Gradius V

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Gradius V
The Gradius V cover depicts the Vic Viper starfighter accompanied by four Options.
Developer(s)	Treasure Co. Ltd KCET
Publisher(s)	Konami
Designer(s)	Hiroshi Iuchi (director) Atsutomo Nakagawa (director) Yasushi Takano (producer)
Series	Gradius series
Engine	Intrinsic Alchemy ^[1]^[2]
Release date(s)	^JPN July 22, 2004 ^NA September 14, 2004 ^EU October 8, 2004
Genre(s)	Horizontal scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, Cooperative
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen CERO: All Ages PEGI: 3+ OFLC: G
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Media	1 CD-ROM

Gradius V (グラディウスV, Guradiusu V^?) is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and published by Konami. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 22, 2004, in North America on September 14, 2004, and in Europe on October 8, 2004.

Set predominantly in space, the player navigates the starfighter Vic Viper through a continuously scrolling background depicting the territories of Bacterion, an evil empire which serves as the player's enemy.^[3]

1 Gameplay
- 1.1 Options
2 Plot and setting
3 Development and history
- 3.1 Changes from previous titles
- 3.2 Bundling and bonuses
4 Audio
5 Reception
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Similar in design and structure to previous Gradius titles, players take control of the Vic Viper spacecraft with a traditional Gradius power meter at their disposal for changing or upgrading current weaponry by accumulating capsules from destroyed enemy ships and emplacements. When a power capsule is picked up and the power meter is empty, the first block of the meter becomes highlighted. Each time a new capsule is acquired, the next block becomes highlighted, deactivating the one that was previously lit. On each block a different power-up is available. At any time, the player can choose to add the highlighted block's power-up to the Vic Viper's arsenal, deactivating the power meter in the process. By repeating this process over and over again, the Vic Viper grows stronger and stronger over the course of play.

Possible power-ups include speed increase, weapons, Options (see below) and a protective force field. The exact lay-out of the power meter differs depending on the type of Vic Viper that was selected at the beginning of the game. Most power-ups can only be taken once, notable exceptions being 'speed up' and 'Option'.

'Option' can be selected up to four times, each time adding a new Option to trail behind Vic Viper in a growing tail.

[edit] Options

Options (called Multiples in the European and North American releases) are pulsating globes that trail behind the Vic Viper, mimicking both its motion and fire. Since Options cannot be harmed and can pass through any object without harm, clever use of multiple Options can allow the player's fire at places that are impossible to reach with just the Vic Viper.

New for Gradius V is the addition of a second attribute for the Options which allows players to manipulate the formation and firing angle depending on the type selected at the beginning of the game. By default, the Options trail behind the player's ship in a tail like fashion. The four types behave as follows.

Type 1: Freeze

Allows Options to be locked in a fixed position relative to the Vic Viper as long as the Option button is depressed.

Type 2: Direction

By depressing the Option button, the Options' fire angle can be aimed a full 360 degrees. While changing the Option fire angle, the Vic Viper cannot maneuver.

Type 3: Spacing

Places an even number of Options above and below the Vic Viper. The distance between the Options and craft expands or reduces when the Option button is depressed.

Type 4: Rotate

Allows the Options to be circled around the Vic Viper in a swirling fashion when the Option button is pressed. The next time the rotation is activated, Option motion will be in the opposite direction, alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise.

[edit] Plot and setting

Gradius V is set in an interstellar setting against the backdrop of a recurring conflict between the human-inhabited planet of Gradius and an all-encompassing entity known as Bacterion, which in each iteration assembles a massive space armada in an effort to conquer the dominion.

The story opens in the year 8010 when a military space station orbiting planet Gradius is subdued by Bacterion forces. As part of a counter-offensive, Vic Viper of the Gradius army engages the assailants in space. With the help of a future-version of himself, Vic Viper fights hordes of Bacterion forces, ultimately obliterating the Bacterion core.

[edit] Development and history

Gradius V is the result of a collaborative effort between development studios Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and Treasure Co. Ltd, which incidentally was founded by former Konami employees in 1992.^[4] Gradius V took many shapes and forms during the course of development and the staff changed aspects of the game's mechanics to distinguish Gradius V from previous efforts. Producer Yashushi Takano of KCET claimed in an interview on the promotional DVD Gradius Breakdown that the traditional Gradius formula had become stagnant, and that he sought a new direction.^[5] He also admits that some of their early work was not as impressive as it would later become. An arcade version was also planned but ultimately dropped because of time constraints.^[5]

Gradius V made its first public appearance at the E³ gaming convention of 2003^[6] and during the subsequent year in a near finalized form^[7] prior to its release on July 22, 2004 in Japan.

[edit] Changes from previous titles

Many aspects of the Gradius franchise were altered or tweaked for this installment. An important change is the format of the hitbox, the area of the Vic Viper vulnerable to damage, which has been reduced to only cover the ship's central body. Projectiles and hazardous materials may now scrape the edges of the ship without resulting in a fatal collision. In addition, the 'speed up' power-up now has a cyclic feature: if the power-up has been activated enough times to max out the Vic Viper's maneuvering speed, the power meter slot will display 'init speed'. This power-up, when activated, will reset the ship's speed to its initial value.

Other, smaller changes include the standard inclusion of a rapid-fire button and the time limits placed on boss battles. Bosses will eventually retreat if not destroyed within a set period of time. Lastly, the Weapon Edit option reappears for the first time since Gradius III, but must be unlocked by completing the game's first loop. This option allows the player to customise the power meter with different kinds of weapons, including many weapons not available in the default configurations.

[edit] Bundling and bonuses

A number of extras have been included in initial print runs of Gradius V in both Japan and North America. On April 9, 2004, Konami announced that a DVD called Options was being offered to pre-ordering customers in Japan, containing interviews with the development staff, an art gallery and a collection of "super play" videos.^[8] Adding further incentive for customers to purchase the upcoming product, Konami later revealed the availability of The History of Vic Viper – a limited edition booklet chronicling the history and weapons system of the Vic Viper ship and an additional promotional DVD with expanded content titled Gradius DVD The Perfect. Both items were bundled together with the finished game exclusively for the Japanese marketplace.^[9]

[edit] Audio

Main article: Gradius V Soundtracks

The soundtrack was produced by freelance video game music composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, whose previous video game work included the soundtrack to the PlayStation RPG Vagrant Story, and the arcade shooter Radiant Silvergun. Sakimoto admitted being both honoured and stressed by the task entrusted to him.^[10] He also revealed that specific requests concerning the style of the music were given by his client, and the score as a result comprises remixes of material used in previous Gradius titles, as well as a number of new tracks in a similar vein.^[10] It was released separately on CD as Gradius V Soundtracks by Konami Media Entertainment on August 18, 2004.^[11]

[edit] Reception

Gradius V amassed a Metacritic rating index of 82, compiled from 46 reviews around the Internet.^[12] Positive response tends to focus on the intricate level design, graphical excellence, and "old school" appeal of the frenetic shoot 'em up gameplay. Most negative criticism highlights the extreme difficulty of the game, as well as what is deemed an over-reliance on such a tried and true gameplay formula, to which G4TV said that "While the action is always constant and involving, the lack of variation and the need to be in an exact spot at an exact time is simply not going to strike everyone as fun."^[13]