Gradius

Gradius
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Released	JPN May 29, 1985 EU September, 1985
Genre	Horizontal scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Up to two players, alternating turns
Ratings	ESRB: Everyone
Platform(s)	Arcade, Commodore 64, Microsoft Windows, MSX, NEC PC-8801, NES, PC Engine, Virtual Console, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable, Sega Saturn, Sharp X1, Sharp X68000, Mobile Phone, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo DS
Input methods	8-way joystick, 3 buttons
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Bubble System (as Gradius) Konami GX400 (as Nemesis)
Arcade display	Raster, horizontal orientation, 256 x 224

Gradius (グラディウス, Guradiusu^?) is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1985 for video arcades. It was the first game to be released in the Gradius series and the second in terms of chronology (Scramble being the first). The arcade game was originally released in North America and Europe as Nemesis, but was rereleased as part of the Gradius Collection (2006) as Gradius in these regions. Gradius has the distinction of popularizing a weapon selection bar called "Power meter", based upon collecting capsules to 'purchase' additional weapons. The game was ported to many systems, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System (with this version also appearing on the Wii's Virtual Console) and the Japanese MSX computer. Gradius is considered a highly influential game and has set the foundation for many other horizontal shooters for years to come .

Description

In-game screenshot

The player controls the trans-dimensional spaceship Vic Viper, and must battle waves of enemies through various different environments. The game became synonymous with the phrase, "Shoot the core!", as the standard of boss battles in the Gradius series involved combat with a giant craft, in the center of which would be situated one to several blue colored spheres. These bosses would be designed in such a way that there would be a straight passage from the exterior of the giant craft which leads directly to one of these cores. The player must fire shots into this passage whilst avoiding attack patterns from weapon emplacements on the body of the boss. However, small but destructible walls are situated in this passage, impeding the bullet shots from damaging the core, and must be whittled away by repeated well-placed shots. In a way, these tiny walls represent the boss' shielding gauge until its core is finally vulnerable to attack. Some bosses have the ability to regenerate these walls. When the core has sustained enough hits, it usually changes color from blue to red, indicating that it is in critical condition and its destruction is imminent. Upon the destruction of a core, a piece of the boss may be put out of commission, seeing that it is no longer powered by a core, or if all of the cores are destroyed, the entire boss is defeated and explodes satisfyingly. Note that these cores are not present on the more organic bosses of Gradius. Such bosses have weak spots in places such as a mouth, head or eye.

Gameplay

Weapon system

When gameplay begins, the Vic Viper is relatively slow and has only a weak gun. This level of capability is generally insufficient for engaging enemies, but the Vic Viper can gain greater capabilities by collecting and using power-up items. While most arcade games utilize distinct power up-items that each correspond to a specific effect on the player character, Gradius has a single power-up item. The effect of this power-up item is to advance the currently selected item in a power-up menu that appears at the bottom of the screen. When the desired power-up is highlighted, the player can obtain it by pressing the power-up button, returning the menu to its initial state in which no power-up is highlighted.

Konami Code

Main article: Konami code

Home console and portable versions of Gradius spawned the now-legendary Konami Code, considered by some to be one of the defining elements of Gradius. The code (traditionally Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A; variants also exist), when entered while the game is paused, grants the player most of the available power ups. While this is essentially a cheat code, the player is only allowed a limited number of uses, suggesting that this is meant only as a limited adjustment of the difficulty. In most cases, the limit starts at one use and an additional use is granted for each completed level. An interesting exception to this rule is Gradius III for the Super NES/Super Famicom, where entering the original Nintendo Entertainment System version of the code destroys you, rather than powering you up. Substituting L and R for Left and Right will grant the proper effect, however. While this is a well-known feature among Gradius fans and Japanese players, many video game enthusiasts in North America more closely associate the Konami Code with the NES version of Contra, a later Konami game in which the code can be entered at the title screen to grant the player 30 lives.

Vs. Gradius

As with other early NES titles, Gradius was also converted for the Nintendo Vs. Series arcade platform. It is identical to the NES version, but includes no cheat codes and allows the player to continue indefinitely.

Soundtracks

• Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Konami Game Music Vol.1 - 28XA-85) on 27/06/1986.
• Apollon Music released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Original Sound of Gradius - KHY1016) on 05/05/1987.

See also

• Parodius, a series of games also made by Konami that parody the Gradius series and also draws on other Konami games.

References

External links

• GameStone - Gradius Home World
• Gradius Base, an extensive resource on all Gradius games
• Gradius at the Killer List of Videogames
• Gradius at MobyGames