I competed in the North American high score contest when the game was released, it was one of the most exciting moments in video games for me. Some of the players had imported the game which came out months before (i didn't) so I knew I had no chance for the grand prize top score, but after playing the game for several hours every day over two weeks I was able to 1CC the game using the Spacing Options (i think Type 3), died on Loop 2 Stage 1 but got a god enough score to snag one of the 1st prize award bundles (two shirts, a Gradius Breakdown DVD and a Vic Viper laser etched crystal), even though I only took a photo copy of my end score/password and not a vhs tape since my tv screen would become super snowy when i tried to record. I still have the Vic Viper crystal and the letter I received from Dennis Lee who was in charge of the contest at Konami USA at the time, sadly I sold the shirts and DVD cause I was going to college and needed the money at the time, d'oh!
@@TheElectricUnderground (i went to edit a reply i did and it seems it got deleted by Yotube for some reason by a "returnal error"). Anyway, the contest was only i think for 3 weeks, each region (USA, PAL, Japan) had a contest run by the Konami headquarters of each respective region. There was an overall grand prize winner, then each option type would have two 1st prize winners (I think for 7 total since the Grand Prize winner counted as the 8th spot), and then i think like 30 2nd prize winners. Grand Prize winner won two crystals (the one crystal was i think larger and all of these were actually promo items given to media lol so not very exclusive to the high score contest), two shirts and the breakdown dvd, 1st prize winners won one crystal, two shirts and breakdown dvd). 2nd prize winners won 2 shirts and the dvd. I think on the 3rd to last day of the contest is when I cleared the 1st loop using Type 3 spacing options which had the lowest top 2 scores overall, my heart was pounding and i was shaking when I got near the end of the loop lol (not good for trying to maneuver around the elephant gear boss!) On Gamefaqs most of the top players were posting on the boards, I thought for sure someone would exceed my score at the last minute but no one ever did lol. Was so much fun and so exciting, man the memories. Anyway, I have pinned to my twitter account photos of my Vic Viper crystal for those interested, that i'm never gonna sell lol and am kicking myself now for selling the shirts and dvd, oh well.
@@DELx999 Oh nice job! Do you remember which option type you were using, how far you made it and what your score was? I used Type 3 Spacing options, died on Loop 2 Stage 1 at the boss, and my score I think was somewhere around 2.35 million but don't remember exactly. Not really a great score but a respectable loop 1 clear score result for Spacing. For me personally, I took more pride in just clearing loop 1 with Spacing Options than I did in my actual score lol, but I am still surprised that it held up as a Top 2 score for that Type. There was a player on Gamefaqs named Cacticus who ended up being declared an official 1st Prize winner for Spacing since he sent in a vhs tape and I didn't, but that bunghole didn't even clear loop 1 and only had like 2.1 million or something! (me and him had a friendly feud on the Gradius V boards back in the day over it lol) Ben Shinobi I've never heard of before, but I def remember tviks entering just absolutely ridiculous and insane score results in the North American contest but people were saying on Gamefaqs that he was in Europe so he was ineligible for the North American awards which I had no problem with lol. I think North America and Europe had the same prizes, but in Japan the Grand Prize winner got I believe a super cool and unique plaque or crystal or something that I think was a one of a kind item. I've made it to Loop 3 Stage 1 a few times using Type 2 Directional, but man, the skills of the upper echelon players is truly something to behold to reach double digit loops.
ah yes Gradius V is my favorite Gradius games on the franchise. Treasure really execute this game seriously well. No more Gradius syndrome checkpoint reset, no more losing the entire power up, even the game still forgiving to credit feeding. How kind treasure is! i remember playing it on PS2 and almost reach final stage.
For those viewing this video now - PS2 emulation has come a long way in the last year and Gradius V works like a charm on the PCSX2 emulator. It plays this game very well and it looks amazing with all the up-res / graphic enhancement options.
I love the way this game rewards you for sticking at it and doles out extra credits...it really motivates you to keep playing and finish it. I wish all games did that..
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, I credit fed through the game once to get the weapon edit. That credit feeding session also put the fear in me in regard to the later stages!
Legendary game, but there's one huge crucial thing Iuchi et al omitted big time: murderous Moai heads. They make a Gradius game the length all all previous Gradius games combined and somehow cut the Moais? I'm still in disbelief almost 20 years later!
I agree they missed the opportunity to create an awesome Moai stage. But what are people talking about? Gradius 3 & 4 were both an hour to beat. I think Gradius 2 was as well.
One of the very best. Incredible soundtrack and visuals. Playing Gradius V is like an event. Like going to the theater or a live ballgame. You have to be mentally sharp from beginning to end. It's definitely long for a shmup. I like it like that though. A fitting, epic, finale to the series. Treasure is one of my favorite developers. They have a clear vision of what they are putting together. From music to visuals. You know it's Treasure by the music alone. Sin and Punishment 1 and 2 are amazing for those reasons. I'd love a sin and Punishment 3. Kid Icarus uprising could've been a sin and Punishment game. Great video man. Pause the game -Up up down down left right left right L2 R2
I’m literally updating my PS3 (60G version that plays PS2 games) because your thumbnail popped up about gradius 5, it’s the only game I’ve got ps2 wise, oh and “shadow of Rome”, still impressed that my ps3 is actually booting up and updating after 10 years in the cupboard, Gradius 5 is the best one! Love💖 your channel as a shmup fan!👍🇬🇧😇and it’s Sunday and kids are at granny’s......
Oh yeah, Gradius V is the best one by far. Treasure really killed it with this one, great Hitoshi Sakamoto soundtrack and amazing visuals. Gradius was my first shmup and thats why I love Horizontal shmups. Currently enjoying RollingGunner.
It's technically not the last Gradius game if you count Gradius ReBirth. Still, rocking review, I really enjoyed that. I agree so much with that statement on crossover games and how they're usually not what they could be. My favorite Gradius is Gradius Gaiden, I think that one is also a console-Gradius that does things to make the game a little more forgiving but keeps a little more of the Gradius identity with its visual and level design.
True I meant last numbered gradius game, because there have been smaller stuff since then. But I still think it s safe to say it s last major release of the series. Also yes Gradius Gaiden is awesome!! Gonna do a ranking of the gradius and r type series soon!
Selling Gradius III & IV + Gradius V with my PS2 was one of the things that I miss the most. (Rez with the Trance Vibrator + Gitaroo Man are fond memories as well). 😀
I will absolutely be ordering a T-shirt from you!!! You deserve to get $$$ for the work you put into this channel. I don’t think anyone could hate you if you were to take some sponsorships. Either way, I for one am very grateful for all your hard work man. 💪
Gradius 5 is not my type of game , but i must Say it is impressive. Treasure made very few shoot em Ups, but the ones it made are top class.gradius v, radiant silvergun and ikaruga are surely among the best shooters ever made.
It took me 214 (ish) hours to get my first 1CC... basically played this game non-stop during a semester of college. To this date it's probably the hardest shooter I've managed to 1CC... which even though that's kind of pathetic, does fill me with a lot of satisfaction! Heck I think that's probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in a 1P game of any genre. It really is a shame that no other (console) shooter of this calibre was released during the PS2 days... honestly this game just blew R-Type Final and whatever else was on the console (console-exclusive games I mean, and what was there... R-Type Final, Silpheed and... Xyanide? lol) out of the water back then. And then ever since then nothing else seemed to get close. Also, just from a visual perspective, this feels like the last great shooter with 3D graphics that I can remember, everything else since just looks kind of... artificial? Though I have yet to play Under Defeat, looking forward to checking that out.
Congrats!!! I image it taking a long time for me to 1cc this game as well! I agree this is one of the best looking 3d shmups, even to this day which is crazy!
@@WillRobinsonDanger oh yeah now that I have a PS3 (only a decade and a half late, haha) it is definitely a top purchase! Border Down has also always interested me... shame it hasn't got a port in all these years ;_;
I love this game. I am not great at shmups but with a ton of practice and a little luck I managed to get a 1cc... on easy. I can get to stage 7 on one credit on normal but that's where it goes from "tough but possible" to "I could never do this in a million years" for me.
One of my favorites for sure. Regarding the high difficulty that you brought up at the end, it's worth knowing for Gradius V curious beginners that the lower difficulties are well balanced for a shmup. They're not like your typical Cave novice modes where it's too much of a pushover to present a challenge or teach you the real game.
Giving it to Treasure just made sense. Treasure was formed from former Konami employees who all probably worked on the original Gradius’ games, back in the day.
One of my favorite things to do in this game was to invite anyone dropping by my house to play it with me. I talking about normies most of the time who wouldn't know a videogame if it didn't have a fifa/nhl logo on it. Everyone that played this game for at least 20 minutes in 2p mode had a blast. So, upcoming shmup designers: make sure you at least consider a 2p option along with anything else you're doing in your project(s). There's word of mouth, but nothing can beat experience of blowing up big eyeballs and hearing them go blargh!!! You just want to seek those suckers out. Or going right up to the boss's core as the other player hangs back and destroys its turrets. And that's just the first level! If you're at least a bit curious about balancing challenging gameplay with fun, pay attention to this game's core design, and how every level in it has that Impact/Hook that builds up on prior stuff you've faced. This game oozes elegance.
What I bought a PS2 for (well - that and RType Final). Brilliant game - it solved the "one hit and its game over" problem Gradius has by leaving the options to pick up after a life loss. Tough old game though. I dreamt of Treasure doing a new Parodius after this but sadly it never happened.
A fecking beauty. Was lucky to buy cheap on PS2 (PS3 is cheapy cheap now dooods, you see the odd 360 Cave game out there for a few quid - was a £5 I last saw but think the shops got wise..)
One of my top 5 for sure. The only downside in my opinion is it’s length… although it’s never boring and always fun, it makes it difficult for me to sit through. A stupid complaint somehow but I hope you know what I mean. Same goes for radiant silvergun
definitely one of my favorite games ever, period. for better or worse, in my college dorm years I had a LOT of free time and spent a lot of it playing this game and after about 200 hours I was able to 1cc the game. Playing the game reminded me of playing Battletoads (which I also beat during college). It required a ton of memorization and you needed to be pixel perfect in lots of places and also the game is freaking LONG for an action game. But both games are so much fun and play so well and have such good level design that I never got tired of starting over and playing through the first stages and getting through death traps and "cheap" areas or whatever. People cry BAD GAME DESIGN on these kinds of games now but this game especially felt so rewarding to play through and get that 1cc. I think the only game that eclipsed this one for me was Sin and Punishment on the Wii. These days I have nowhere near the time to play a game like that, but it was really something else. Initially I didn't think I would like the whole "rail shooter" thing, but boy was I wrong.
I know this video is a year old, but I figured I'd say that PS2 emulation has gotten a lot better recently. I've been playing Gradius V on the latest version of PCSX2 and I haven't noticed any issues, I didn't notice any input lag even with a wireless controller and the performance is great, at least on my rig. It's definitely a viable option these days, and possibly even better than original hardware since you can upscale the video output which adds a lot to the game's visual flair and doesn't require buying an upscaler which can be fairly pricey, as well as the other enhancements that you can apply like better anti-aliasing and whatnot. The devs are also pushing out updates more frequently and the emulator has an update functionality within the app itself, so it's easier to keep it up to date and it's incrementally getting better every few days.
My favorite game in the genre. While I don't know what the meta for high-level play is, it does seems like the the Freeze Option style would be good there to be able to lock in damage opportunities against bosses that have a wall or barrier blocking direct attacks. However, I feel like recommending the Directional Option, which is just so fun and satisfying, especially with continuous lasers to focus heavy damage. In the green gas/liquid level, for example, you can burn away large amounts of ooze before it becomes a threat.
On the cheat code: it is a cheat code on purpose. Might be a bit confusing to new players, but this is the infamous Konami code, which is a cheat code that basically exists in most Konami games in some way. The first game to feature this cheat code (which wasn't even meant to be included in the commercial version) was... Gradius 1 for th NES. Treasure never sleeps in the job.
yeah I think this time around it's intentional, like an homage to the earlier games even though it makes no sense and it would be better to have a proper respawn system and training mode ha
@@TheElectricUnderground Yep, and tbh I don't care much since its Gradius V with the capital G. It has to encompass everything that Gradius is and I think this one nails it. Still, I'm focusing on 1CCing the old Gradius games rn and I'll give V another shot since the last time I played it was on the PS2 back in the day. Playing Gradius II right now though and damn, 2 and 3 sure were my favorite Gradius period and I'm not enjoying Gradius Gaiden as much as I thought I would
Would love to play this. You should totally do a in depth video on Sin and Punishment 2. My absolute favorite game on the Wii. The game was just so expertly crafted. There were definitely some game design geniuses working at Treasure. We need them.
One thing you forgot to mention is if you have freeze option and the default laser and you hold back against the screen until all of your options are all the way into your ship and the option animations are all perfectly overlapping each other inside your ship sprite, your laser blast has a special animation from it's normal look and it's MEGA powerful. You'll see the laser blast look really thick and glowing with energy. It stays this way even when you move around holding the options together like that.
I've always felt the standard of gaming journalism during the turn of the century was often pretty awful - The one Ikaruga review from that era that still sticks in my mind suggested the game should have analogue control. I mean, just wow!
like how fighting game players would reject the idea of traditional fighting games using analogue control and then they all got destroyed commercially by the super smash bros. series? beloved by competitive players specifically for its varied, free analogue movement? analogue control makes these games deeper assuming you design around it and don't just slap it on, but sure if you want to play dodonpachi for the thousandth time...
@@lounowell4171 Smash selling well has nothing to do with the analogue controls. And it's hardly a traditional fighting game is it. If a game is designed around a particular control scheme that's fine but you can't just shoehorn stuff into a game that doesn't need it and expect it to make the game better
@@keyboard_doomer8387 Smash selling better than Marvel vs Capcom or DBFZ has a lot to do with it *not* being a street fighter 2 clone and being designed to be played with a regular controller - that's why corporations should care That it has potential to deepen the fighting genre on a competitive level is why people like you or I should care Agreed, shoe-horning extra mechanics into a game like Ikaruga doesn't make it better, but 2000s western game journalists were sometimes just trying to express very real concerns about the genre's limitations (Ikaruga's essentially a Xevious clone after all) idk how much we can laugh at them when the STG community has a problem getting people to actually *play* these games
@@lounowell4171 My criticism was entirely levelled at the standard of journalism at the time, which was often amatuerish and unknowlegeable, not, as you have interpreted, at innovation in any genre (modern gaming in general seems creatively stagnant, disappointingly so). I do recall being incredibly excited by the initial promo of SF4, wondering if Capcom would innovate with an entirely 3D game, potentially with analogue controls, but it was just a very bland and safe sequel, so I do agree with some of your points. However, you are clearly an incredibly irritating person, so I'm just going to ignore you.
It's an end of a era alright. The franchise met it's untimely demise here because Sony can't stand anything that ain't 3D from this point forward, and Konami became a shell of it's former self, prioritizing pachinko development all while chucking some of their most prized IPs deep into limbo. For Treasure, this was their last big project since Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga, and they just sort of slinked below the radar for years until the 2010s when they only had 16 people left, another company that's a shell of their former glory
My favorite horizontal shmup! I still have my PS2 copy, but hooking the system up to play, is annoying. I really wish it was ported to playstation 4&5, and Switch. It did get a digital PS3 release. It was also the first time I'd seen a twin-stick control scheme--you can control the direction of option shots, like the Overpower mode in Rolling Gunner. Great review of a great game!! 👍
Yeah I wish we could see this game everywhere like with ikaruga. I think the problem with the game sadly is 1: it's on the ps2 and ps2 ports are trickier I believe, and 2: license issues between both treasure and konami.
Good review! What's up with the horizontally stretched image? Every video of the game on PS3 is the same way. Looks so much better with the original 4:3 aspect ratio.
What a hot take on gradius music. I’m mostly on the same boat but I really like the opening stage themes for the first 3 games. The third one has some really good music up on till stage 3. The rest is good just not amazing or anything. It’s definitely better than contra music where I can’t remember any of it
Gradius V is a genuine classic in the same way that the originals were but you know what's interesting... At around the same time, Hideo Kojima's team released a game called Zone of Enders: The second runner and in that game there is literally a Gradius cross over. In that story, the Vic Viper is actually an orbital frame (a teknoman type convertible robot with a human pilot)... It was a huge surprise and a lot of fun to play...
Just found this review while searching and listening to Gradius V's amazing Intermezzo OST. Despite the game having the Gradius look and universe by Konami it's unmistakably a Treasure project in how it's presented and how it makes you feel. It's about to be 20 years old and there's parts of this game that's still graphically impressive and gives me goosebumps. Although it's been 15 years since Gradius ReBirth I really hope to see this series continue especially with resurgence of shooters on the Switch. Maybe Treasure and M2 can combine forces with Konami's blessing for Gradius VI which is long overdue.
I loved listening to this review. I absolutely love Gradius V. 18:00 This actually comes from the Gradius side of things. This is called the Konami code and it's been in a lot of their games like Contra. 8:42 This also comes from Gradius itself! The whole series is all about the "final" boss closing the bay doors on you. 9:53 Have you heard of Gradius III? I'm not sure what was on the arcades but BOY that was also long... PROBABLY longer than Gradius V!
Seeing how R-Type unexpectantly came back with a new mainline title after so long, I hope Gradius may end up getting a sixth title sure enough. Though still, the only (and highly unlikely) way that'll happen if it's outsourced to other creators like Granzella, Treasure again (hopefully lol), or whatever.
I like Gradius V a lot, but my heart will always be with the PC Engine CD port of Gradius II as far as the series goes. Treasure being involved almost made sense, what with their start breaking away from Konami, but I really felt the G.Rev influence even more. It felt almost like a sister game to Border Down when it was new, even if the systems are nothing alike; something about the look and feel just seems very similar to me. Not a complaint, mind you; I really like Border Down. I definitely agree with many folks that we're long overdue for a proper Gradius anthology. We are long overdue for Solar Assault at home.
@@TheElectricUnderground I will definitely watch and enjoy that. I'm a Gradius diehard, and it's one of the few series where I'll just look for an excuse to talk about it.
Best way to play this with the "HDTV 480p 60Hz" GSM option in OPL, on a FreeHDBoot modded PS2. Crispy (as much as a PS2 can ever be) non-interlaced true 480p, looks awesome. Just make sure to skip the intro video immediately with START just after the Konami logos, as it can freeze the game if you let it play in 480p. Amazing game. Agree that it heralded a new age of modern AAA shmups, which then promptly never happened :(
I played on opl myself for the vid ha! Freemcboot for the win. Yeah it feels like the genre was at a high point and got it's legs cut off without warning
I love this game. I still have the original CIB that I bought back in the day. I do agree with the difficulty assessment, this game is brutal. I never got a 1CC of it, but I did complete it within the number of credits the game gives you. In other words I never used any kind of cheats, I did beat it within the number of credits the game gives you (I just can't remember how many credits I used). It's a great game if you have a high tolerance for getting your ass handed to you until you learn the levels. If you don't like SHMUPS that hand you your ass, this might not be the game for you. LOL.
Regarding of ps2 emulators, PCSX2 recently got some qol updates for reducing input delay, maybe it's worth a try now. Very nice review btw, really love the Gradius series.
M2 are the only ones I would trust right now, especially it being a PS2 game. That would require a real port and not just a slapped together emulator like city connection does
@@TheElectricUnderground Hopefully, M2 does it. They've been doing good work over the years. I have zero faith in Konami ever rereleasing any of their shmups, and giving them the proper porting treatment they deserve. Shit, I'm still waiting for a proper rerelease of the original SILENT HILL games. Anyways, great video of a top tier game. Gradius V and TREASURE are legendary.
Permanently closing doors before (usually pathetically weak) final bosses are a Gradius tradition, not just a first Gradius thing. II, IV, Gaiden, Galaxies, ReBirth, Nemesis '90 Kai, and possibly more have the doors. Salamander has multiple doors after the boss, and Salamander 2 has multiple doors before. Parodius Da! and Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius have them, and Parodius MSX has an especially cruel already closed door you need to use a bell power-up that turns on left/right screen wrapping to get past.
For me GRADIUS V lenght is Perfect!..... To be honest, it was the last Shoot em up I played and played to a level of memorization no shoo em up made me reach after Gradius V. I played Gradis on arcade and also on NES, then Life Force on Nes.... after that never played another Gradius until V.... that game made me go and buy the Saturn Salamander deluxe pack and the GRADIUS collection on PSP... Now I´m after the GRRADIUS DELUXE for Saturn. I miss TREASURE.
I am usually pretty critical of longer shmups but since this was the last of the series and I m sure treasure senses that, I can give it a pass this one time ha
Gradius V is my favorite Gradius and probably my favorite shmup overall, so I'm glad to see this. My only real complaint with it was bewilderment that there was no Moai stage. Of course it's certainly on the long side of shmups compared to something like usual Cave or Psikyo length, and that's ignoring the fact that it loops. On the topic of maybe under-appreciated gems, I'd love to see a similar sort of video on Border Down.
Ah, Gradius V... I really enjoyed playing it a year ago with PCSX2 but I had the feeling something was off. Now I know :D I am really tempted getting a ps2 to explore all that games I have never played
Dope Shoot Em Up videos man. Thanks for the info. Love this series. I love 5 the most but I actually have a big love for SNES 3 as well. Slowdown like hell but I always liked the slowdown to give me breathe time. Will you ever do an Einhander episode?
2nd fav Gradius. Remember seeing it in a fake case at a local shop not even in the "special" games section. Instant buy and got a repro case. Gradius Gaiden is my favorite. Thank you modded region free ps2!
Hi Mark, did you use an arcade stick to play this game? I find it strangely difficult to find good arcade stick for the PS2. I was looking into adapters to use my Mayflash F500 with it, but its hard to find input lag numbers for some of the adapters out there like the "Brook Super Converter - PS4/3 to PS2/1". Do you know if that one is any good, or do you use something else? It would be great to know your control method on this one. Thanks for the great content as usual!
@@TheElectricUnderground Nice I haven't seen this video of yours before! I had a feeling a lot of the mayflash stuff might be kinda laggy. After using my Mayflash F500 for a while I've see in some lists that it has higher input lag than I would have thought. Though I usually use it with the 360 on a CRT, the Mister on a CRT, or for good STG releases on PS4. I haven't noticed much lag at all in those scenarios. That Brooks dual PCB setup looks like the best way to go though. Maybe I'll save up some cash and get that, and fully replace the Mayflash internals in my stick. Cuz I already have some nice custom art in it. www.reddit.com/r/fightsticks/comments/rys9cb/my_f500_elite_with_custom_artwork/?context=3
Several thought in my mind right inow: Why do I spent hours unlocking every available ship in R-Type Final instead of 1cc this awesome game? Still venting R-Type Final 2 on every horizontal shmup video you made, don't you ha. It only have their good stuff (visual-wise and stage-design wise) outside their early main game. Try to 1cc the main game and play them over and over? Ugh... I'd rather swap other stages in the custom stage route (good grief that exists!); For Gradius V? Every stage is amazing! I don't mind taking a break during those two cutscenes (this game is a marathon!). Who can possibly forget those stage visuals, soundtracks, and EPIC BOSS EXPLOSIONS! Flamethrower is a cool addition in Gradius V. You can speed kill bosses with freeze option, or become a short-ranged badass with rotation option. Gradius 6? Nah! It'll be another R-Type Final 2. And we don't want that (see your previous video). Doing a Gradius tier list video? Sure! If you have time; An R-Type tier list video? Although I'm curious about your opinion for R-Type 3 and R-Type Delta, I don't think it's worth your time simply because the Force mechanic and unfair gameplay is your thing. An Darius tier list video? You don't even have time playing Dariusburst! Phew! That's a lot! It looks like I went all in as well ha.
Ha yeah I can't help myself with the r-type final 2 comparisons. I wouldn't be as hard on the game if anyone, anyone, else was critical of the game. I'm pretty sure I was the only one ha, and the game had a lot of issues. That being said I like the R-Type series quiet a bit and I am working on an R-type series ranking right now! I've played through r-type 1 and 2 already!
I agree, if they did Gradius VI now it would end up turning out like R-Type Final 2... more on the Gradius IV side rather than the Gradius V side... Though I guess back then the idea was Otomedius was the spiritual successor? As weird as that game looks I have always been interested in trying it...
Not an expensive game, so better to have the original copy. One of my top 5 schmups. I just love this game. I need a Konami Gradius Collection with 5, Gaiden and 3 (SNES)
2005, the very day it was released, i was there at Game (UK's biggest video game store) ready to put my hard earned down for this game. I asked the guys behind the counter, "Can't see Gradius V on the shelves, it's out today, where is it?" They both had never heard of it! Then one guy came out from the store room and said to me, "Do you mean Gradius 'vee'?" Big time face plant! I said yes, gradius 5!!! 😬😵🤦
@@TheElectricUnderground IF ONLY IT CAME WITH A PS2 and COPY OF Gradius V.... so sad this game is locked on that console! who do we have to call at Konami
I need a video explaining what Grand Master Tviks did and how that's even humanly possible!!! He was 1st in every option type. His worst score was double the best score of the 2nd best player, I believe was Ben Shinobi at the time.
I will always keep my PS3, because I have a digital copy of Gradius V installed on the drive. Classic game, even if parts of it want to make me rip my hair out.
I've never looked too much into the absolute truth of this, but the common thinking / knowledge that Treasure was built out of some folk who left Konami, it makes absolute sense they would be able to create a banging new Gradius game. I had a theory that the supposed Konami leavers who went on to Treasure were the guys who developed Salamander and not so much Gradius - then you look at Axelay, it's very 'Treasure' feeling, seems like a sequel to Salamander in a lot of ways (fire stage, alternating horizontal / vertical stages etc).Then when Treasure happened, the next Salamander game (Salamander 2) seems more Gradius-y which could be a development shift to the Gradius team? I'm probably totally wrong but it's a nice thought :)
That is really fascinating!! Now that you mention it, axelay has a ton of treasure qualities, no wonder I like the game so much! I m gonna take a look at the game's credits and see if I can spot any treasure staff!
@@TheElectricUnderground I realise you can’t necessarily believe Wikipedia but I just looked it up and here’s what it says: Headed by Super Castlevania IV producer Kazumi Kitaue, Axelay was developed by most of the same team that would later go on to form Treasure, the creators of Gunstar Heroes. Though first launched for the Super NES, the game has since been re-released through download services for Nintendo consoles. The title became popular and regarded by publications as a classic of the shoot 'em up genre, garnering praise for its visuals, music and an advanced selection of weapons available at the time. A sequel, Axelay 2, was planned but never materialized due to low sales of the first game.
This game is very difficult and sometimes the boss fights drag on a little...but yes...a fantastic game and a better next gen 3d gradius than gradius 4...that's for sure
Bought Gradius 3 and 4 on PS2, and I didn't really like it. It was decent, but I had better things to play. I had no idea that 5 plays like a Treasure game! I'll have to try it out. PAL version looks pretty damn expensive, though.
If I were the designer of this game, there would be a maximum of 3 options and there would be no shield as option , there would be more enemy bullets and all that in the normal level of difficulty!
Personally I completely missed Gradius V when it came out and bought a copy about 5 years ago, as I was looking for interesting games for the PS2. Hooked up to a CRT TV via RGB it looks spectacular as all the visual effects glow and really pop. On a LCD..not that much and that's why I don't really bother with backwards compatible PS3s.
I remember playing this game several times throughout the game libraries, one at UCSC for game library checkout and the MADE at Oakland with a huge collection of games and consoles. I like the the option control being the very centerpiece of the game, especially the direction type through the option command button. However, I do not really plan to play this game much since it's too much of a time sink and I am thinking about making a game inspired by Gradius, but nothing's set in stone.
I know what you mean about it being a time sync, I m thinking of working on earlier 1ccs of the series first ha. Also a gradius style game sounds cool!
GRADIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSU!!! Such a great game. Somewhere I have a longplay of GRADIUS 1. Wow was that a joy. It is so sad that there aren't any new titles of the series!!! Some went with R-Type but for me GRADIUS is THE SHMUP. And if you look for another challenge go with PARODIUS...
Have you covered Thunder Force 6 or is it too bad to be under review? Wanna hear your opinion on the new direction they took with the music and sound design. I saw someone play it with an rtx video card and the game still looks nice even today.
I am at the control of the patrons, so if they vote for it I could review it ha! I could check it out on my own, I might start looking to do a thunder force series overview soon
Awesome review. I was fucked up enough to enable the checkpoint system and am currently working on the game checkpoint to checkpoint on normal. Im not even sure how to approach it at this point. Im currently on the third boss I believe. Its a spider and you have to descend the stage with falling blocks and turrets. It seems heavily memorization based. Even if I can get to the bottom where the boss finally rests I cannot even damage the boss. I think I would need to have collected another option through power ups but not even sure that would work. Its brutal. Any tips on completing that segment? It took 6 hours just fo get there, so bringing power ups back there for ONE attempt would be pretty brutal. Id be interested in feedback from anyone whos played the game. Im playing on a PS2 emulator. I didnt notice the input lag but thats always a possibility. On Saturn emulation I really noticed it.
That's bold, but super respectable. I personally don't have it in me to play the check point system ha, but I def respect the old school method of playing.
@@TheElectricUnderground Appreciate that. I did not get very far in this one, as you see, ha ha. Im not sure yet how I will approach this section or if Ill make some changes to how I play through. I may try to grind it out when I go back to the game. It really needs days of dedicated playing with no long breaks. I beat the game with free play and respawning where I died which felt very cheap and took no skill. I thought this would be the solution but youre probably right about it being overly extreme. I know gradius games are notorious for that. Gun.Smoke for arcade was the hardest checkpoint to checkpoint game I completed, since it wasnt really memorizable, and I can tell this one will be a real test of memorization and positioning. There may be some extra lag on PS2 emulation. I completed Hard mode on God Hand on this emulator but shooters require even more precise inputs. I was using the bluetooth M30 controller as well and that apparently added some lag. Thanks for the feedback
This was an ok review. But I definitely disagreed with a number of things. And it seems like you may not be too familiar with the Gradius series overall. At around 8:00; when you said Gradius wasn't really about environmental hazards, that is straight out wrong. There is a speed stage in several of the games with wall traps designed to kill you and multiple paths; there are areas where you shoot thru regenning walls or mud with rocks in it that will fall and crush you, or even have dead ends. There are several fire stages with flaming prominences that are literally stage tiles. There is even on a number of occasions a killable boss before the last one (many times un-killable) that involves getting between its limbs. And many stages have power ups tucked into little nooks where you have to risk running into the wall, due to getting trapped against it by the scrolling screen. Even the bay doors closing is a well known Gradius trope. And that is just naming a few. There are tons more. The salamander stage was so creative and well done. I have no idea how you can speak of it as a negative. And the poison chamber stage isn't bad even without options. The gas clouds have pretty small hitboxes and once you know the layout it is nowhere near unfair. And it even ends with a boss rush. They clearly put a LOT of thought and effort into the stage. It is challenging without being unfair. I have no clue how you can say the music was mediocre. It has tons of remakes of classic tracks and they all sound AMAZING. And the new tracks fit in perfect with them too. I didn't hear you mention anything about the loops either; where the game gets progressively harder each time you beat it up to loop 256. Which gives this a lot of replay value. But I could have missed that bit.
I wish there was a more serious option to tweak the difficulty. Gradius Galaxy is a nice entry level game into the series and the genre (almost too easy), but IV and V are absolutely frustrating.
I competed in the North American high score contest when the game was released, it was one of the most exciting moments in video games for me. Some of the players had imported the game which came out months before (i didn't) so I knew I had no chance for the grand prize top score, but after playing the game for several hours every day over two weeks I was able to 1CC the game using the Spacing Options (i think Type 3), died on Loop 2 Stage 1 but got a god enough score to snag one of the 1st prize award bundles (two shirts, a Gradius Breakdown DVD and a Vic Viper laser etched crystal), even though I only took a photo copy of my end score/password and not a vhs tape since my tv screen would become super snowy when i tried to record. I still have the Vic Viper crystal and the letter I received from Dennis Lee who was in charge of the contest at Konami USA at the time, sadly I sold the shirts and DVD cause I was going to college and needed the money at the time, d'oh!
That is really cool! You took part in a piece of shmup history!
@@TheElectricUnderground (i went to edit a reply i did and it seems it got deleted by Yotube for some reason by a "returnal error"). Anyway, the contest was only i think for 3 weeks, each region (USA, PAL, Japan) had a contest run by the Konami headquarters of each respective region. There was an overall grand prize winner, then each option type would have two 1st prize winners (I think for 7 total since the Grand Prize winner counted as the 8th spot), and then i think like 30 2nd prize winners. Grand Prize winner won two crystals (the one crystal was i think larger and all of these were actually promo items given to media lol so not very exclusive to the high score contest), two shirts and the breakdown dvd, 1st prize winners won one crystal, two shirts and breakdown dvd). 2nd prize winners won 2 shirts and the dvd.
I think on the 3rd to last day of the contest is when I cleared the 1st loop using Type 3 spacing options which had the lowest top 2 scores overall, my heart was pounding and i was shaking when I got near the end of the loop lol (not good for trying to maneuver around the elephant gear boss!) On Gamefaqs most of the top players were posting on the boards, I thought for sure someone would exceed my score at the last minute but no one ever did lol. Was so much fun and so exciting, man the memories. Anyway, I have pinned to my twitter account photos of my Vic Viper crystal for those interested, that i'm never gonna sell lol and am kicking myself now for selling the shirts and dvd, oh well.
@@drlight6677 I played in the PAL Euro region comp. Won a crystal for 3rd after tviks with 16 loops and Ben Shinobi.
@@DELx999 Oh nice job! Do you remember which option type you were using, how far you made it and what your score was? I used Type 3 Spacing options, died on Loop 2 Stage 1 at the boss, and my score I think was somewhere around 2.35 million but don't remember exactly. Not really a great score but a respectable loop 1 clear score result for Spacing. For me personally, I took more pride in just clearing loop 1 with Spacing Options than I did in my actual score lol, but I am still surprised that it held up as a Top 2 score for that Type. There was a player on Gamefaqs named Cacticus who ended up being declared an official 1st Prize winner for Spacing since he sent in a vhs tape and I didn't, but that bunghole didn't even clear loop 1 and only had like 2.1 million or something! (me and him had a friendly feud on the Gradius V boards back in the day over it lol)
Ben Shinobi I've never heard of before, but I def remember tviks entering just absolutely ridiculous and insane score results in the North American contest but people were saying on Gamefaqs that he was in Europe so he was ineligible for the North American awards which I had no problem with lol. I think North America and Europe had the same prizes, but in Japan the Grand Prize winner got I believe a super cool and unique plaque or crystal or something that I think was a one of a kind item. I've made it to Loop 3 Stage 1 a few times using Type 2 Directional, but man, the skills of the upper echelon players is truly something to behold to reach double digit loops.
@@TheElectricUnderground im really gonna miss this game series it was good
ah yes Gradius V is my favorite Gradius games on the franchise. Treasure really execute this game seriously well. No more Gradius syndrome checkpoint reset, no more losing the entire power up, even the game still forgiving to credit feeding. How kind treasure is! i remember playing it on PS2 and almost reach final stage.
Exactly!! The perfect blend between the two styles and companies
And it’s just utterly beautiful, really good looking shmup for the PS2
@@AyeYoYoYooo for ps2 standard/Gradius V looks like ps3/xb360 to me
For those viewing this video now - PS2 emulation has come a long way in the last year and Gradius V works like a charm on the PCSX2 emulator. It plays this game very well and it looks amazing with all the up-res / graphic enhancement options.
I love the way this game rewards you for sticking at it and doles out extra credits...it really motivates you to keep playing and finish it. I wish all games did that..
Also the weapon edit unlock!! That made me play the game for days ha
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, I credit fed through the game once to get the weapon edit. That credit feeding session also put the fear in me in regard to the later stages!
Legendary game, but there's one huge crucial thing Iuchi et al omitted big time: murderous Moai heads. They make a Gradius game the length all all previous Gradius games combined and somehow cut the Moais? I'm still in disbelief almost 20 years later!
Yeah a really odd oversight, not sure whey they are not included
Church!
Had to do w wierd copyright issues. Japan is wierd w their copyright
We were told to "destroy them all" in the previous games. Don't act surprised that they're all gone.
I agree they missed the opportunity to create an awesome Moai stage. But what are people talking about? Gradius 3 & 4 were both an hour to beat. I think Gradius 2 was as well.
One of the very best. Incredible soundtrack and visuals. Playing Gradius V is like an event. Like going to the theater or a live ballgame. You have to be mentally sharp from beginning to end. It's definitely long for a shmup. I like it like that though. A fitting, epic, finale to the series. Treasure is one of my favorite developers. They have a clear vision of what they are putting together. From music to visuals. You know it's Treasure by the music alone. Sin and Punishment 1 and 2 are amazing for those reasons. I'd love a sin and Punishment 3. Kid Icarus uprising could've been a sin and Punishment game. Great video man.
Pause the game -Up up down down left right left right L2 R2
Yeah treasure went all in on this one! I'd be so hyped to see a sin and punishment 3, I love that series so much ❤️
A masterpiece from the masters!
Treasure perfectly understood the nature of the saga and added his own signature. Totally awesome game.
I’m literally updating my PS3 (60G version that plays PS2 games) because your thumbnail popped up about gradius 5, it’s the only game I’ve got ps2 wise, oh and “shadow of Rome”, still impressed that my ps3 is actually booting up and updating after 10 years in the cupboard, Gradius 5 is the best one! Love💖 your channel as a shmup fan!👍🇬🇧😇and it’s Sunday and kids are at granny’s......
Hurry ! Play some gradius 5 right now ha
Oh yeah, Gradius V is the best one by far. Treasure really killed it with this one, great Hitoshi Sakamoto soundtrack and amazing visuals. Gradius was my first shmup and thats why I love Horizontal shmups. Currently enjoying RollingGunner.
Yeah gradius is such a groundbreaking series, at least is went out in style, most series don't get that chance
It's technically not the last Gradius game if you count Gradius ReBirth.
Still, rocking review, I really enjoyed that. I agree so much with that statement on crossover games and how they're usually not what they could be.
My favorite Gradius is Gradius Gaiden, I think that one is also a console-Gradius that does things to make the game a little more forgiving but keeps a little more of the Gradius identity with its visual and level design.
True I meant last numbered gradius game, because there have been smaller stuff since then. But I still think it s safe to say it s last major release of the series. Also yes Gradius Gaiden is awesome!! Gonna do a ranking of the gradius and r type series soon!
@@TheElectricUnderground
That sounds awesome, I'm looking forward to it!
Selling Gradius III & IV + Gradius V with my PS2 was one of the things that I miss the most. (Rez with the Trance Vibrator + Gitaroo Man are fond memories as well). 😀
Yeah dang! Freemcboot though at least ha
Somebody needs to mod Gradius V to work with the Trance Vibrator ^^
@@CarmenOfSpades Great idea! Actually, "they" should make all games work with the Trance Vibrator.
This Channel needs some attention, it is seriously good content!! Excited for that shirt!!
I really appreciate that my dude!!! ❤️
My favorite horizontal ol school shmup, its gorgeous!
One of the best looking 2.5d shmups hands down
I will absolutely be ordering a T-shirt from you!!! You deserve to get $$$ for the work you put into this channel. I don’t think anyone could hate you if you were to take some sponsorships. Either way, I for one am very grateful for all your hard work man. 💪
I really appreciate that a lot my dude ❤️ ❤️
Gradius 5 is not my type of game , but i must Say it is impressive. Treasure made very few shoot em Ups, but the ones it made are top class.gradius v, radiant silvergun and ikaruga are surely among the best shooters ever made.
Exactly! Even if you don t love it, you gotta respect it ha
It's my favorite Treasure shmup, and probably the one that's least associated with them. And man, the MUSIC! So atmospheric and menacing.
Yeah it needs more recognition
It took me 214 (ish) hours to get my first 1CC... basically played this game non-stop during a semester of college. To this date it's probably the hardest shooter I've managed to 1CC... which even though that's kind of pathetic, does fill me with a lot of satisfaction! Heck I think that's probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in a 1P game of any genre. It really is a shame that no other (console) shooter of this calibre was released during the PS2 days... honestly this game just blew R-Type Final and whatever else was on the console (console-exclusive games I mean, and what was there... R-Type Final, Silpheed and... Xyanide? lol) out of the water back then. And then ever since then nothing else seemed to get close. Also, just from a visual perspective, this feels like the last great shooter with 3D graphics that I can remember, everything else since just looks kind of... artificial? Though I have yet to play Under Defeat, looking forward to checking that out.
Congrats!!! I image it taking a long time for me to 1cc this game as well! I agree this is one of the best looking 3d shmups, even to this day which is crazy!
You should play Under Defeat. I play that and Border Down kinda religiously!!!!!!
@@WillRobinsonDanger oh yeah now that I have a PS3 (only a decade and a half late, haha) it is definitely a top purchase! Border Down has also always interested me... shame it hasn't got a port in all these years ;_;
@@CarmenOfSpades Dreamcast(I am so GLAD that I kept 2 of them) which is the Naomi's "emulator "
I love this game. I am not great at shmups but with a ton of practice and a little luck I managed to get a 1cc... on easy. I can get to stage 7 on one credit on normal but that's where it goes from "tough but possible" to "I could never do this in a million years" for me.
Thank you for not shilling RAID SHADOW LEGENDS
Ha exactly, you are welcome!
Gradius / Nemesis games difficulty were no joke and it's puts you on your toes.
One of my favorites for sure. Regarding the high difficulty that you brought up at the end, it's worth knowing for Gradius V curious beginners that the lower difficulties are well balanced for a shmup. They're not like your typical Cave novice modes where it's too much of a pushover to present a challenge or teach you the real game.
Yes very good point! It does have different difficult modes :-)
Giving it to Treasure just made sense. Treasure was formed from former Konami employees who all probably worked on the original Gradius’ games, back in the day.
One of my favorite things to do in this game was to invite anyone dropping by my house to play it with me. I talking about normies most of the time who wouldn't know a videogame if it didn't have a fifa/nhl logo on it. Everyone that played this game for at least 20 minutes in 2p mode had a blast. So, upcoming shmup designers: make sure you at least consider a 2p option along with anything else you're doing in your project(s). There's word of mouth, but nothing can beat experience of blowing up big eyeballs and hearing them go blargh!!! You just want to seek those suckers out. Or going right up to the boss's core as the other player hangs back and destroys its turrets. And that's just the first level! If you're at least a bit curious about balancing challenging gameplay with fun, pay attention to this game's core design, and how every level in it has that Impact/Hook that builds up on prior stuff you've faced. This game oozes elegance.
That's a great point! 2p mode is a real strongpoint of the genre and it is getting slowly lost in the new era of games.
What I bought a PS2 for (well - that and RType Final). Brilliant game - it solved the "one hit and its game over" problem Gradius has by leaving the options to pick up after a life loss. Tough old game though. I dreamt of Treasure doing a new Parodius after this but sadly it never happened.
Yeah the option recovery is a smart addition, Also thank you treasure for removing checkpoints!! A new parodius would have been great
Option recovery is great, Treasure didn't invent it here, but they did had the foresight to take it from Konami's Salamander aka Life Force (1986).
A fecking beauty. Was lucky to buy cheap on PS2 (PS3 is cheapy cheap now dooods, you see the odd 360 Cave game out there for a few quid - was a £5 I last saw but think the shops got wise..)
Yeah and there is also the option of freemcboot on PS2 as well :-)
One of my top 5 for sure. The only downside in my opinion is it’s length… although it’s never boring and always fun, it makes it difficult for me to sit through. A stupid complaint somehow but I hope you know what I mean. Same goes for radiant silvergun
I make the same point in the vid ha, it is two stages too long
80mins per loop was tedious in the Konami competition of a few loops. Otherwise a nice game.
gradius V is really cool, has so much character and feel
Absolutely!
The best collaboration I liked was the DLC for Dariusburst CS.
Oh that sounds cool!
definitely one of my favorite games ever, period. for better or worse, in my college dorm years I had a LOT of free time and spent a lot of it playing this game and after about 200 hours I was able to 1cc the game. Playing the game reminded me of playing Battletoads (which I also beat during college). It required a ton of memorization and you needed to be pixel perfect in lots of places and also the game is freaking LONG for an action game. But both games are so much fun and play so well and have such good level design that I never got tired of starting over and playing through the first stages and getting through death traps and "cheap" areas or whatever. People cry BAD GAME DESIGN on these kinds of games now but this game especially felt so rewarding to play through and get that 1cc.
I think the only game that eclipsed this one for me was Sin and Punishment on the Wii. These days I have nowhere near the time to play a game like that, but it was really something else. Initially I didn't think I would like the whole "rail shooter" thing, but boy was I wrong.
I love sin and punishment!! Gonna do a review of sin and punishment 2 soon!
I know this video is a year old, but I figured I'd say that PS2 emulation has gotten a lot better recently. I've been playing Gradius V on the latest version of PCSX2 and I haven't noticed any issues, I didn't notice any input lag even with a wireless controller and the performance is great, at least on my rig. It's definitely a viable option these days, and possibly even better than original hardware since you can upscale the video output which adds a lot to the game's visual flair and doesn't require buying an upscaler which can be fairly pricey, as well as the other enhancements that you can apply like better anti-aliasing and whatnot. The devs are also pushing out updates more frequently and the emulator has an update functionality within the app itself, so it's easier to keep it up to date and it's incrementally getting better every few days.
My favorite game in the genre. While I don't know what the meta for high-level play is, it does seems like the the Freeze Option style would be good there to be able to lock in damage opportunities against bosses that have a wall or barrier blocking direct attacks. However, I feel like recommending the Directional Option, which is just so fun and satisfying, especially with continuous lasers to focus heavy damage. In the green gas/liquid level, for example, you can burn away large amounts of ooze before it becomes a threat.
On the cheat code: it is a cheat code on purpose. Might be a bit confusing to new players, but this is the infamous Konami code, which is a cheat code that basically exists in most Konami games in some way. The first game to feature this cheat code (which wasn't even meant to be included in the commercial version) was... Gradius 1 for th NES.
Treasure never sleeps in the job.
yeah I think this time around it's intentional, like an homage to the earlier games even though it makes no sense and it would be better to have a proper respawn system and training mode ha
@@TheElectricUnderground Yep, and tbh I don't care much since its Gradius V with the capital G. It has to encompass everything that Gradius is and I think this one nails it. Still, I'm focusing on 1CCing the old Gradius games rn and I'll give V another shot since the last time I played it was on the PS2 back in the day.
Playing Gradius II right now though and damn, 2 and 3 sure were my favorite Gradius period and I'm not enjoying Gradius Gaiden as much as I thought I would
I'll buy your shirt for sure, dude. Love this channel. You're the Yoda of schmups!
Thanks so much my dude I deeply appreciate that ❤️❤️
Would love to play this. You should totally do a in depth video on Sin and Punishment 2. My absolute favorite game on the Wii. The game was just so expertly crafted. There were definitely some game design geniuses working at Treasure. We need them.
Absolutely!! I have the footage already for it ha. I love sin and punishment
That’s excellent. I’ll be looking forward to it.
I would argue that Sin and Punishment 2 is the best video game on the Wii.
I'm hyped. gradius is one of my favorites, but I'm so lackluster at it but gahh!!! It hype for me.
It s hard as hell, I got my ass kicked this time around ha
One thing you forgot to mention is if you have freeze option and the default laser and you hold back against the screen until all of your options are all the way into your ship and the option animations are all perfectly overlapping each other inside your ship sprite, your laser blast has a special animation from it's normal look and it's MEGA powerful. You'll see the laser blast look really thick and glowing with energy. It stays this way even when you move around holding the options together like that.
I'll take Gradius V over Ikargua every time.
I m divided on which I like better, but grad 5 is really cool
I've always felt the standard of gaming journalism during the turn of the century was often pretty awful - The one Ikaruga review from that era that still sticks in my mind suggested the game should have analogue control. I mean, just wow!
Yeah gaming journalism has just become gaming marketing, ugh. Some of those older shmup reviews are pretty hilariously bad
like how fighting game players would reject the idea of traditional fighting games using analogue control
and then they all got destroyed commercially by the super smash bros. series? beloved by competitive players specifically for its varied, free analogue movement?
analogue control makes these games deeper assuming you design around it and don't just slap it on, but sure if you want to play dodonpachi for the thousandth time...
@@lounowell4171 Smash selling well has nothing to do with the analogue controls. And it's hardly a traditional fighting game is it. If a game is designed around a particular control scheme that's fine but you can't just shoehorn stuff into a game that doesn't need it and expect it to make the game better
@@keyboard_doomer8387 Smash selling better than Marvel vs Capcom or DBFZ has a lot to do with it *not* being a street fighter 2 clone and being designed to be played with a regular controller - that's why corporations should care
That it has potential to deepen the fighting genre on a competitive level is why people like you or I should care
Agreed, shoe-horning extra mechanics into a game like Ikaruga doesn't make it better, but 2000s western game journalists were sometimes just trying to express very real concerns about the genre's limitations (Ikaruga's essentially a Xevious clone after all)
idk how much we can laugh at them when the STG community has a problem getting people to actually *play* these games
@@lounowell4171 My criticism was entirely levelled at the standard of journalism at the time, which was often amatuerish and unknowlegeable, not, as you have interpreted, at innovation in any genre (modern gaming in general seems creatively stagnant, disappointingly so). I do recall being incredibly excited by the initial promo of SF4, wondering if Capcom would innovate with an entirely 3D game, potentially with analogue controls, but it was just a very bland and safe sequel, so I do agree with some of your points.
However, you are clearly an incredibly irritating person, so I'm just going to ignore you.
It's an end of a era alright. The franchise met it's untimely demise here because Sony can't stand anything that ain't 3D from this point forward, and Konami became a shell of it's former self, prioritizing pachinko development all while chucking some of their most prized IPs deep into limbo. For Treasure, this was their last big project since Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga, and they just sort of slinked below the radar for years until the 2010s when they only had 16 people left, another company that's a shell of their former glory
It is a huge bummer how treasure faded out and Konami went nuts :-(
My favorite horizontal shmup! I still have my PS2 copy, but hooking the system up to play, is annoying. I really wish it was ported to playstation 4&5, and Switch. It did get a digital PS3 release. It was also the first time I'd seen a twin-stick control scheme--you can control the direction of option shots, like the Overpower mode in Rolling Gunner.
Great review of a great game!! 👍
Yeah I wish we could see this game everywhere like with ikaruga. I think the problem with the game sadly is 1: it's on the ps2 and ps2 ports are trickier I believe, and 2: license issues between both treasure and konami.
Good review! What's up with the horizontally stretched image? Every video of the game on PS3 is the same way. Looks so much better with the original 4:3 aspect ratio.
It's because the game itself is actually a bit stretched, or maybe my ps2 video settings are funky ha. One or the other
What a hot take on gradius music. I’m mostly on the same boat but I really like the opening stage themes for the first 3 games. The third one has some really good music up on till stage 3. The rest is good just not amazing or anything. It’s definitely better than contra music where I can’t remember any of it
Yeah it s decent but just not as top tier as I hoped
I love Gradius V,i like using laser with the directions options more because its funny,it also covers all around you too which is really usefull
The direction control option is really interesting! It's kinda tricky to use, but seems pretty good when you get used to it
Gradius V is a genuine classic in the same way that the originals were but you know what's interesting... At around the same time, Hideo Kojima's team released a game called Zone of Enders: The second runner and in that game there is literally a Gradius cross over. In that story, the Vic Viper is actually an orbital frame (a teknoman type convertible robot with a human pilot)... It was a huge surprise and a lot of fun to play...
Just found this review while searching and listening to Gradius V's amazing Intermezzo OST. Despite the game having the Gradius look and universe by Konami it's unmistakably a Treasure project in how it's presented and how it makes you feel. It's about to be 20 years old and there's parts of this game that's still graphically impressive and gives me goosebumps. Although it's been 15 years since Gradius ReBirth I really hope to see this series continue especially with resurgence of shooters on the Switch. Maybe Treasure and M2 can combine forces with Konami's blessing for Gradius VI which is long overdue.
I loved listening to this review. I absolutely love Gradius V.
18:00 This actually comes from the Gradius side of things. This is called the Konami code and it's been in a lot of their games like Contra.
8:42 This also comes from Gradius itself! The whole series is all about the "final" boss closing the bay doors on you.
9:53 Have you heard of Gradius III? I'm not sure what was on the arcades but BOY that was also long... PROBABLY longer than Gradius V!
hope Konami decides to re-release this to Steam soon.
That would be amazing
Seeing how R-Type unexpectantly came back with a new mainline title after so long, I hope Gradius may end up getting a sixth title sure enough. Though still, the only (and highly unlikely) way that'll happen if it's outsourced to other creators like Granzella, Treasure again (hopefully lol), or whatever.
Yeah or M2 would be a great fit!
I like Gradius V a lot, but my heart will always be with the PC Engine CD port of Gradius II as far as the series goes.
Treasure being involved almost made sense, what with their start breaking away from Konami, but I really felt the G.Rev influence even more. It felt almost like a sister game to Border Down when it was new, even if the systems are nothing alike; something about the look and feel just seems very similar to me. Not a complaint, mind you; I really like Border Down.
I definitely agree with many folks that we're long overdue for a proper Gradius anthology. We are long overdue for Solar Assault at home.
Gradius 3 is great! Pretty soon I am going to do a gradius series ranking
@@TheElectricUnderground I will definitely watch and enjoy that. I'm a Gradius diehard, and it's one of the few series where I'll just look for an excuse to talk about it.
Best way to play this with the "HDTV 480p 60Hz" GSM option in OPL, on a FreeHDBoot modded PS2. Crispy (as much as a PS2 can ever be) non-interlaced true 480p, looks awesome. Just make sure to skip the intro video immediately with START just after the Konami logos, as it can freeze the game if you let it play in 480p. Amazing game. Agree that it heralded a new age of modern AAA shmups, which then promptly never happened :(
I played on opl myself for the vid ha! Freemcboot for the win. Yeah it feels like the genre was at a high point and got it's legs cut off without warning
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Capcom vs SNK 2
The greatest crossover games of all time IMHO
They are pretty sweet 🎂
I love this game. I still have the original CIB that I bought back in the day. I do agree with the difficulty assessment, this game is brutal. I never got a 1CC of it, but I did complete it within the number of credits the game gives you. In other words I never used any kind of cheats, I did beat it within the number of credits the game gives you (I just can't remember how many credits I used). It's a great game if you have a high tolerance for getting your ass handed to you until you learn the levels. If you don't like SHMUPS that hand you your ass, this might not be the game for you. LOL.
Ha for sure!!! I hope to get a 1cc someday, but not gonna start practice yet
Regarding of ps2 emulators, PCSX2 recently got some qol updates for reducing input delay, maybe it's worth a try now.
Very nice review btw, really love the Gradius series.
Ohhh what what! Now I gotta try this
Who do you think would be both the ideal AND highly likely dev to do a faithful port of GRADIUS V for last and current gen consoles?
M2 are the only ones I would trust right now, especially it being a PS2 game. That would require a real port and not just a slapped together emulator like city connection does
@@TheElectricUnderground Hopefully, M2 does it. They've been doing good work over the years. I have zero faith in Konami ever rereleasing any of their shmups, and giving them the proper porting treatment they deserve. Shit, I'm still waiting for a proper rerelease of the original SILENT HILL games. Anyways, great video of a top tier game. Gradius V and TREASURE are legendary.
That closing door segment in stage 2 is also a reference to a very similar door in the final checkpoint of the first Gradius game.
Permanently closing doors before (usually pathetically weak) final bosses are a Gradius tradition, not just a first Gradius thing.
II, IV, Gaiden, Galaxies, ReBirth, Nemesis '90 Kai, and possibly more have the doors. Salamander has multiple doors after the boss, and Salamander 2 has multiple doors before. Parodius Da! and Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius have them, and Parodius MSX has an especially cruel already closed door you need to use a bell power-up that turns on left/right screen wrapping to get past.
For me GRADIUS V lenght is Perfect!..... To be honest, it was the last Shoot em up I played and played to a level of memorization no shoo em up made me reach after Gradius V.
I played Gradis on arcade and also on NES, then Life Force on Nes.... after that never played another Gradius until V.... that game made me go and buy the Saturn Salamander deluxe pack and the GRADIUS collection on PSP... Now I´m after the GRRADIUS DELUXE for Saturn.
I miss TREASURE.
I am usually pretty critical of longer shmups but since this was the last of the series and I m sure treasure senses that, I can give it a pass this one time ha
Seems super fun, got my old PS2 on a freemcboot setup a few months ago so might check it out.
Perfect! Can't go wrong with freemcboot!
Gradius V is amazing! It was the game that convinced me to play Bullet Hells.
That s great! Yes it is a nice crossover game for bullet hell and old school players
Great use of Melee sound clips lmao. The Fox one got me
Ha glad you liked it!! It always sound like f*** to me, especially when you spam it
Gradius V is my favorite Gradius and probably my favorite shmup overall, so I'm glad to see this. My only real complaint with it was bewilderment that there was no Moai stage. Of course it's certainly on the long side of shmups compared to something like usual Cave or Psikyo length, and that's ignoring the fact that it loops.
On the topic of maybe under-appreciated gems, I'd love to see a similar sort of video on Border Down.
Absolutely, it is an odd oversight no moai 🗿! I will absolutely cover border down at some point, I use the soundtrack in my vids all the time
Great game this, the asteroid level was really creative. The music in level 3 was incredible.
yeah the asteroid level is really cool!
the length of some stages and boss fights makes me think Treasure was just like "what do you mean this is not EPIC?"
Ha yeah it is a shmup of epic proportions
Ah, Gradius V... I really enjoyed playing it a year ago with PCSX2 but I had the feeling something was off. Now I know :D I am really tempted getting a ps2 to explore all that games I have never played
cannot go wrong with a modded ps2! super cheap and a massive library!
@@TheElectricUnderground it's all PAL around my place :D
My second favorite Gradius game, pipped to the post by the ever so slightly better Gradius Gaiden on PS1.
Dope Shoot Em Up videos man. Thanks for the info. Love this series. I love 5 the most but I actually have a big love for SNES 3 as well. Slowdown like hell but I always liked the slowdown to give me breathe time.
Will you ever do an Einhander episode?
Thanks my man!!! Yeah this was a fun one :-)
Treasure knows how to do 3D graphics
Absolutely! Still the best at it shmup wise
2nd fav Gradius. Remember seeing it in a fake case at a local shop not even in the "special" games section. Instant buy and got a repro case. Gradius Gaiden is my favorite. Thank you modded region free ps2!
Hi Mark, did you use an arcade stick to play this game? I find it strangely difficult to find good arcade stick for the PS2. I was looking into adapters to use my Mayflash F500 with it, but its hard to find input lag numbers for some of the adapters out there like the "Brook Super Converter - PS4/3 to PS2/1". Do you know if that one is any good, or do you use something else? It would be great to know your control method on this one.
Thanks for the great content as usual!
I did! I use my brooks retroboard with my usual arcade stick! Here is a vid about it th-cam.com/video/_HGVWSv8A0k/w-d-xo.html
@@TheElectricUnderground Nice I haven't seen this video of yours before! I had a feeling a lot of the mayflash stuff might be kinda laggy. After using my Mayflash F500 for a while I've see in some lists that it has higher input lag than I would have thought. Though I usually use it with the 360 on a CRT, the Mister on a CRT, or for good STG releases on PS4. I haven't noticed much lag at all in those scenarios.
That Brooks dual PCB setup looks like the best way to go though. Maybe I'll save up some cash and get that, and fully replace the Mayflash internals in my stick. Cuz I already have some nice custom art in it.
www.reddit.com/r/fightsticks/comments/rys9cb/my_f500_elite_with_custom_artwork/?context=3
Gradius V = The Best Gradius in The Series and one of The Best shmups of ALL time.
Several thought in my mind right inow:
Why do I spent hours unlocking every available ship in R-Type Final instead of 1cc this awesome game?
Still venting R-Type Final 2 on every horizontal shmup video you made, don't you ha. It only have their good stuff (visual-wise and stage-design wise) outside their early main game. Try to 1cc the main game and play them over and over? Ugh... I'd rather swap other stages in the custom stage route (good grief that exists!); For Gradius V? Every stage is amazing! I don't mind taking a break during those two cutscenes (this game is a marathon!). Who can possibly forget those stage visuals, soundtracks, and EPIC BOSS EXPLOSIONS!
Flamethrower is a cool addition in Gradius V. You can speed kill bosses with freeze option, or become a short-ranged badass with rotation option.
Gradius 6? Nah! It'll be another R-Type Final 2. And we don't want that (see your previous video).
Doing a Gradius tier list video? Sure! If you have time; An R-Type tier list video? Although I'm curious about your opinion for R-Type 3 and R-Type Delta, I don't think it's worth your time simply because the Force mechanic and unfair gameplay is your thing. An Darius tier list video? You don't even have time playing Dariusburst!
Phew! That's a lot! It looks like I went all in as well ha.
Ha yeah I can't help myself with the r-type final 2 comparisons. I wouldn't be as hard on the game if anyone, anyone, else was critical of the game. I'm pretty sure I was the only one ha, and the game had a lot of issues. That being said I like the R-Type series quiet a bit and I am working on an R-type series ranking right now! I've played through r-type 1 and 2 already!
I agree, if they did Gradius VI now it would end up turning out like R-Type Final 2... more on the Gradius IV side rather than the Gradius V side...
Though I guess back then the idea was Otomedius was the spiritual successor? As weird as that game looks I have always been interested in trying it...
Not an expensive game, so better to have the original copy. One of my top 5 schmups. I just love this game. I need a Konami Gradius Collection with 5, Gaiden and 3 (SNES)
2005, the very day it was released, i was there at Game (UK's biggest video game store) ready to put my hard earned down for this game. I asked the guys behind the counter, "Can't see Gradius V on the shelves, it's out today, where is it?" They both had never heard of it! Then one guy came out from the store room and said to me, "Do you mean Gradius 'vee'?" Big time face plant! I said yes, gradius 5!!! 😬😵🤦
Ha that is great!!!! Gradius Vee the motivational shmup
Those shirts are too sick, definitely picking one up
Yay!!! Thank you ❤️
@@TheElectricUnderground IF ONLY IT CAME WITH A PS2 and COPY OF Gradius V.... so sad this game is locked on that console! who do we have to call at Konami
Spent soooooo much time on this one when it came out, still got a copy and a ps2. Just need a retrotink 5x to play it on a modern tv.
Yep! I have the old school retrotink that I use :-)
I need a video explaining what Grand Master Tviks did and how that's even humanly possible!!!
He was 1st in every option type. His worst score was double the best score of the 2nd best player, I believe was Ben Shinobi at the time.
That s awesome!
I will always keep my PS3, because I have a digital copy of Gradius V installed on the drive. Classic game, even if parts of it want to make me rip my hair out.
Ha yeah it can be so brutal at times
Damn. Watching this video and remembering when I played the 1st Gradius game on the NES. I'm old lol.
Never knew they had up to 5 of them 😅
Is this game a good fit for someone's very first shmup? It looks amazing.
Im rookie in this genre but the game is very addictive,is difficult but no unfair,the game become terrorific in stage 7
I've never looked too much into the absolute truth of this, but the common thinking / knowledge that Treasure was built out of some folk who left Konami, it makes absolute sense they would be able to create a banging new Gradius game. I had a theory that the supposed Konami leavers who went on to Treasure were the guys who developed Salamander and not so much Gradius - then you look at Axelay, it's very 'Treasure' feeling, seems like a sequel to Salamander in a lot of ways (fire stage, alternating horizontal / vertical stages etc).Then when Treasure happened, the next Salamander game (Salamander 2) seems more Gradius-y which could be a development shift to the Gradius team? I'm probably totally wrong but it's a nice thought :)
That is really fascinating!! Now that you mention it, axelay has a ton of treasure qualities, no wonder I like the game so much! I m gonna take a look at the game's credits and see if I can spot any treasure staff!
@@TheElectricUnderground I realise you can’t necessarily believe Wikipedia but I just looked it up and here’s what it says: Headed by Super Castlevania IV producer Kazumi Kitaue, Axelay was developed by most of the same team that would later go on to form Treasure, the creators of Gunstar Heroes. Though first launched for the Super NES, the game has since been re-released through download services for Nintendo consoles. The title became popular and regarded by publications as a classic of the shoot 'em up genre, garnering praise for its visuals, music and an advanced selection of weapons available at the time. A sequel, Axelay 2, was planned but never materialized due to low sales of the first game.
Only 1 guy from Treasure worked on Axelay
Look at the credits on Mobygames
If R-Type Final 2 was even a tenth as good as Gradius V, I would have been happy.
absolutely, me too ha
This game is very difficult and sometimes the boss fights drag on a little...but yes...a fantastic game and a better next gen 3d gradius than gradius 4...that's for sure
Absolutely ha! I m gonna do a gradius series ranking soon
Bought Gradius 3 and 4 on PS2, and I didn't really like it. It was decent, but I had better things to play. I had no idea that 5 plays like a Treasure game! I'll have to try it out. PAL version looks pretty damn expensive, though.
Yes I'm less familiar with Gradius 3 and 4, but by damn 5 is absolutely crazy and def a must play for the treasure elements alone.
My only complaint with V is that is that the visuals make it difficult to see what the hell might hit you. I blame the blue lighting effect for this.
Yep and the stupid grey bullets blend in too well
If I were the designer of this game, there would be a maximum of 3 options and there would be no shield as option , there would be more enemy bullets and all that in the normal level of difficulty!
Personally I completely missed Gradius V when it came out and bought a copy about 5 years ago, as I was looking for interesting games for the PS2. Hooked up to a CRT TV via RGB it looks spectacular as all the visual effects glow and really pop. On a LCD..not that much and that's why I don't really bother with backwards compatible PS3s.
Yeah the PS2 is specifically made to look good on crt. You gotta throw an Ossc at the PS2 to make it look good on LCD
The PS3 looks great on a Crt as well. Heck, you can still use your old PS2 cables on it if you want. Same proprietary connection on both machines.
@@JustFun-ho6qy you're right, but I have no access to a CRT with component cables here, it's mostly SCART/RGB
There are scart/rgb cables for the PS2. Component (or S Video for that matter) was never really a thing in Europe. We all used RGB Scart.
fun fact: Konami was the editor of a recently released shmup called Cygni
and it is definitely not gradius
the final boss even does something
I remember playing this game several times throughout the game libraries, one at UCSC for game library checkout and the MADE at Oakland with a huge collection of games and consoles.
I like the the option control being the very centerpiece of the game, especially the direction type through the option command button.
However, I do not really plan to play this game much since it's too much of a time sink and I am thinking about making a game inspired by Gradius, but nothing's set in stone.
I know what you mean about it being a time sync, I m thinking of working on earlier 1ccs of the series first ha. Also a gradius style game sounds cool!
GRADIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSU!!! Such a great game. Somewhere I have a longplay of GRADIUS 1. Wow was that a joy. It is so sad that there aren't any new titles of the series!!! Some went with R-Type but for me GRADIUS is THE SHMUP. And if you look for another challenge go with PARODIUS...
Yeah it s crazy how many gradius spin offs there are. Salamander, parodius, life Force
Have you covered Thunder Force 6 or is it too bad to be under review? Wanna hear your opinion on the new direction they took with the music and sound design. I saw someone play it with an rtx video card and the game still looks nice even today.
I am at the control of the patrons, so if they vote for it I could review it ha! I could check it out on my own, I might start looking to do a thunder force series overview soon
Cave x touhou “ ultimate climax”
I’ll have some of that! ;)
Ha no kidding, and it not being a mobile game either
Awesome review. I was fucked up enough to enable the checkpoint system and am currently working on the game checkpoint to checkpoint on normal. Im not even sure how to approach it at this point.
Im currently on the third boss I believe. Its a spider and you have to descend the stage with falling blocks and turrets. It seems heavily memorization based. Even if I can get to the bottom where the boss finally rests I cannot even damage the boss. I think I would need to have collected another option through power ups but not even sure that would work. Its brutal. Any tips on completing that segment? It took 6 hours just fo get there, so bringing power ups back there for ONE attempt would be pretty brutal. Id be interested in feedback from anyone whos played the game. Im playing on a PS2 emulator. I didnt notice the input lag but thats always a possibility. On Saturn emulation I really noticed it.
That's bold, but super respectable. I personally don't have it in me to play the check point system ha, but I def respect the old school method of playing.
@@TheElectricUnderground Appreciate that. I did not get very far in this one, as you see, ha ha. Im not sure yet how I will approach this section or if Ill make some changes to how I play through. I may try to grind it out when I go back to the game. It really needs days of dedicated playing with no long breaks. I beat the game with free play and respawning where I died which felt very cheap and took no skill. I thought this would be the solution but youre probably right about it being overly extreme. I know gradius games are notorious for that. Gun.Smoke for arcade was the hardest checkpoint to checkpoint game I completed, since it wasnt really memorizable, and I can tell this one will be a real test of memorization and positioning. There may be some extra lag on PS2 emulation. I completed Hard mode on God Hand on this emulator but shooters require even more precise inputs. I was using the bluetooth M30 controller as well and that apparently added some lag. Thanks for the feedback
Did I miss the shirt you're wearing? I didn't see it listed
It's a special order shirt that I'm going to explain and put up for order in my next video! So stay tuned!!
If playing using ps2 with freemcboot press L1 on gsms settings to automatically skip all cut scenes
Ohhhhhh nice tip!!
This was an ok review. But I definitely disagreed with a number of things. And it seems like you may not be too familiar with the Gradius series overall.
At around 8:00; when you said Gradius wasn't really about environmental hazards, that is straight out wrong. There is a speed stage in several of the games with wall traps designed to kill you and multiple paths; there are areas where you shoot thru regenning walls or mud with rocks in it that will fall and crush you, or even have dead ends. There are several fire stages with flaming prominences that are literally stage tiles. There is even on a number of occasions a killable boss before the last one (many times un-killable) that involves getting between its limbs. And many stages have power ups tucked into little nooks where you have to risk running into the wall, due to getting trapped against it by the scrolling screen. Even the bay doors closing is a well known Gradius trope.
And that is just naming a few. There are tons more.
The salamander stage was so creative and well done. I have no idea how you can speak of it as a negative. And the poison chamber stage isn't bad even without options. The gas clouds have pretty small hitboxes and once you know the layout it is nowhere near unfair. And it even ends with a boss rush. They clearly put a LOT of thought and effort into the stage. It is challenging without being unfair.
I have no clue how you can say the music was mediocre. It has tons of remakes of classic tracks and they all sound AMAZING. And the new tracks fit in perfect with them too.
I didn't hear you mention anything about the loops either; where the game gets progressively harder each time you beat it up to loop 256. Which gives this a lot of replay value. But I could have missed that bit.
I wish there was a more serious option to tweak the difficulty. Gradius Galaxy is a nice entry level game into the series and the genre (almost too easy), but IV and V are absolutely frustrating.
There's no doubt that G.rev had a hand in those boss explosions.
You ever consider doing more shirts Mark?
There's a bunch of ps2 games on ps4/ps5, too bad Gradius V isn't one of them.
I know right! Wonder if it's a license issue
Funny got gradius v for ps2 as a present 2 weeks ago. :)
Ha that s awesome! It was meant to be
Are you doing Tee shirts this year ? I love this video and want to support the channel getting one