arcade on April 9, 2008...
, among others) were primarily responsible for
Gradius V development. In Japanese first press limited edition, the game included a book indicating inner design, the background, and the roadmap of Vic Viper series (i.e. Vic Viper is the name of a ship series, rather than a single ship), and pre-ordered North American copies included a DVD detailing the history of the series (including Scramble) and replays of
Gradius V.
Gradius ReBirthGradius ReBirth is a shoot 'em up video game for WiiWare developed by M2 and published by Konami. It is the latest installment in the Gradius series, and was released in Japan on September 2, 2008, and in North America on March 9, 2009 and in the PAL regions on July 3, 2009.-Overview:Gradius...
(2008): A
Gradius title for
WiiWareWiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
. Draws many elements from the Gameboy game, Nemesis, and could be considered a heavy remake of the said game.
Spin-offs
Parodius series (1988-1997):The
Parodius series, started in 1988, is similar to
Gradius, but with more cartoony settings. The name is a portmanteau of "parody" and "
Gradius". Many of the mainstays of the
Gradius series are included, albeit in a parodied format; this includes neon-colored core warships, effeminate moai, and large dancing women as bosses. Early games focused mainly on parodying
Gradius games, but more recent games have poked fun at other Konami franchises, including
CastlevaniaCastlevania is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986 with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
and
Ganbare Goemon, known as Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Mystical Ninja, and Goemon in North America and the PAL region, is a long-running video game series produced by Konami....
. The games offer a large number of different characters to use, each with different weapons. The characters consist of ones created for the series, such as Takosuke, and popular
Konamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
characters like Pentarou and Upa (from
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upais a Konami game that was first released on the Japanese market in 1988 for the Family Computer Disk System. It was later released as a cartridge in 1993 for the Family Computer....
). Vic Viper also appears in all titles.
Otomediusis a side scrolling shooter by Konami which featured personification of space fighters from various Konami games. The main characters are mostly females, designed by Mine Yoshizaki, with a set of equipment resembling space fighters from the side-scroller games by the same company Gradius, Xexex,...
(2007):The game features magical-anime girl versions of Vic Viper and Lord British.
Otomedius spoofs
Gradius, but in a
mecha musumeare moe anthropomorphisms similar to the OS-tans. Mecha musume is the accepted term in the west, but the Japanese call them , although the term is also infrequently used...
-style approach. The name is a portmanteau of "otome" (a Japanese word meaning "maiden") and "
Gradius".
Characters
Though characters are rarely seen or mentioned; there are several characters from the MSX titles and the anime, including the recent Gradius Rebirth.
Born in the year 6641, James Burton was the pilot of the Vic Viper in the first war with the bacterians at age 17 in 6658 (Gradius). In the year 6666 at age 25, he piloted Metalion to defeat Dr. Venom and became LARS XVIII (emperor) of Gradius/Nemesis. In
SalamanderSalamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant species are grouped together as the Urodela...
, in the year 6709 he sends Iggy Rock and Zowie Scott to save planet
LatisIn ancient Celtic polytheism, Latis is the name of two Celtic deities worshipped in Roman Britain. One is a goddess , the other a god , and they are both known from a single inscription each.-Dea Latis:...
from the Zelos Force. He later dies in the year 6718. He reappears in the
MSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. It was a Microsoft-led attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers, conceived by one-time Microsoft Japan executive Kazuhiko Nishi. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the...
title Nemesis 3 and Gradius Rebirth on the
WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
. James and Dr. Venom are thus far the only reoccuring characters in the Gradius series (not to mention with large background info).
Previously the Director General of Gradius' Space Science Agency, Dr. Venom was banished to planet Sard by LARS XVII for a attempted coup d'état in the year 6664. One year later he escapes and attacks planet Gradius and the seven colony planets it controls; forming a unholy alliance with the Bacterians. He is apparently killed by James Burton at the end of Gradius 2 (MSX), but returns in Salamander in the year 6709, revived in the core of Zelos' warplanet; Salamander. He appears again in
Gofer no Yabou: Episode 2/Nemesis 3. He attempts to kill a infant James Burton by joining forces with Gofer and traveling to the past; but is ultimately stopped by James' descendant David Burton. Dr. Venom is mentioned again by Bacterian in
Gradius VGradius V is a Japanese-developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004 as part of the Gradius video game series. The game was released in Japan in July 2004, in North America in September 2004, and in PAL regions in October 2004...
and appears in
Gradius RebirthGradius ReBirth is a shoot 'em up video game for WiiWare developed by M2 and published by Konami. It is the latest installment in the Gradius series, and was released in Japan on September 2, 2008, and in North America on March 9, 2009 and in the PAL regions on July 3, 2009.-Overview:Gradius...
. Even more interesting, it is revealed that Dr. Venom himself developed both the Vic Viper and the Metalion space fighters.
Though never seen in the game, Frehley is the head of the Imperial Space Archaeology Institute of planet Gradius. He is mentioned in the MSX Salamander's manual; describing the approaching crisis of the Zelos Force and planet Latis.
One of the pilots sent to save planet Latis from the Zelos Force in
SalamanderSalamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant species are grouped together as the Urodela...
. He pilots the craft Sabel Tiger.
A second pilot sent to save planet Latis from the Zelos Force along side Iggy Rock. She pilots the craft Thrasher.
A descendant of James Burton in Nemesis 3. In-game texts says he has as much pilot experience as James. He pilots the craft Vixen with his AI Gaudie and sets out to repel Bacterion and save an infant James Burton.
David Burton's ship
AI-Technology:*Artificial intelligence, intelligence exhibited by any manufactured system, likely the most common usage*Adobe Illustrator, a vector-based drawing program by Adobe Systems**.ai , the file native file format used by Adobe Illustrator...
. She gives David information throughout the course of the game's story. She also helps David's ancestor: James Burton; providing him with information inside the Vic Viper in
Gradius RebirthGradius ReBirth is a shoot 'em up video game for WiiWare developed by M2 and published by Konami. It is the latest installment in the Gradius series, and was released in Japan on September 2, 2008, and in North America on March 9, 2009 and in the PAL regions on July 3, 2009.-Overview:Gradius...
.
The 17th ruler of Gradius who exiled Dr. Venom to planet Sard and was assassinated prior to the beginning of the game. He is never seen in the game.
A non-canon character from the
Salamander (anime)is an 1988 OVA miniseries based on Konami's arcade game, Salamander. There were three volumes released on VHS and Laserdisc.The series is not canon however; as the MSX Gradius series states that the events with Gofer takes place over two-hundred years after the crisis with Zelos and his Salamander...
. He pilots one of the three Vic Vipers along with Eddie and Stephanie. He finds it awfully strange between Gradius ships mysteriously vanishing and how Paola seems so calm about the looming threats of the Bacterians. Dan is a leiutendant in the Gradius army.
A non-canon character from the Salamander anime based on the games. He pilots one of the three Vic Viper craft. He is said to have had top honors in Gradius' military academy. His family was exiled from planet Latis; but warmly welcomed by planet Gradius/Nemesis. In Salamander: Meditating Paola (based on Gradius), Eddie has a sharp tongue and grumpy attitude; but seem to soften when he meets Paola; a green-haired girl with telekinetic abilities he, Dan, and Stephanie rescued off a damaged ship orbiting not far from Gradius. Later after being demoted for disobeying orders not to engage the Bacterians to reveal a weakness; he sneaks Paola from observation so she can lead him to what is attracting the Bacterians. Taking a Vic Viper craft to the deserts of northern Gradius; there they find a
moaiMoai or mo‘ai are monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the island's perimeter...
obelisk that Paola tells him is attracting the dark forces....and destroys it. However; its revealed that the moai statue was actually repelling the Bacterians and that Paola had tricked him, revealing herself to be a bacterian and transforms into a massive dragon and flees; 'thanking' Eddie for his help; as well as taunting him that he , his friends, and the rest of Gradius will be eradicated by them. Heart-broken; he screams that he never trusted her to begin with, just like Dan. He even tries to convince her that he is not from planet Gradius/Nemesis; but from another planet. He eventually gives up and admits that racism exist on every planet; regarding his family's exile form Latis and Paola's hatred for Gradians. In the episode Salamander (based on Salamander) he travels with his friends to planet Latis to destroy planet Salamander; a planetoid deformed by the Bacterians (compared to the story in the MSX Salamander or the third level's song title; this may have been Planet Odysseus or
Planet Ratis). He soon gets into a rotton relationship with Latis' ruler: Ike Lord British. After snooping around for clues about his father's origins on the planet, he leaves; claiming that he would rather give his life to protect planet Gradius rather than for a planet who exiled his family and to protect its selfish and overconfident ruler. When the others later engage the fire dragon at the core of Salamander; he returns with his Vic Viper and sacrifices himself to kill the apparently invincible dragon by flying his craft inside its body to buy his friends (claiming he wasn't dying for Ike Lord British or Latis; but his father's homeworld) enough time to destroy Salamander's core. When Dan, Stephanie, and Lord British return to planet Latis, Ike Lord British decides to erase the incident of the Evans Family and tells his advisors to record Eddie Evans name in Latis history and to make sure he is never forgotton; the hero who saved planet Latis. Dan reveals to Lord British that despite Eddie having a sharp tongue; that he did indeed die to save Lord British's planet and Gradius.
Lord British's chief advisor who predicts the coming of the fire dragon and the insane force calling itself Salamander. Out of desperation he calls for the aid of Gradius who had defeated the Bacterians before; much to his lord's annoyance.
Zelos is the massive space dragon on the cover of the games Salamander and Life Force. Life Force's game manual says that Zelos was born from other's of his kind (Mom & Pa Zelos) and given the name
ZelosZelos might be:* An alternate spelling of Zelus of Greek mythology.* Zelos Wilder, A character in the GameCube game Tales of Symphonia.* The Silver Gigas in the videogame Skies of Arcadia....
for his unexplainable hostility towards other beings (his name meaning in their language: One mean son of a gun!). After growing up, Zelos traveled the universe and started feasting on planets and stars. Eventually he even started devouring whole galaxies and was said to have killed over 2,000,000,000,000 lifeforms as his dinner. At some point he turned to one of Gradius' colony planets, Latis, as a desert course and planet Gradius itself as a side-dish. In the MSX Salamander, he surrounded planet Latis with his armada (the Zelos Force) and set up a stronghold on planet Odysseus and appearently changing its name to Salamander. Latis soon sent a distress signal to planet Gradius/Nemesis and LARS XVIII (James Burton) sent Iggy Rock (Sabel Tiger pilot) and Zowie Scott (Thrasher pilot) to assist them and destroy the Zelos Force in operation
Crush Blow. In Life Force's manual, planet Latis sent its best fighter, the Lord British Space Destroyer, to assist them while Gradius also sent Vic Viper. In the MSX Salamander's ending after the pilots reach the core of planet Salamander (Odysseus), Dr. Venom is reincarnated in the planet's core (the Zelos Sphere) and revealed to be the true mastermind of the invasion. Depending on the players actions in-game; Dr. Vemon kills the pilots and the entire operation (Crush Blow) becomes a complete failure. But it's a success if the player tries again and collects all the pieces of prophecy. In the Salamander OVA, Zelos is the planetoid green warship that was referred to as the super fortress XEAROUS in the European game manual of
NemesisNemesis may refer to:* Nemesis , the Greek goddess of retribution* Archenemy, the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction-Literature:Fiction* Nemesis , by Alfred Nobel* "Nemesis" , by Arthur C...
.
The main antagonist of
Salamander 2is a scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Konami in 1996. The game is a direct sequel to 1986's Salamander and is part of the long-running Gradius series. The game is notable as it is the first in the Gradius series to incorporate three-dimensional graphic elements into its base of 2D graphics...
. Unlike most final bosses in the series; instead of being brain-like in appearance, Giga has a humanoid torso and three heads mounted atop his shoulders facing in opposite directions, in which he uses to spin around and fire numerous projectiles. He is also the only final
bossA boss is an employee's supervisor. It may also refer to someone in a leadership or executive position in an organization or group.Boss or BOSS may also refer to:- Persons with the surname Boss :...
to actually give the player a challedge after giving the usual "This is only the beginning" type speech. Plot-wise, Giga seems to have somehow revived the Zelos Force and a salamander for his invasion; as seen in the game's intro.
Though little is known about this male character, he is the current pilot of Vic Viper in
Gradius VGradius V is a Japanese-developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004 as part of the Gradius video game series. The game was released in Japan in July 2004, in North America in September 2004, and in PAL regions in October 2004...
. He repel bacterion forces from a orbital military station near planet Gradius/Nemesis and at some point encounters himself from the future requesting aid in destroying Bacterion's fortress. He eventually travels through time and manages to obliterate Bacterion with the help of his future self. Though his name is not directly revealed; he seems to call "himself" "Vic Viper" when referring to himself such as when he say: "Can you read me...., This is Vic Viper." or "This is Vic Viper T-301, commencing attack on the enemy!" His catch-phrase seems to be "Lets Roll!"; for he says it on several occasions. The Pilot's voice is provided by Eric Kelso and the Vic Viper's CPU/voice provided by Buster Winters.
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