Gradius III & IV vs. Gradius V

[Austin]

Hello!

I've really had the jones for a Gradius game to play on my PS2. Currently, these two releases are out. My question: Which is the one to get?

I already have Gradius III for the SNES, so I guess it's more of a question of IV vs. V. Are the ports good? Which is beter overall?

Hope some of the diehard shmup fans here can give me some advice. :)

[s1lence]

Gradius V blows away III & IV. Treasure was the developer for V and you can tell.

Granted both are a blast to play, I would go for V first.

[davidbrit2]

Just for reference, the arcade Gradius 3 is a bit different from the SNES version. Not majorly, but it's pretty noticeable.

[TurboGenesis]

Just for reference, the arcade Gradius 3 is a bit different from the SNES version. Not majorly, but it's pretty noticeable.

Yeah, Its crazy hard too.

I'd get Gradius V first. Very good game. Gradius IV is good too but treat yourself to some innovative game play and level design with Gradius V!

[TurboGenesis]

Double post!

[Luke]

Why chose? They are cheap - get both!!

Luke

[klausien]

Why chose? They are cheap - get both!!

Indeed. Both the collection and V are incredible games with flying controller difficulty. If you have a PSP, you may want to wait until the Gradius collection contaning 1-4 and Gaiden comes out. The best Gradius game is Gaiden by far.

[Austin]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I checked ebay, and indeed these are pretty cheap. I'll definitely grab both along with my Chaos Field order this week.

[Ed Oscuro]

The Gradius III/IV pack was NOT cheap last time I checked about it. A friend bought it just a few months ago and it set him back a bit.

[robotriot]

I personally didn't enjoy III & IV much. Ok, I'm not a Gradius fan to begin with, but IMO the two games look pretty crappy on PS2 (the 2D graphics aren't very good, and the 3D in IV looks really bad). V on the other hand is an amazing shmup, the best current-gen game of its genre if you ask me ^^

[chrisbid]

SNES Gradius III has some horrid slowdown, the PS2 version is almost an entirely different game at full speed

[GrandAmChandler]

Let me revive this and tell you my new found love for Gradius V.

I recently purchased two Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Joysticks, (Which are pretty solid IMHO) and decided to pick up a copy of Gradius V at the gamestop B2G1 sale a few weeks ago. This game rules.

It's tough, I am not a huge shooter player, but this one has me addicted. I wasn't a huge fan of the original gradius, but I absolutely LOVED Life Force (aka Salamander). So I was highly excited to see both gradius and life force elements mixed together. (music, enemies, bosses) Although, my only complaint is the lack of a "ripple" weapon. Otherwise this game is solid, and holds a challenge.

If you liked Life Force for Nintendo, and aren't afraid of challenges, pick this one up!!

[Austin]

Since I first made this topic I've actually bought both. :)

I'm having a ball with both games, but they are completely kicking my ass. Doesn't stop me from trying, though.

[Needle]

It's tough, I am not a huge shooter player, but this one has me addicted. I wasn't a huge fan of the original gradius, but I absolutely LOVED Life Force (aka Salamander). So I was highly excited to see both gradius and life force elements mixed together. (music, enemies, bosses) Although, my only complaint is the lack of a "ripple" weapon. Otherwise this game is solid, and holds a challenge.


Actually, I believe the ripple weapon *is* in Gradius V. It's part of the bonus Custom Ship Mode you can unlock after you finish the game. There are several very neat weapons that only exist in this mode and are not part of the four base ship types.

On topic, freakin' love Gradius V. I've probably mentioned here a million times, but I won a 1st place prize in Konami's score contest back in October 2004 for having one of the highest scores in my ship class. The only reason I won though is because I got really good at the least popular ship type. Type-3 for life, dawg! ;)

I've been looking for a copy of Gradius III+IV lately but this title is pretty hard to find. The price has suddenly gone up about $10 too. I found a copy in a local Gamestop, and I asked the girl behind the counter to check the disc condition for me... she pulled it out of the sleeve, took a look at it, and made a face like she had just swallowed a bug. Needless to say, I'm still looking :/

[Nature Boy]

My dad was over last Friday and we had a bit of an old school gaming night on my PS2: Activision Anthology, Guantlet: Dark Legacy, and Gradius V.

(Obviously I say "bit of" since the franchises are old school but the games are newer :D )

Anyway, I hadn't played Gradius V in *months* but it still sucked me right back in seconds after starting. It's definitely one of my all time favourite PS2 games.

[Lady Jaye]

Gradius V is a great tough game, and I like it better in 2-player co-op mode. It does show that Treasure worked on it -- these guys know how to make hardcore shmups, as we all know.