/vr/ - Retro Games

The final frontier.

>>9531328
did anyone ever figure out what the question mark does?

>>9531328

>>9531336
it's just the shield/forcefield

>>9531328
>tfw never been able to beat the volanoes
>tfw as far as I know this game only has one stage

>>9531389
Seven stages and it's actually incredibly short and easy if you know what to do.

>>9531328
A typical early Famicom game from when shmups were more prominent than they would be later in the console's run. Personally I feel it's a bit too crude and later ones like Section Z are a lot more refined and have more content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBqbSEBjZqI

The C64 port is better and has some of the more well-handled use of SID sound I've seen.

>doesn't sacrifice SFX for music
>avoids being abrasive like a lot of SID music

The parallax stars are neat too.

I've got fond memories of the NES game, but I'm currently on the arcade original and it's kicking my ass.
I think I actually hate the upgrade system.

The farthest I got was stage 5. Though I always just give up when I die once.

>>9531328
So, apparently the trick is to switch from laser to double shot at the final stage.

>>9531479
>Though I always just give up when I die once.
It feels pretty good when you manage to recover your stuff against all odds. Doesn't happen very often!
It's still easier to recover than in fucking Twinbee, that game is a bitch.

>>9531483
Yes, different weapons are better suited for different stages.

Life Force is Gradius, but good

>>9531536
Braindead contrarianism

>>9531340
I hate this fucking meme so fucking much but I loled god dammit

>>9531328
I really like the original game, though I prefer the arcade and PCE versions over the NES one, but every single arcade sequel, including Salamander/Life Force, is an absurdly difficult chore that stops being fun at one point or another. 4 had great bossfights at least, but the rest of the game was annoying. The MSX ones, aside from it's version of Salamander, are actually really fun. The second and third games there are completely original and I found them far more fun than the arcade equivalents. SNES 3 and Galaxies on the GBA are also fun.

>>9531450
there's an invisible system in gradius that increases the game's difficulty based on how well you're playing and what upgrades you have https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57257

>>9531448
It's effectively doing what the NES did, I think only two channels are handling music on the NES version, the SFX dropping out during parts of the songs is a pure stylistic choice on their part to let you year it I believe

>>9531389
I got past the volcanos and the boss and can only make it to the middle of the 2nd stage, I've been playing it casually for a year, there is sort of no hope

>>9531639
>And I suppose you can skip the shield, but everything else is only detrimental. Options and missiles only affect the rank by a negligible amount (and speed-ups don't matter at all, unlike in Parodius Da!), yet they provide invaluable support in taking out all the enemies.
yeah that's my experience, not much point trying to "manage rank" in Gradius, you're pretty much always better off with the powerups

>>9531428
Section Z NES is no good

>>9531661
>Section Z NES is no good
Play the FDS one where you can actually save your progress.

What's the verdict on the PSP ports?
https://gradius.fandom.com/wiki/Gradius_Collection
https://gradius.fandom.com/wiki/Salamander_Portable
https://gradius.fandom.com/wiki/Parodius_Portable

>>9531415
>>9531450
pce version is like arcade but easier
>slowdown
>double shot is literally a double shot, so laser isn't as necessary

the new stage is awesome

>>9531705
They were developed by M2, so you can't go wrong with them. Biggest issue is that they're stuck on PSP.

>>9531497
But the laser is suited to every level except the last one.

can we talk about metal black instead

I gave up trying to beat this game, you have to no miss it or you'll never recover from losing your upgrades.

>>9531536

Gradius II is Gradius, but II

>>9531328
I can no miss the nes and pce versions, but arcade and psp kick my ass around stage 4-5.

>>9531705
Music doesn’t loop properly and can skip
between levels when a small loading pause occurs. Difficulty levels don’t match the arcade. Noticeable input lag. Inaccurate slowdown and performance.

>>9531328
Beating Gradius 2 arcade is still my greatest gaymer achievement, but now I don't feel like playing any more Gradius games after that.

>>9532314
Vulcan Venture is Gradius II, but Vulcan Venture

>>9531705
They're fine, but Parodius lost half of its soundtrack because of copyright issues.

>>9531389
>he doesn't know about the top left safe spot

>>9531448
great, delusional europeans. the msx version on WEAKER hardware is a more faithful port.

>>9532979
MSX games have really choppy scrolling.

>>9533006
>literally everything about this port sucks but at least it has smooth scrolling
yeah ok, you get used to the choppy scrolling. i can't get used to the VIC-II's multicolor mode having half the horizontal resolution which is horrible for a shmup.

>>9533006
MSX1 cannot actually scroll, just fudge it with a choppy block scroll or by shifting charsets like in Circus Charlie.

>>9533010
it would also be possible to use hi res mode in which case it will look much like MSX graphics

>>9533018
Yeah, you'd get monochromatic sprites but that can be worked around (as the MSX version does for the vic viper's sprite) AND you'd get a bigger playing field.

And MSX2 can only scroll vertically.

>>9531328
For me it's Gradius Gaiden with it's amazing soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqrrDfwMkd8

And then there's this.

>>9532975
I might have, but then I didn't have anything to hit the boss with.

>>9531328
>Gradius.
sucks the putrid necrotic flavoured semen out of a dead nigger's balls.