PCE-CD version is the most true to the original, but the FC version is the one I like playing the most. Really impressed that they were able to make all that work on FC.
I still can't figure out why he goes on about the PC-Engine being 8-bit. The CPU is still computationally faster than the SNES. It can blow through 8-bit integer calculations much faster than the MD, too. That was important becase 8-bit integer was still heavily used at the time to keep memory usage down. It often turns in the best result of those 3 machines. The MD's 64 on-screen color palette is a much greater bottleneck. Let's all remember the Intellivison has a 16-bit CPU, but was weaker than the Colecovision and the NES. Let's also remember that the N64 has a true 64-bit CPU while the Dreamcast and XBox only have 32-bit CPUs.
@@JoystickVersusMachine I have a major project at home to finish, but then I plan on finally making videos again, and one of them is about system weight class vs generation, and yes, I will discuss that the PC Engine belongs in the same weight class as the Mega Drive and Super Famicom.
Gradius II is just a badass sequel no matter how you look at it. The Famicom cart is unbelievable looking, easily one of the best looking games on the system. The Gradius Deluxe collection is absolutely flawless on either Saturn or PSX, too.
PC Engine version colors look more impressive than even the arcade. I still think it's amazing how a 8-bit console could comfortably trade blows with the big 16-bit boys.
The PC Engine has a very impressive colour pallet and can display way more colours than a Mega Drive. It's not as versatile as the SFC but still impressive.
I love this series! The PC Engine version also got an exclusive stage as well but I wish they would done an arrange version to the music though, I love it when CD games do that.
Konami in the 80's and 90's was a monster. I bought the games without seeing a review or image just because they were from Konami. And I've always been fine with that. I'm a Konami fan from that time.
That’s true I can’t think of a bad 8 or 16bit Konami game. Even the Mega drive early games like Sundet riders wasn’t bad, just not as good as it could have been.
This game is better known as "Vulcan Venture" outside of the Japanese arcades. PS, the full English title for the Japanese name is Gradius II - The Ambition of the Gofer.
The Konami name on the SFC instantly meant quality. There isn't one bad Konami game. Maybe 1 or 2 average games like Biker Mice From Mars but no bad games. Then came the PlayStation age and they went all in on the music games, then the shitty card based crap with Yugio being the main one. Then from there they just farmed out their IPs. Now the Name Konami doesn't mean anything 😢
Really shows off how the Famicom had practically become a whole different system 5 years after it was launched. Slow and filled with graphic glitches - and needing all the extra power an add-on chip could provide - but still the king of console gaming. And to think people complain when the Switch port of a game runs in a lower resolution or has to sacrifice background detail?
The Nintendo FamiCom had officially reached 10 million systems sold in Japan alone by 1986. Therefore by all Japanese third parties, if they didn't try to make sure their home conversions weren't top caliber, they were gonna lose out big time as the original Gradius for NES had a tag line claiming to have sold over one million copies in Japan on the box cover. The Nintendo FamiCom was defending its position from the constant onslaught of other videogame systems that came and went from 1983 to the end of the 80s. I would wager too that Konami had some excellent FamiCom NES coders on the job as that hardware was mature enough and when the Super FamiCom launched in 1990, first year game software had slowdown due to devs not fully having enough experience while the Sega MegaDrive had already been ramping up since 1988 but did have the sales figures in Japan.
Just had this video suggested to me by TH-cam and it appears to show a new Famicom version which looks amazing th-cam.com/video/xHlofyCew5M/w-d-xo.html
Holy smokes - I just watched the Time Scanner episode and this one is the quintessential opposite. Last one? Every port was awful. This one? Every port is FANTASTIC.
Konami really did an amazing job bringing their arcade games home, at least in many cases. Some of the best gaming on the NES was in the form of a Konami port (Contra, Gradius, etc).
@@RetroCore yes indeed, my video intro's show it better. 👍 Nemesis (gradius) was the daddy but the graphics and sountracks on Vulcan Venture (gradius 2) are superb.
VRC4 chip or not. The famicom version is an excellent jaw-dropping port developed by the very best of Konami. Man, do I miss the 80s and 90s Konami crew.
"X68000 daddy of all 16 bit micros".. I completely agree. I grown up with Amiga and I didn't know anything about X68000 until I follow your channel. X68000 is such a beautiful machine.. Of course my heart much warmer about Amiga for obvious reasons. But X68000 "daddy" of all 16 bits for sure.. I mean, including consoles too. at least thats what I m think. Mega Drive or SNES cannot match X68000 uniqe mainboard and custom chips.. maybe Neo Geo can accept challenge but I cannot tell. I m not that professional:)
Yeah, the X68000 was such an awesome system. Like the Neo Geo of computers. Something that blew away the competition but only available to those with deep pockets.
Man, I have been waiting for this one to come out ever since I found your channel and first watched the BotP for Gradius 1. I personally own the PCE CD version and I love it, but I'd also like to get the Saturn version one day. No matter which version you play though, Gradius II is an excellent shooter all around. It's tied with Gradius V on the PS2 as my favorite Gradius title and is at least somewhere in my top 5 shooters of all time. Really glad to see you do this one, and I look forward to more awesome BotP videos.
daaaamn now we're talking that's the real good stuff right there thanks mark update: the best part about the sharp x68000 port is that the mt-32 sound variant actually mixes fm sound chip with some new instruments and oh boy it's really the best way to listen to the gradius 2 ost and as for the pc engine...it's honestly a bit easier than the original arcade and it's other ports honestly 😅😅😅 plus ofc it's replaced 8 bit sounds and the new intro what really defined the pc engine port and as for the nes port...yup I'm impressed that they retained some of the arcade voice lines into the nes cartridge like wow
Gradius 2 and 3 have some of the best music to come out of the arcades in that era, and it's good to see that it held up well to ports. I believe there was also a PSP port as part of the Gradius Portable release which had the first four games on it. It's a great game, I wish I wasn't terrible at it.
Gradius II was ported to Windows 95 as well, under "Gradius Deluxe Pack for Windows." The disc can be found on Internet Archive, which included screensavers as bonus.
Excellent! You have my request my man. This was my favorite Gradius game right next to Gaiden. Fun Fact: Gradius IV was designed by a guy who really loves Gradius II.
I wonder why 4 has more elements of Gradius 3 than 2 then. (The bubbles, the Moai boss placement, mechanical stage gimmicks (though the walker is indeed from 2), etc.
@@solarflare9078 You forgot to mention the first stage is pretty much Gradius II's first stage where a dragon is hunting you and GOFER being the final boss but not doing anything to hurt you much like in II, unlike III where it shoots the portal at you. IV is a mixture between II and III. Also I fucking hate Gradius III.
@@solarflare9078 IV also inherits something else from 3, it's brutal difficult, especially in later loops where it is considered harder than 3 in those same loops.
@@inklingex4433 Only the most daring play Gradius III arcade, and it's why I bought it for my PS2, because it includes Gradius IV, and I love the entire Gradius series, save for V, which I am still lukewarm on years after it's release.
That was amazing. One of my favourite series of all time, addicting and challenging game play set to some of the best game music ever composed. I had the foresight to purchase the PC Engine version back in 2008 or so when it was actually still rather affordable. Still have yet to finish it, haha Man the drums in Sharp X68000 version hit HARD! haha
I was very lucky to get a complete as new (with stickers etc.) copy of the PC Engine game late last year or waht is this year? Either way, the price was reasonable at 3800 yen. Pc Engine games cost a fortune these days. I'm sure I paid almost 10,000 yen for metamorphosis jupiter or whatever it is called 😅
@@RetroCore 3800 yen!! that's a barging, wow! Yeah I think I have all the PC Engine games I'll ever get. Some years ago, I was lucky to track down copies of Gradius and Salamander HuCards from a local seller in Toronto through a local buy and sell, can't remember what I paid, but I know for sure it wasn't more than $100 CAD for the pair, likely not even close to that. I think they were like $30 each. But that was like in 2008 or 2009. Times have certainly changed, haha
The pce was quite the hybrid console with its dual 16 bit video chips + 8 bit cpu...i own the ss port and yes it's amazing..i think i ll get the fc port sometime along the road....
a interesting trivia: in the escape scene from the FC port, arcade, PCECD ,X68K version, the Vic Viper shown was the BP-8332 from Salamander instead of BP-827Z;Again,at the intro scene of Arcade, PCE, X68K version, BP-8332 was shown at the original gradius tribute instead of BP-456X. Man surely the Vics have so many inconsistent designs,where in the GB Nemesis,Metalion from Gradius 2(MSX) was shown in the ending instead of BP-456Y,which brings so much confusion.
Impressive visuals for 1988 (nice flame). Good ports too. Cannot complain that Ocean Software botched yet another license 😄😄😄 Also, there was a PC Windows release on February 21, 1997. That's what it reads on wikipedia, at least.
Pleased we are in agreeance that the PC Engine is an 8-bit machine Mark, it's actually an overclocked 8-bit CPU with an 8-bit data bus, despite having a 16-bit graphics chip :)
@@RetroCore PCE is undeniably an 8bit console. It has impressive custom processors mind considering its launch in 1987. Would have been interesting to see more upgraded versions of PCE titles running on SuperGrafx with its extra memory and background layer - again 8bit architecture . Seems it's price point was too high for success. ✌️
No duds this week. I'd have been happy with any of those versions of Gradius II, though happier with some than others. Good job on all the footage you captured, you clearly put time into all the versions. I do love classic Konami games, great soundtracks that you instantly recognise and some distinctive design quirks... Even in the early 2000s they were still putting out a really interesting lineup of games after that they changed direction sadly.
Totally unrelated game in the series, Gradius 2 on the MSX is Nemesis 2 in Europe. Nemesis 3 is it's follow up. Gradius 2 MSX has a totally different plot and enemy at the end, though Nemesis 3 saw the return of Gofer, though he'd be back later in Gradius IV.
You missed one...the Gradius 2 hidden bonus on the TG-16/Core Grafx Mini. It is an amalgamation of the arcade version mixed with the PC Engine port and it is phenomenal. As far as I'm aware it is the best part ever made.
Awesome BOTP video Mark, that Sharp X68000 version looks incredible not to mention how you can select 3 different sound modules within the options?! That's amazing & a very rare feature in games from what I remember!
@@shinkazama3959 When that Castlevania game got ported to the PS1 as Castlevania Chronicles, it even retained, by code, a way to choose all 3 soundsets.
Awesome battle cheers Mark and one I thought you'd done already, one of the staples of my days out at the seaside, we had a amazing arcade in Hornsea on the British east coast called rainbow islands, it had everything you would want as a shooter fan but it was Gradius 2 & 3 placed side by side which I couldn't resist playing. I can't pick a favourite shooter but some days Gradius 2 could be No1.
One thing I loved about going to the seaside was the arcades. I also remember my dad trying his best to avoid them so we wouldn't bother him for 10p every 5 minutes, 😁
What an amazing bunch of ports! Famicom one, that I played, is very meritory. The soundtrack of the Sharp and the PC Engine are incredible. Saturn japanese pad are the best ever made, and european Saturn consoles went with it from 1996 onwards, when I bought mine ; )
Great game, one of the best arcade shooters. The PCE port is the one I own, it's mighty impressive, super close to the arcade, Konami made an outstanding work with it, even adding an additional exclusive stage. Well, because the console only have 1 background plane, they had to make some tricks to fake more layers, like in stage 2, the background use different tiles to create an animation depending of where you move, giving the impression of depth and movement. I know someone else can explain this much better, but yeah, it's something like that haha so the black corners are there in some tiles that aren't square shaped, it's a minor sacrifice.
Missed the PSP port... but in all honest about that, is just the Ps1 Gradius Deluxe Pack version with the added option of saving mid-game in that game, as well as Gradius 1, 3 Arcade, 4 (Gradius 3 Arcade and 4 taken from their Ps2 port) and Gaiden (this one was the most damaged without the ability to play with a friend, but still is great that we got an official release of that Ps1 game).
Yep, Japan only because Nintendo US weren't keen on paying for the extra chip. Have you ever seen the Japanese version of Contra? It blows away the western version due to having an extra chip. Check out one of the many comparison videos on TH-cam.
@@RetroCore I have. I'm aware of some of those Japan-only chips, particularly the ones in Akumajou Densetsu, LaGrange Point, and the audio chip in Namco games like Megami Tensei II. It's a shame Nintendo US decided we didn't need good sound (or graphics, in some cases).
Fun comparison. It's nice to have a bunch of quality ports, but with enough differences and features to make it quite interesting. The Famicom port was quite well done, though I never loved its sound chip for shooters. And speaking of music, this episode may have had the best music from beginning to end. Really great stuff. Maybe Mad Stalker could rival this one for best music straight through since those all sound great.
I'd be all for a modern release of a Gradius Collection with all the games and all the versions of the games, the idea is quite plausible now, thanks to the announcement of the Cowabunga Collection which has all the classic Ninja Turtles games and all the version of them too. Plus the Castlevania and Contra Collections as well. Never say never. :)
Great job mate! I really enjoy these battle of the ports episodes you do. Your dedication really shows! So many good ports of gradius 2. Ive got the famicom version only besides the sharp and the arcade version what would be your next best choice?
You can't go wrong with the Saturn or PS1 ports, but if you go the PS1 route, only play it on a PS1 as it won't work right for Gradius II on the PS2. Both ports will run you a bit of money though, so beware. I managed to get them years back, Saturn one a friend got me for a shade under $30, the PS1 port I bought myself for $54. Much higher priced game for both now though.
@@ScruffyLookinRGB My PS3 is US, and won't run on it, but I have heard no complaints about the PS3. Then again, I've never heard anyone even play the compilation on the PS3.
Personally I'd say the Saturn version is the best but impressive wise I'd have to go with the Famicom and PC Engine. Both those ports look amazing for the hardware they're running on.
With inflation in mind and currency conversion done today, Sharp X68000 hardware back then was modern Mac priced, so it did make sense to get that performance for the price. I only want to get an ATX/mATX chassis in its look and style, mobo-etc in one half, graphics card in the other.
I don't know if I'd miss Gradius III from MSX here, as it has many stages that are very similar: the "Suns" of the first stage, the Moais, even the ship selection screen is the same... but it has many other stages that seem deferent.
The Gradius series can be complicated. The one you mention is a different game but you are right when you say it has similar stages. So does Salamanda.
the nes version of this game is what made me a gradius fan and started my shootemup journey. Love this game to bits. Hate the name vulcan venture lol. The pc engine cd port is also fucking awesome. The sharp x68000 port really makes me want to emulate that computer now lol.
I'm not a fan either of the Vulcan Venture name, but I would lie if I say that I truly hate that name, because that's how I found Gradius 2 back in the arcades in the 90's were the operators got lucky to import one cabinet with the game, names aside, of all Gradius games, I have V, 3 (SNES version) and 2 tied 1st place, while Gaiden is 4rd and (suprise) 3 Arcade at 5th.
TY! Great footage as always, Sir. Was there ever a C64 version or was it an altered title or Gradius or Nemesis or something. Confuses me Lol! Also I was just playing on the PSP Gradius Collection (1,2,3,4 & Gradius Gaiden) yesterday and Gradius II has word Gofer in the title logo. Anyway, soz to waffle on and cheers to you
I once had a really X68000 and can say that emulation for that machine on Windows PC's is pretty much spot on. Sadly I sold my X68000 years ago. Very silly move 😢
So, can we say this is one of the few episodes in which every port is good? And that's because Konami made every port, not liek those euro home computers port.
Must check this out on mame. The nes version is graphically very good, yeah the flicker and slowdown Do detract from its overall looks but for a nes very good 6800 version just stunning too
Good job like usual, Yakumo, though I feel like there coulda been a bit of PSP coverage, cuz the Gradius Collection gave it a neat extra, since it's a full port. *WIDE SCREEN!!!* And I get the main PCE processor is 8 bit, but the GPU IS 16 bit, so it is a big ol geshtalt of tech forming a big Sentai combiner robot, especially with the CD unit attached. And alongside the arcade accuracy, there's an extra main stage added to PCE Gradius 2 with a unique CD quality track
@@Bloodreign1 I saw footage of said PSP version and the "Full" mode became "Wide". Let's say the PS1 and PS2 versions were the basis, but were given additions
Ah, the PSP game is just running PlayStation code. It's quite common with any PSP game that was also on the PlayStation. I do belive it has wide screen support but that will be an extension of the PlayStation and Saturn's arcade or normal screen modes. You are correct about the PC Engine being a super sentai robot, 😁
Yes, that is right but what I meant is that the game isn't reprogrammed as such, it just expand the 4:3 screen size by drawing more on screen. I'm not explaining this very well 😅.
It baffles me we never got the Famicom port in the West, given how well-liked I remember Life Force being. I wonder if it was one of those situations where the NES didn't play nice with the enhancement chip, like Castlevania III, and the game just wouldn't run acceptably without it.
I think it was more a case of Nintendo US being cheap and not wanting to produce the carts with extra chips. Or would that cost be passed on to Konami? Either way they did that with a few Konami games in the West. Castlevania 3 as you mentioned and Contra as well.
Coin op was forward thinking and acting at the time. NES is spectacular offering. X68000 leaps and bounds above the coin op. TurboGrafx 16 has great music and gameplay. PS1 is near identical to coin op. Saturn is superior to PS1.
Wow, all these versions look really good. Konami really knew what they were doing back then, and the experience stays relatively the same no matter which platform you're playing on. Unfortunately, I've never really been a fan of Gradius's power-up bar, and wish they would have kept Life Force's system instead, but that's really the only complaint I have about this game.
@@RetroCore That's where it gets confusing. I meant the US Life Force (and I think the original arcade version of Salamander also used this alternate powerup system), the Japanese Life Force changed it back to the Gradius powerup bar. The PC-Engine port of Salamander has this alternative system as well, but the Famicom version, while retaining the Salamander title, is actually based off the Japanese Life Force and once again contains the Gradius powerup system.
On the Famicon port, I think it was overly ambitious of Konami to make available the 4 satellite guns upgrade. Maybe the game would suffer less flickering and slowdowns if they limited it to just 2.
Does this video have any OPTION? I just want a setting to SPEED UP! Man I want to talk in that guys voice all the time, dropping baddd puns at the worst times.
I'd say the Saturn and PlayStation are the best as they're both perfect but the PC Engine is mighty impressive for a machine that was released in October, 1987.
By coincidence I was playing the Gameboy game called Gradius 2 today and looked to same if you had ever done a BotPs. Great game, but not really Gradius 2 I suppose.
Where is the MSX version? MSX's Gradius III is what's known as Gradius II on other systems. Jerky scrolling (although in recent years there are smooth scroll IPS patches for the rom) but great music due to the included SCC chip.
PCE-CD version is the most true to the original, but the FC version is the one I like playing the most. Really impressed that they were able to make all that work on FC.
The PC Engine has an 8 bit cpu, but the graphics chips are 16 bit. So it actually has dual bitizenship.
Hybrid hardware ....
I still can't figure out why he goes on about the PC-Engine being 8-bit. The CPU is still computationally faster than the SNES. It can blow through 8-bit integer calculations much faster than the MD, too. That was important becase 8-bit integer was still heavily used at the time to keep memory usage down. It often turns in the best result of those 3 machines. The MD's 64 on-screen color palette is a much greater bottleneck. Let's all remember the Intellivison has a 16-bit CPU, but was weaker than the Colecovision and the NES. Let's also remember that the N64 has a true 64-bit CPU while the Dreamcast and XBox only have 32-bit CPUs.
@@JoystickVersusMachine I have a major project at home to finish, but then I plan on finally making videos again, and one of them is about system weight class vs generation, and yes, I will discuss that the PC Engine belongs in the same weight class as the Mega Drive and Super Famicom.
@@TheKayliedGamerChannel-TH-cam Yes, but this is a specific subclass of that.
I’m stealing this.
Love the Engine version, and the Famicom is absolutely amazing.
Gradius II is just a badass sequel no matter how you look at it. The Famicom cart is unbelievable looking, easily one of the best looking games on the system. The Gradius Deluxe collection is absolutely flawless on either Saturn or PSX, too.
I was so surprised at how close to the Arcade the Saturn and PlayStation versions were. They're practically perfect.
PC Engine version colors look more impressive than even the arcade. I still think it's amazing how a 8-bit console could comfortably trade blows with the big 16-bit boys.
While it's CPU is 8-bit, its graphics processors are 16-bit. That does make a difference.
@@MaidenHell1977 Either way, it's quite a piece of hardware for 1987.
The PC Engine has a very impressive colour pallet and can display way more colours than a Mega Drive. It's not as versatile as the SFC but still impressive.
My favourite game in the series. I still have my Vulcan Venture pcb.
The music in this game is just so amazing even 30 years later. I absolutely love this game.
Konami were so good with chip music.
Now this is a rare treat indeed. An episode where all of the ports are fantastic in their own right.
I love this series! The PC Engine version also got an exclusive stage as well but I wish they would done an arrange version to the music though, I love it when CD games do that.
It would have been nice if they added the Sharp X68000 sound options.
I love playing this on the PC Engine, but thet Famicom version is really really impressive.
Konami in the 80's and 90's was a monster. I bought the games without seeing a review or image just because they were from Konami. And I've always been fine with that. I'm a Konami fan from that time.
That’s true I can’t think of a bad 8 or 16bit Konami game. Even the Mega drive early games like Sundet riders wasn’t bad, just not as good as it could have been.
So very true. Especially on the SNES / SFC. Konami meant you were getting a quality game.
This game is better known as "Vulcan Venture" outside of the Japanese arcades.
PS, the full English title for the Japanese name is Gradius II - The Ambition of the Gofer.
I still mourn the loss of Konami as a top tier dev that cared about it's properties and handled them with care. Not a B.S. port in the bunch.
Looking at them them now it's hard to believe they were right up there with Capcom (and arguably better).
The Konami name on the SFC instantly meant quality. There isn't one bad Konami game. Maybe 1 or 2 average games like Biker Mice From Mars but no bad games.
Then came the PlayStation age and they went all in on the music games, then the shitty card based crap with Yugio being the main one. Then from there they just farmed out their IPs. Now the Name Konami doesn't mean anything 😢
@@RetroCore YuGi money is still big money for them. They got lazy.
Really shows off how the Famicom had practically become a whole different system 5 years after it was launched.
Slow and filled with graphic glitches - and needing all the extra power an add-on chip could provide - but still the king of console gaming.
And to think people complain when the Switch port of a game runs in a lower resolution or has to sacrifice background detail?
No kidding. The simple matter is that people are effing spoiled beyond belief these days.
The Nintendo FamiCom had officially reached 10 million systems sold in Japan alone by 1986.
Therefore by all Japanese third parties, if they didn't try to make sure their home conversions weren't top caliber, they were gonna lose out big time as the original Gradius for NES had a tag line claiming to have sold over one million copies in Japan on the box cover.
The Nintendo FamiCom was defending its position from the constant onslaught of other videogame systems that came and went from 1983 to the end of the 80s.
I would wager too that Konami had some excellent FamiCom NES coders on the job as that hardware was mature enough and when the Super FamiCom launched in 1990, first year game software had slowdown due to devs not fully having enough experience while the Sega MegaDrive had already been ramping up since 1988 but did have the sales figures in Japan.
Just had this video suggested to me by TH-cam and it appears to show a new Famicom version which looks amazing
th-cam.com/video/xHlofyCew5M/w-d-xo.html
PC Engine version is incredible!
It sure is.
Holy smokes - I just watched the Time Scanner episode and this one is the quintessential opposite. Last one? Every port was awful. This one? Every port is FANTASTIC.
Yep, sometimes making these shows can be a lot of fun. Other times 😭
FI-NA-LY!
My years of waiting (not so patiently) payed off. Having this game reviewed in your words is a gift. Thank you so much.
Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Konami really did an amazing job bringing their arcade games home, at least in many cases. Some of the best gaming on the NES was in the form of a Konami port (Contra, Gradius, etc).
Gradius 2 is one of the best sequals ever made! It improves on everything the first does! My favorite with G3, G5 and Gaiden!
Gradius II you mean. Gradius 2 is actually a completely different game.
I spent so many 10p's on this game, unfortunately i couldn't complete the final level.
Gradius games shaped my youth 👍
As you avatar proudly shows 👍
@@RetroCore yes indeed, my video intro's show it better. 👍
Nemesis (gradius) was the daddy but the graphics and sountracks on Vulcan Venture (gradius 2) are superb.
VRC4 chip or not. The famicom version is an excellent jaw-dropping port developed by the very best of Konami.
Man, do I miss the 80s and 90s Konami crew.
While I may not care for this game much as the original or Gradius 3, it's still impressive all the ports for this are competently made.
Now all we need is someone to make a One-Chip style X68000, or an FPGA recreation of an X68000 like computer.
I guess you could make a Mister in to a Sharp X68000.
"X68000 daddy of all 16 bit micros".. I completely agree. I grown up with Amiga and I didn't know anything about X68000 until I follow your channel. X68000 is such a beautiful machine.. Of course my heart much warmer about Amiga for obvious reasons. But X68000 "daddy" of all 16 bits for sure.. I mean, including consoles too. at least thats what I m think. Mega Drive or SNES cannot match X68000 uniqe mainboard and custom chips.. maybe Neo Geo can accept challenge but I cannot tell. I m not that professional:)
Yeah, the X68000 was such an awesome system. Like the Neo Geo of computers. Something that blew away the competition but only available to those with deep pockets.
Man, I have been waiting for this one to come out ever since I found your channel and first watched the BotP for Gradius 1. I personally own the PCE CD version and I love it, but I'd also like to get the Saturn version one day. No matter which version you play though, Gradius II is an excellent shooter all around. It's tied with Gradius V on the PS2 as my favorite Gradius title and is at least somewhere in my top 5 shooters of all time. Really glad to see you do this one, and I look forward to more awesome BotP videos.
Thank you! I'm happy to read that another game you wanted to see a BOTP on, finally made it out there.
Thank you for this Battle of the Ports video!
Yes, Gradius 2: GOFER's Ambititon on PCE Super CD is the best so far.
daaaamn now we're talking that's the real good stuff right there thanks mark
update: the best part about the sharp x68000 port is that the mt-32 sound variant actually mixes fm sound chip with some new instruments and oh boy it's really the best way to listen to the gradius 2 ost and as for the pc engine...it's honestly a bit easier than the original arcade and it's other ports honestly 😅😅😅 plus ofc it's replaced 8 bit sounds and the new intro what really defined the pc engine port and as for the nes port...yup I'm impressed that they retained some of the arcade voice lines into the nes cartridge like wow
Top review Mark!.. I remember buying this on release on the pc engine Super CD... Blew me away, and the neat little sticker kit was kinda nice. 👍
Damn, I never knew it came with stickers. Very cool.
I still have the stickers with my PCE Super CD ROM copy👍
Dude, you missed my gaming pick ups when I showed it? 😅
The PlayStation and Saturn version comes with a cut-out paper craft vic viper.
@@okami242 Only the Saturn version does, I have the craft inside my Saturn manual for the game, just not going to put it together.
I see where Turrican 2 gets a lot of it's graphics from
I love the Gradius series... and it's spin off Parodius.
Same here. Parodius is a lot of fun.
Salamander is great too.
Gradius 2 and 3 have some of the best music to come out of the arcades in that era, and it's good to see that it held up well to ports. I believe there was also a PSP port as part of the Gradius Portable release which had the first four games on it. It's a great game, I wish I wasn't terrible at it.
Gradius II was ported to Windows 95 as well, under "Gradius Deluxe Pack for Windows." The disc can be found on Internet Archive, which included screensavers as bonus.
But is practically impossible to run on modern PC's at full speed, unless it can be done in a compatible virtual drive.
Sadly I couldn't get that version running 😢
Happy Easter, Mark. Thanks for the video.✌️✌️✌️
Oh, it's Easter? I forgot all about that. No easter IN Japan 😕
Excellent!
You have my request my man.
This was my favorite Gradius game right next to Gaiden.
Fun Fact: Gradius IV was designed by a guy who really loves Gradius II.
I wonder why 4 has more elements of Gradius 3 than 2 then. (The bubbles, the Moai boss placement, mechanical stage gimmicks (though the walker is indeed from 2), etc.
@@solarflare9078 You forgot to mention the first stage is pretty much Gradius II's first stage where a dragon is hunting you and GOFER being the final boss but not doing anything to hurt you much like in II, unlike III where it shoots the portal at you.
IV is a mixture between II and III.
Also I fucking hate Gradius III.
And that's why Gradius IV is so nice!
@@solarflare9078 IV also inherits something else from 3, it's brutal difficult, especially in later loops where it is considered harder than 3 in those same loops.
@@inklingex4433 Only the most daring play Gradius III arcade, and it's why I bought it for my PS2, because it includes Gradius IV, and I love the entire Gradius series, save for V, which I am still lukewarm on years after it's release.
Love that Konami Famicom sound!
I have to admit, the mixed FM+LA from the MT-32 option sounds quite nice. Gives it more of an enhanced arcade sound.
That was amazing. One of my favourite series of all time, addicting and challenging game play set to some of the best game music ever composed. I had the foresight to purchase the PC Engine version back in 2008 or so when it was actually still rather affordable. Still have yet to finish it, haha
Man the drums in Sharp X68000 version hit HARD! haha
I was very lucky to get a complete as new (with stickers etc.) copy of the PC Engine game late last year or waht is this year? Either way, the price was reasonable at 3800 yen. Pc Engine games cost a fortune these days. I'm sure I paid almost 10,000 yen for metamorphosis jupiter or whatever it is called 😅
@@RetroCore 3800 yen!! that's a barging, wow! Yeah I think I have all the PC Engine games I'll ever get. Some years ago, I was lucky to track down copies of Gradius and Salamander HuCards from a local seller in Toronto through a local buy and sell, can't remember what I paid, but I know for sure it wasn't more than $100 CAD for the pair, likely not even close to that. I think they were like $30 each. But that was like in 2008 or 2009. Times have certainly changed, haha
The pce was quite the hybrid console with its dual 16 bit video chips + 8 bit cpu...i own the ss port and yes it's amazing..i think i ll get the fc port sometime along the road....
Gradius II is a fun game.
Very nice comparisons!
Thanks.
a interesting trivia: in the escape scene from the FC port, arcade, PCECD ,X68K version, the Vic Viper shown was the BP-8332 from Salamander instead of BP-827Z;Again,at the intro scene of Arcade, PCE, X68K version, BP-8332 was shown at the original gradius tribute instead of BP-456X. Man surely the Vics have so many inconsistent designs,where in the GB Nemesis,Metalion from Gradius 2(MSX) was shown in the ending instead of BP-456Y,which brings so much confusion.
I can barely tell the difference other than in the artwork for the games, haha
@@MaidenHell1977 i know,it happens too fast.But as i love and draw Vics,i could easily spot which is which
LOL
I imagine the various Vic Vipers' designs and the Metalion's design melted together in the minds of some people at Konami back then lol
Impressive visuals for 1988 (nice flame). Good ports too. Cannot complain that Ocean Software botched yet another license 😄😄😄
Also, there was a PC Windows release on February 21, 1997. That's what it reads on wikipedia, at least.
There was but it's actual emulation rather than a port.
Pleased we are in agreeance that the PC Engine is an 8-bit machine Mark, it's actually an overclocked 8-bit CPU with an 8-bit data bus, despite having a 16-bit graphics chip :)
That is 100% correct. It's just a shame that many were tricked in to thinking its 16bit due to the stupid American ad campaign for the Turbo Duo 16.
@@RetroCore PCE is undeniably an 8bit console. It has impressive custom processors mind considering its launch in 1987.
Would have been interesting to see more upgraded versions of PCE titles running on SuperGrafx with its extra memory and background layer - again 8bit architecture . Seems it's price point was too high for success. ✌️
@@RetroCore We got similar propaganda with the Atari Jaguar being a 64-bit machine despite the main CPU being a 16-bit Motorola 68000!
Agreeance, you mean "agreement"?
One of my favourite shooters at the time. I liked Nemesis (Gradius) but I much preferred this.
Great video, I prefer the Sharp X68000 port better, it has pretty sophisticated audio options such as MT-32 but all ports are great.
Can't go wrong with a choice of audio options.
No duds this week. I'd have been happy with any of those versions of Gradius II, though happier with some than others. Good job on all the footage you captured, you clearly put time into all the versions. I do love classic Konami games, great soundtracks that you instantly recognise and some distinctive design quirks... Even in the early 2000s they were still putting out a really interesting lineup of games after that they changed direction sadly.
Ah, capturing the footage for this show was fun. Now when I cover an awful game or a game with awful ports, then the pain comes in., 😢
Great game. I play the Famicom version fairly often
Some sound effects from the original arcade version remind me defender like when ships explode
One thing to note, Gradius II will run in slow motion on a PS2 due to incompatibility.
Got on PS1, Saturn, PSP, and PCE CD.
Also excellent pick for BotP this week!
I have it on the PSP as part of Gradius Collection, and was able to Play the PC Engine Super CD version of it thanks to the TurboGrafx 16 Mini.
I personally own the Saturn and PCE Super CD versions.
@@RetroCore Gotta love that unique PCE CD intro, though it only came at the cost of the games demo mode showing off some of the stages.
Excellent BOTP Mark. Not a bad one among them.
I also believe Gradius 2 is also available for the MSX2 but, the port has been renamed to "Nemesis 3: The eve of destruction"
Totally unrelated game in the series, Gradius 2 on the MSX is Nemesis 2 in Europe. Nemesis 3 is it's follow up. Gradius 2 MSX has a totally different plot and enemy at the end, though Nemesis 3 saw the return of Gofer, though he'd be back later in Gradius IV.
Yep, and the Gradius 2 was also ported to the Sharp X68000. But as others have mentioned, Gradius 2 isn't Gradius II. Very confusing, I know.
Mark, I think this may be this first game review where you felt that all of the ports were solid!
Commando is another game
Ah, there have been others (again, all Japanese ports) but not too many.
this is probably the first time I hear PS1 is Arcade perfect LOL
Lol, Try irem collection, namco museum Konami Msx classics and many more
You missed one...the Gradius 2 hidden bonus on the TG-16/Core Grafx Mini. It is an amalgamation of the arcade version mixed with the PC Engine port and it is phenomenal. As far as I'm aware it is the best part ever made.
So many memories with this one! I'm surprised there werent megadrive or snes ports of this one. Though of course, that's for Gradius 3~
thanks dude.
PSP had the Gradius collection on UMD I don't think it was released online.
True but its just the PlayStation code running on a PSP.
Awesome BOTP video Mark, that Sharp X68000 version looks incredible not to mention how you can select 3 different sound modules within the options?! That's amazing & a very rare feature in games from what I remember!
The Castlevania and Detana Twinbee games on the machine also offer the same options.
Really? That's so cool, love how developers go all out in the option menu's & give heaps of choices to the player.
@@shinkazama3959 When that Castlevania game got ported to the PS1 as Castlevania Chronicles, it even retained, by code, a way to choose all 3 soundsets.
@@Bloodreign1 Sad I didn't realize that considering I own Castlevania Chronicles on PS1😒
I think a lot of Konami games had that feature but it wasn't common with all developers.
Always loved this game 🤠✌️
Awesome battle cheers Mark and one I thought you'd done already, one of the staples of my days out at the seaside, we had a amazing arcade in Hornsea on the British east coast called rainbow islands, it had everything you would want as a shooter fan but it was Gradius 2 & 3 placed side by side which I couldn't resist playing. I can't pick a favourite shooter but some days Gradius 2 could be No1.
One thing I loved about going to the seaside was the arcades. I also remember my dad trying his best to avoid them so we wouldn't bother him for 10p every 5 minutes, 😁
What an amazing bunch of ports! Famicom one, that I played, is very meritory. The soundtrack of the Sharp and the PC Engine are incredible. Saturn japanese pad are the best ever made, and european Saturn consoles went with it from 1996 onwards, when I bought mine ; )
I honestly do feel the pinnacle of the 2D gaming controller is the Japanese Saturn pad. Its just perfect in every way.
Great game, one of the best arcade shooters. The PCE port is the one I own, it's mighty impressive, super close to the arcade, Konami made an outstanding work with it, even adding an additional exclusive stage. Well, because the console only have 1 background plane, they had to make some tricks to fake more layers, like in stage 2, the background use different tiles to create an animation depending of where you move, giving the impression of depth and movement. I know someone else can explain this much better, but yeah, it's something like that haha so the black corners are there in some tiles that aren't square shaped, it's a minor sacrifice.
Yep, your explanation of the PC Engine titles is pretty much spot on 👍
Missed the PSP port... but in all honest about that, is just the Ps1 Gradius Deluxe Pack version with the added option of saving mid-game in that game, as well as Gradius 1, 3 Arcade, 4 (Gradius 3 Arcade and 4 taken from their Ps2 port) and Gaiden (this one was the most damaged without the ability to play with a friend, but still is great that we got an official release of that Ps1 game).
Yep, that's right. 👍
I'm truly impressed by the Famicom version. I didn't even know it got a port.
Yep, Japan only because Nintendo US weren't keen on paying for the extra chip.
Have you ever seen the Japanese version of Contra? It blows away the western version due to having an extra chip. Check out one of the many comparison videos on TH-cam.
@@RetroCore I have. I'm aware of some of those Japan-only chips, particularly the ones in Akumajou Densetsu, LaGrange Point, and the audio chip in Namco games like Megami Tensei II. It's a shame Nintendo US decided we didn't need good sound (or graphics, in some cases).
I've always enjoyed this series, just wish I wasn't so bad at playing it. lol.
The Gradius games are tough games.
Love the channel
Thank you! 👍
I don't think this ever got a proper pre-emulation release outside of Japan.
Only on the PSP which is the PlayStation game
wonderful
A fantastic game!
so nice to see that there are no "stinkers"!!!
Indeed. It make my job more fun too.
Fun comparison. It's nice to have a bunch of quality ports, but with enough differences and features to make it quite interesting. The Famicom port was quite well done, though I never loved its sound chip for shooters. And speaking of music, this episode may have had the best music from beginning to end. Really great stuff. Maybe Mad Stalker could rival this one for best music straight through since those all sound great.
Glad you liked the show, especially the tunes 👍
I'd be all for a modern release of a Gradius Collection with all the games and all the versions of the games, the idea is quite plausible now, thanks to the announcement of the Cowabunga Collection which has all the classic Ninja Turtles games and all the version of them too. Plus the Castlevania and Contra Collections as well. Never say never. :)
It is definitely plausible but will Konami ever do it? Hmm....
@@RetroCore that is a valid question, never say never though.
Great job mate! I really enjoy these battle of the ports episodes you do. Your dedication really shows! So many good ports of gradius 2. Ive got the famicom version only besides the sharp and the arcade version what would be your next best choice?
You can't go wrong with the Saturn or PS1 ports, but if you go the PS1 route, only play it on a PS1 as it won't work right for Gradius II on the PS2. Both ports will run you a bit of money though, so beware. I managed to get them years back, Saturn one a friend got me for a shade under $30, the PS1 port I bought myself for $54. Much higher priced game for both now though.
@@Bloodreign1 awesome thanks for the
Suggestions will the ps1 version run ok on a ps3?
@@ScruffyLookinRGB My PS3 is US, and won't run on it, but I have heard no complaints about the PS3. Then again, I've never heard anyone even play the compilation on the PS3.
Personally I'd say the Saturn version is the best but impressive wise I'd have to go with the Famicom and PC Engine. Both those ports look amazing for the hardware they're running on.
Mark is good at this game🎯
Hehe, thanks.
With inflation in mind and currency conversion done today, Sharp X68000 hardware back then was modern Mac priced, so it did make sense to get that performance for the price.
I only want to get an ATX/mATX chassis in its look and style, mobo-etc in one half, graphics card in the other.
Thing was, it blew away any Mac in the same price bracket with ease. It really was a monster of a system.
Gradius Was my Childhood But I Didn't Played too Many Credits Games!! Just Gradius 1 and 3!
If you get a chance, try Gradius IV and Gaiden. Both are great.
I don't know if I'd miss Gradius III from MSX here, as it has many stages that are very similar: the "Suns" of the first stage, the Moais, even the ship selection screen is the same... but it has many other stages that seem deferent.
It's not a port of Gradius II, but am continuation from Gradius 2 on the MSX. The MSX Gradius games had a storyline all their own.
It's a spin off from Gradius 2 with a storyline altered to fit in with Nemesis 2 and Salamander on MSX
The Gradius series can be complicated. The one you mention is a different game but you are right when you say it has similar stages. So does Salamanda.
the nes version of this game is what made me a gradius fan and started my shootemup journey. Love this game to bits. Hate the name vulcan venture lol. The pc engine cd port is also fucking awesome. The sharp x68000 port really makes me want to emulate that computer now lol.
I'm not a fan either of the Vulcan Venture name, but I would lie if I say that I truly hate that name, because that's how I found Gradius 2 back in the arcades in the 90's were the operators got lucky to import one cabinet with the game, names aside, of all Gradius games, I have V, 3 (SNES version) and 2 tied 1st place, while Gaiden is 4rd and (suprise) 3 Arcade at 5th.
👍I also don't like the name Vulcan Venture. Such a stupid name.
Awesome game & one of my favs in the series. How come you didn’t include the psp version, which is interesting because it has a wide screen option
It's just the PlayStation game with a wide screen "hack". I guess I could have added it but as always with a weekly show, time is against me.
TY! Great footage as always, Sir. Was there ever a C64 version or was it an altered title or Gradius or Nemesis or something. Confuses me Lol! Also I was just playing on the PSP Gradius Collection (1,2,3,4 & Gradius Gaiden) yesterday and Gradius II has word Gofer in the title logo. Anyway, soz to waffle on and cheers to you
Hmm, I know this particular game isn't on the C64 but there may have been another Gradius game on it.
I have played all these versions except the Sharp X68000 one. Would love to get a Sharp X68000, but it's not cheap.
Could try it in emulation to test it, good port.
I once had a really X68000 and can say that emulation for that machine on Windows PC's is pretty much spot on. Sadly I sold my X68000 years ago. Very silly move 😢
Oh yeah baby
So, can we say this is one of the few episodes in which every port is good? And that's because Konami made every port, not liek those euro home computers port.
Yep. It is one of the rare shows without any dud ports.
Fun fact: you cannot play a bad version of this seminal game. Every version is excellent considering the host hardware.
Correct!
Must check this out on mame. The nes version is graphically very good, yeah the flicker and slowdown
Do detract from its overall looks but for a nes very good
6800 version just stunning too
PC Engine Rules!!!!
Good job like usual, Yakumo, though I feel like there coulda been a bit of PSP coverage, cuz the Gradius Collection gave it a neat extra, since it's a full port.
*WIDE SCREEN!!!*
And I get the main PCE processor is 8 bit, but the GPU IS 16 bit, so it is a big ol geshtalt of tech forming a big Sentai combiner robot, especially with the CD unit attached. And alongside the arcade accuracy, there's an extra main stage added to PCE Gradius 2 with a unique CD quality track
PSP games on that collection are all PS1 or PS2 ports. 1,2, and Gaiden are all PS1 ports, 3 and 4 are PS2 versions.
@@Bloodreign1 I saw footage of said PSP version and the "Full" mode became "Wide".
Let's say the PS1 and PS2 versions were the basis, but were given additions
Ah, the PSP game is just running PlayStation code. It's quite common with any PSP game that was also on the PlayStation. I do belive it has wide screen support but that will be an extension of the PlayStation and Saturn's arcade or normal screen modes.
You are correct about the PC Engine being a super sentai robot, 😁
@@RetroCore It does have wide screen. Your Gradius BOTP video confirms it
Yes, that is right but what I meant is that the game isn't reprogrammed as such, it just expand the 4:3 screen size by drawing more on screen.
I'm not explaining this very well 😅.
It baffles me we never got the Famicom port in the West, given how well-liked I remember Life Force being. I wonder if it was one of those situations where the NES didn't play nice with the enhancement chip, like Castlevania III, and the game just wouldn't run acceptably without it.
I think it was more a case of Nintendo US being cheap and not wanting to produce the carts with extra chips. Or would that cost be passed on to Konami? Either way they did that with a few Konami games in the West. Castlevania 3 as you mentioned and Contra as well.
Nice video but a little shame you didn't show the PSP version as I thought that was pretty close to the arcade as well.
The PSP version is just the PlayStation version running on a PSP.
Did you omit the MSX version because it came out before the arcade game?
Ah, the MSX game is a different game. It's confusing as hell but it isn't related to this release.
Coin op was forward thinking and acting at the time. NES is spectacular offering. X68000 leaps and bounds above the coin op. TurboGrafx 16 has great music and gameplay. PS1 is near identical to coin op. Saturn is superior to PS1.
Wow, all these versions look really good. Konami really knew what they were doing back then, and the experience stays relatively the same no matter which platform you're playing on. Unfortunately, I've never really been a fan of Gradius's power-up bar, and wish they would have kept Life Force's system instead, but that's really the only complaint I have about this game.
Isn't life force the same? I can't remember now.
@@RetroCore That's where it gets confusing. I meant the US Life Force (and I think the original arcade version of Salamander also used this alternate powerup system), the Japanese Life Force changed it back to the Gradius powerup bar. The PC-Engine port of Salamander has this alternative system as well, but the Famicom version, while retaining the Salamander title, is actually based off the Japanese Life Force and once again contains the Gradius powerup system.
Master piece Version Gradius 2 . Vulcan Venture Definitive arcade, it's our face
On the Famicon port, I think it was overly ambitious of Konami to make available the 4 satellite guns upgrade. Maybe the game would suffer less flickering and slowdowns if they limited it to just 2.
Highly doubt it. The sprites/background tiles are huge.
It doesn't really make much difference to be honest.
Does this video have any OPTION? I just want a setting to SPEED UP! Man I want to talk in that guys voice all the time, dropping baddd puns at the worst times.
I'll wait for Battle of the Ports: Super Pang, but it'll be sometime in the future.
Super Pang will happen one day.
The Pc Engine CD version is the best!!!
Saturn and PS1 ports are flawless. PCE CD port is impressive though, and has that kickass intro no other version has.
I'd say the Saturn and PlayStation are the best as they're both perfect but the PC Engine is mighty impressive for a machine that was released in October, 1987.
Really would like a sharp x68000
I really would like to go back in time and kick my self in the balls for selling the one I had 😅
By coincidence I was playing the Gameboy game called Gradius 2 today and looked to same if you had ever done a BotPs. Great game, but not really Gradius 2 I suppose.
That's probably Gradius The Interstellar Assault
Yeah, it is confusing. There is an MSX Gradius 2 as well but again, a different game.
Where is the MSX version? MSX's Gradius III is what's known as Gradius II on other systems. Jerky scrolling (although in recent years there are smooth scroll IPS patches for the rom) but great music due to the included SCC chip.
The MSX game is not the same game. Same with the GB release.
The MSX Gradius games are completely different storylines and games, especially Gradius 2 and 3 on the MSX.
Would have been great to see the PC Windows version of the Gradius Deluxe Pack represented here.
Kind of hard to do as it is damned near impossible to get running at any speed faster than a snail's pace.
@@Bloodreign1 You can always use a virtual machine for that.
@@WeskerSega I don't think Mark wanted to go through all that trouble to run it.