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Gradius V | 
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| From: Konami
Category: Video Games
Buy New: $49.69
New (8) Used (5) from $27.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 7342
Platform: Playstation2
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
MPN: 20060
UPC: 083717200604
EAN: 0083717200604
ASIN: B0000AHOOG
Release Date: September 14, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Pilot the famous Vic Viper as you go on a non-stop shooter thrill ride, to the core of the invading Bacterian core | | • | Amazing new Options Control features like Option Bombs and Option Stocks -- up your firepower to unheard-of levels | | • | Collect 12 amazing power-ups and heighten the power of your ship | | • | Blast your way through seven intense stages of classic arcade-style action! |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Gradius V - the long-running space shooter comes to your Playstation 2, bringing all-new graphics and options, with the same classic gameplay!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
The best Gradius ever but.... October 9, 2007
if you never played Gradius before be prepared for extreme ownage to your ship Vic Viper T301. After watching tons of youtube vidoes with players owning this I game I finally decided to get it. I'm a fan of gradius games but I never expected it to be as hard as it is. And because of this it challenges the players to be creative in attack and strategy like the old NES and SNES games used to do.
You start off with 4 types of configurations for your VV but after completing the game once you gain weapon edit so you can configure the craft to your liking. Stick with it because even though it's hard its one of those games you can impress everyone with if you master it well enough.
Experienced players will recognize that most of the "core" bosses come back with enhanced weapons to once again try to annihilate the VV, leaving the game with its original old school element that players will enjoy. Also, if you have $10 go look up some component cables here on amazon for your PS2. Trust me the visuals on this game are most impressive indeed.
 A GREAT classic shooter. June 12, 2007
I love classic shooters. You know, like R-Type, Thunder Force, and all that stuff. Gradius, however, i've never really liked. The only one that ever held my interest was Gradius Gaiden, and even then, I never put it up on the same level as modern classics as Radiant Silvergun and R-Type Delta.
However, for this installment, Konami got Treasure(Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun) to produce this game. And it does show! Honestly, I kind of felt like I was playing the shooter genre's last hurrah. I haven't seen any shooters that had this kind of oomph since this was released, and the classic shooter genre is pretty much dead. Too bad really, since they are a blast to play.
This game has very good graphics for what it's going for. It's basically trying to give you a 2-D game with polygonal graphics. Everything is about the same size as it used to be, and there isn't any 3-D gaming to be found here. The game has a nice look to it, and the enemies are well detailed, as are the backgrounds. The explosions look really good too.
Gameplay is where it counts, and this is where it shines the most. It's very classic, but the various ways you can up your ship and the amazing level design really make the difference. I really can't stress how cool the level design is in this game. It's what makes it really stand out for me. Stages spin around, go backwards, and entire screens filled up with asteroids while you just are barely able to get a path through. Really tough, but still very cool.
Some fans of Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun don't like this one as much. I've never been the biggest fan of Ikaruga, but Radiant Silvergun was great. One of the best. This game stands in the same area of those games(even though I like it much better than Ikaruga), and should be very impressive to those who like this type of game.
A great looking, inventive, and very long shooter. Don't hesitate to pick this one up.
 Rhapsody in Blue August 17, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Let's get something straight right now. In my opinion, Ikaruga is the single greatest shooter ever (and I've played plenty). In terms of timing, graphics, music, and overall feel, it was everything that a shooter should be. So naturally, when Treasure finally got around to their next major release stateside, and it being a take on the brillaint Gradius to boot (the first Gradius for the NES is my favorite side-scrolling shooter), I was giddy with anticipation. The question is, is this another Ikargua, or another game like those mediocre Gradius sequels that came down the pike over the years?
Vic Viper T301
The first thing people are probably going to notice about this game is the option options (or multiples as they are now called). From the get-go you have four configurations to choose from, each with advantages and disadvantages. Later on (after you've beaten the game) you'll get configuration options for your major weapon as well as your secondary weapon (missles and the like). While this seems like a good idea in practice, as far as actual gameplay goes in my opinion this makes things too complex, leading to your preferring just one style, and then being crippled in the more difficult stages when the weakness of that style is exploited (in contrast to Ikaruga where it was all just a matter of timing and reflexes, here you can die repeatedly simply because you can't shoot behind you or destroy the overwhelming amount of enemies on the screen before they crash into you).
Let's Roll!
On the subject of gameplay this shooter is nothing if not diverse. It starts out similar to the first Gradius games in terms of level design, and then breaks away to become something else entirely at times (the level of green foggy liquid comes to mind). While the levels and bosses that pay tribute to the first Gradius game (my favorite moment in the entire game was when you fight a boss {second level third boss I think} who fires rows of tightly packed blue energy straight at you while an awesome remix of the music from the first Gradius plays) are a ton of fun and promise great gameplay to come, some of the levels in this game felt frustrating and just plain bizzare to me (again that green liquid, and get a load of the bug level ARGH!). Don't get me wrong, the level design is good, and the gameplay is good, I was just expecting something closer to amazing from the guys who brought us Ikaruga.
Impossible. There must be some mistake.
And then there's the music, the graphics, and the overall spectacle that are so important in a shooter. To be honest, while the graphics are beautiful, they rarely wow in the same way that the graphics in Ikaruga did. Green ooze and bugs just don't do it for me. The explosions are great, and the bosses again are wonderfully diverse, but there aren't that many truly great bosses where your strengths and their make for an epic battle (again, those bosses in the second level were probably the best in the game). When I think of how the last level of Ikaruga had you showered in blue energy, reflecting massive amounts of energy back at one of the bosses, just dodging and absorbing the final boss' energy and then doing a suicide attack, the final level of this game where you go back into the enemy craft to destroy the second of two brains feels incredibly weak by comparison. But then again...
I guess I have no choice.
If you're a big fan of side-scrollers you should probably at least give this game a rent. It had beautiful graphics, interesting gameplay, and lots of customization after you've beat it (tons of weapons options to select from). And let's face it, side-scrollers aren't exactly coming out every month like they are in Japan. If you desperately need a side-scrolling shotoer, this just might be your golden ticket. Just don't go expecting another Ikaruga or Radiant Silvergun (or even another game like the first Gradius), because you won't find it here.
best shooter I've ever played June 20, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Real shooters aren't made any more. There's the 2 Contra games, but no spread gun = not real Contra. I've played some new stuff like Soul Caliber and Zelda The Windwaker but I didn't think they were that fun. The problem with new games is developers make them for "escape" which is the favorite reason they give in interviews, whatever it means. They should be making them fun. I thought I was getting too old for video games, until I played this.
----WEAPONS: Your default weapon is the usual wimpy machine gun, the upgrade is a laser(and some other stuff that I don't care much for that you earn by beating the game) and up to 5 options(like Life Force), and 4 different formations you can put them in. I use the directional formation where you aim your options kinda like Smash TV, except you can't move while you aim. I would have preffered the Smash TV way though.
----- LEVELS: Crazy level design. Outer space, inside spaceships, inside aliens.The further you go the more you'll be chuckling at the creativity. You have to dodge the levels themselves, with cool added challenges like your ships speed, direction, artificial gravity, and magnetism. There's stuff inspired from games like Life Force and some stuff will make you think of the movie Galaxy Quest, if you've seen it(it's funny). The enemies and levels are almost one in the same.
----- ENEMIES: Some times all hell breaks out and your shooting and dodging every thing, but the game also demands pinpoint accuracy especially the bosses. There are many types of enemies, more than I feel like describing. Basically how it works is some times it feels like the level's attacking you and sometimes boss after boss attacks you.
----- CONTROLS: Your ships speed when fully powered is perfect, very responsive. It's your own fault if you get shot.
----- MUSIC: Excellent music. Some tunes are worth recording. It'll make you feel like a hero.
Definitely play this game.
I'm not a Playa, I Just Fly with a Limp. May 3, 2005
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Here's the low-down. That biological menace that assailed your people once upon a moon (in previous Gradius entries) is back again. It apparently respawned in space, grew itself an appendage army, and is coming to blow your planet a goodnight kiss. Armed with your Vic Viper, you aren't going to take it lying down. Nope, its war, baby, and you're packing heat.
If you're tuning in for a fifth installation to the series, you have probably gotten the gist of the game by now and have the combat controls down. If you haven't, the concept is really simple. (1) You side-scroll (although it's a shame to call such tasty graphics side-scrolling) and attack enemies, to the point where the sky seems to sometimes erupt into bullets. So, you have to perfect your flying abilities and you have to be calm when playing. This, after all, isn't a game you walk through without testing the proverbial waters. It's a game you have to play. While many newer-series games aren't as technical about how close you can get to something, Gradius is very unforgiving when it comes to close-quarters killing and how good you have to be. You have a lot of boards that make you assail enemies in a variety of positions, and sometimes the ground doesn't sit still and take it. In this assault you have two basic types of projectiles (a) biological and (b) projectile. Biological(s) aren't bad but they can get heavy, but you can take them out with special weapons like multiples (to be discussed) easily. A projectile can either be stopped by a shield you've acquired or left to run its own course. (2) The game is all about timing. A lot of enemies that you run into have gimmicks, and you simply have to figure them out. It's an old concept that is beautiful, and it can be hard if you expect instant gratification. Some boards are like flying into a tempest and some bosses are like facing planets with a gnat, but remember that you aren't doing it for you. You're doing it to save your people! (3) You don't go it without weapons. In this installation you have four types of combinations, and they're quite good. I'm a Type 4, with rotating multiples, because they work like a secondary shield against biological weapons. You can get alot of stuff like that, four multiples, lasers, missiles, shields, so you pack heat. And so does the enemy.
This game touts some improvements that I liked alot. First, you have multiples that respond to movement really well. Like I said, I like Type 4 because they rotate and rotate well, working with the R1 button depressed and actually aligning if you tap the R1 button. So, you can not only gain and extra shield but also focus the firepower of five lasers rather easily. And you can use the multiples as weapons themselves because they do not die. Second, death is not "disarming." The options wait around for you and let you grab them again and that's a good thing. Five weapons on higher boards is sometimes the only way to weave through the maze of bullets and horror. Third, the enemies were fun. Some were complex and some were a pain, and they don't always attack the same way. So, that factor is lovely. I personally love the feeling of kneecapping a juggernaut that looks like it can't be taken on, slowly picking it apart while it futilely fires enough weaponry to level galaxies at me. Fourth, a person wanting to simply continue can do so, earning continues until the game will allow you to see it all. That's good for novice players that don't want to hone the energy required to beat the game in one set of lives. Fifth, and something I don't use, it is two-player simultaneous.
Now you know. So take the information and shove it to an army that's sitting on a shelf laugh at you, thinking you don't have what it takes. You'll be pleased when you watch those babies burn.
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