Gradius: Archimendes Hen | Famicom Playthrough | RadRedRooster
17Welcome to my playthrough of _Gradius: Archimendes Hen (グラディウス・アルキメンデス編,_ lit. _Gradius Archimendes Edition)_ (game region: Japan) for the Nintendo Family Computer (FC for short), commonly known as the Famicom, the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
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• [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXeuWoBp40mkUrDjlNEuMsbI1gUK32PHs] – Famicom/NES Playthroughs | RadRedRooster
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• [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXeuWoBp40mlbocdjP2wWxrZtJRYdzlH2] – Gradius Series Playthroughs | RadRedRooster
I use FireBrandX's "Smooth (FBX)" as the game's color palette. This and other excellent palettes can be downloaded from the FireBrandX website at – [http://www.firebrandx.com/nespalette.html].
*– VIDEO INTRODUCTION –*
This playthrough shows:
• a no-death run of the first loop;
• all the hidden bonus points;
• every secret 1-up.
The secret 1-ups can only be collected when the thousands digit of the player's score is even.
If you press and hold A + B and then turn on the game, a PRG/CHR CRC test will be output – [as seen at 00:01]. "KONAMI ONE" or "GRADIUS ONE" is displayed if the PRG/CHR CRC matches the internal value. Otherwise, "KONAMI TEN" or "GRADIUS TEN" is output.
The timestamps for each stage can be found at the bottom of the video description box.
*– GAME OVERVIEW –*
_Gradius: Archimendes Hen_ for the Famicom is a horizontal scrolling shoot 'em up (shmup). This adaptation lacks the vertical scrolling of the original arcade (AC) game. It was ported and published by Konami (now Konami Digital Entertainment – a company within the Konami Group). The game was released in Japan in 1985.
Based on the Famicom port of _Gradius (グラディウス), Gradius: Archimendes Hen_ is a promotional item for the popular Japanese ramen brand Archimendes. It is slightly different in that the Power Capsules have been transformed into instant ramen bowls. About 4,000 copies were given away, which makes this version very rare and therefore quite expensive these days.
• _Gradius_ began as a coin-operated video game for the Japanese arcade market. Developed by Konami Development Section 1 and by published Konami (now Konami Amusement – a company within the Konami Group), it was released on February 2, 1985.
◦ Outside of Japan, the arcade version was initially known as _Nemesis,_ but later home releases used the original name.
◦ The game's music was composed by Miki Higashino – best known for her work in Konami's _Suikoden (幻想水滸伝, Genso Suikoden,_ lit. _Fantasy Water Margin)_ series. Its soundtrack has been featured on several video game music albums, including _Gradius in Classic I, II (グラディウス・イン・クラシック I, II)._
• In _Gradius,_ the titular planet is under attack by the invading Bacterian Empire. Facing inevitable defeat, the citizens have pinned their last hope on the "trans-dimensional spaceship" Vic Viper.
◦ As Vic Viper, the player must pilot the ship through wave after wave of Bacterians and destroy the leader's base.
• Early versions of _Gradius_ had the player collect individual power-ups, which were cut for not being "satisfying" enough, as the development team wanted to give the player the freedom to choose whatever weapons they wanted. This would eventually lead to the idea of the Power Meter.
◦ The Moai enemies were included by the team to pay homage to _Xevious (ゼビウス)_ (1982) and its Nazca Lines, and to add a sense of mystery to the game.
• _Gradius_ bears more than a passing resemblance to its influential predecessors, Williams' _Defender_ and Konami's own _Scramble (スクランブル)_ (both 1981). In fact, it was given the working title _Scramble 2 (スクランブル2)_ during production.
◦ The game helped define the shoot 'em up genre and spawned several sequels and spin-offs.
Reference(s):
• [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradius_(video_game)] – (English) Wikipedia
• [https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/グラディウス_(ゲーム)] – (Japanese) Wikipedia
*– TIMESTAMPS –*
[00:00] – Opening
[00:11] – Volcano
[02:38] – Stonehenge
[05:14] – Moai
[07:45] – Reverse Volcano
[10:16] – Tentacle
[12:49] – Cell
[14:53] – Base
[16:53] – Ending
*– HASHTAGS –*
#Gradius #Famicom #Playthrough #RetroGaming #RadRedRooster
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