Gradius III and IV Game Sample - Playstation 2
78YEAH! It's GRADIUS!!! LEGENDARY!!!!! WOOOO!!!
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Truth be told, "Gradius III and IV", Konami's near-launch Shmup compilation (both in the U.S. and Japan, though it was a launch title in Europe) was met with lukewarm response back when it originally released, mainly for not being the harbinger of "cutting edge next millennium graphics" like most of the early titles on the system attempted to illustrate. That said, they are excellent conversions of both Arcade originals, and the first time Gradius IV would see a home console release. However, there is another reason the games were not as well-received as they probably should have been... they were two of the most notoriously difficult hori-shooters on the market at the time.
Many Westerners got exposure to Gradius III through the SNES port (which was still very difficult, but considerably easier than the Arcade version) and while GIV is easier than GIII, to say that these games require extensive memorization and lightning fast reflexes would be an understatement; they were designed to be cleared in one go with only the most hardcore shooter fanatics seeing the game to the very end. The series would endure for over twenty years through various ports, spin-offs, (Parodius, Otomedius, etc.) "sequels" (and even more if you count "Scramble"), and Doujin-inspired titles (such as Satazius). It has left marks on the genre that few other titles have and deserves accolades for that alone, but it also helps that nearly every entry (spin-off or otherwise) to the franchise was thoroughly enjoyable in one form or another and really tested skilled players.
This game doesn't really sport much in the way of bells or whistles outside of a few neat FMVs, adjustable difficulties, speeds, stage selection options, and a few extra game modes (which is mainly a problem for GIII, as the SNES game had additional content), but it's worth adding to the PS2 collection. I should note that it is part of the "blue bottom" disc line-up, so you'll need a system that can play it. Basic information for people unfamiliar with Gradius is that the players control a Vic Viper ship through levels of intergalactic mayhem while blasting baddies ranging from typical ships to organic/inorganic matter, aliens, Moai heads, and more. You can choose your weaponry from presets or customized load-outs and gain power-ups from certain colored enemies or successfully clearing waves of enemies. The game's standout feature is the "weapon bar" which allowed you to stockpile power-ups and freely choose what order you want to unlock your abilities. Upon losing, the player loses all their upgrades, making restarting nearly impossible in most cases (due to lack of speed, lack of power-ups, lack of firepower, etc.)
There are plenty of videos of Gradius, so this is just a simple video of each game in action. I didn't crop out the dark areas above / below the video cause I didn't want to scale them (and some games use certain portions of that area). Enjoy.
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