Firstopen: 2000/05/31
Lastupdate: 2000/06/28
Lastupdate: 2000/09/29
Lastupdate: 2000/10/16

Game Information

GRADIUS IV FUKKATSU
(C) KONAMI & KCET 1999, 2000
KCET=KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOYKO
Release: 2000/04/13
Platform: PlayStation 2 (GRADIUS III AND IV)
Storage: CD-ROM
Barcode: 4 988602 739374
Play Select: 1-2 Players
Continue: Optional (not available in the last stage, except below the Medium game level)
Game Mode: 1 Player, 2 Players, Hi-Score Try, Option Mode
Hidden Mode: Boss Rush Mode, Stage Select

Powerup Gauge: Speed Up | Missile | Double | Laser | Option | ?
Maximum level of Speed Up: 5
Maximum level of Missile: 1
Maximum level of Double: 1
Maximum level of Laser: 1
Maximum level of Option: 4
Maximum level of Barrier: 1

Total number of stage: 9
HI: 57300 H.M

Option Mode

Please visit this page for the Option Mode section.

Power Meter Select

TYPE 01: SPEEDUP | MISSILE | DOUBLE | LASER | OPTION
TYPE 02: SPEEDUP | SPREAD BOMB | TAILGUN | LASER | OPTION
TYPE 03: SPEEDUP | PHOTON TORPEDO | DOUBLE | RIPPLE LASER | OPTION
TYPE 04: SPEEDUP | 2-WAY MISSILE | TAILGUN | RIPPLE LASER | OPTION
TYPE 05: SPEEDUP | VERTICAL MINE | DOUBLE | ARMOR PIERCING | OPTION
TYPE 06: SPEEDUP | FLYING TORPEDO | TAILGUN | TWIN LASER | OPTION

BARRIER: SHIELD | FORCE FIELD

Game Ranking

Game Play:
Difficulty:
Background Music:
Sound Effect:
Stage:
Voice:

Screen Shot

Please visit this page for the Screen Shot section 1.

Please visit this page for the Screen Shot section 2.

Staff

Please visit this page for the Staff section.

Stage

Stage 1: Liquid Metal (Easiest)
Stage 2: Plant (Very Easy)
Stage 3: Bubble (Abnormal)
Stage 4: Magma (Medium)
Stage 5: Moai (Medium Hard)
Stage 6: Cell (Hardest)
Stage 7: High Speed (Easy)
Stage 8: Boss Rush (Hard)
Stage 9: Last (Very Hard)

Boss (Information taken from IMO's Webpages)

Stage 1: Chimera
Stage 3: Bubble Core
Stage 6: Belial (noticed from T.Kawanishi)
Stage 7: Rolling Core
Stage 8: Vanishing Core, Big Core Mk-III Kai, Covered Tetran, Planet Core
Stage 9: Bloody Gate, Club, Gofer

Note

This game is 100% Arcade feel. Actually this is most likely that the screen resolution of this version is even higher (more beautiful) than the Arcade one. Besides, slow motion situation showed in the AC version do not apppear in this game. But this make the PS2 version a little bit harder than the AC one.

The most interesting featuring of this release should be the grand new official Internet Ranking of PS2 GRADIUS III & IV (the first Internet Ranking for console Gradius). This is the HI-SCORE TRY mode. In this mode, game difficulties including player's life, game level and extend bonus are fixed (3 Life, First 70000 Then Every 150000) to a factory default. This make the difficulty to a standard. And of course, the full weapon code "up-up-down-down-..." is not available in this mode. Continue is also unavailable. The password screen (like the AC version) will appear after game over. At this time, don't press the START button before you have write down the password together with your score. Use these information to apply your record to the official Internat Ranking of PS2 GRADIUS IV !

In my opinion, the GRADIUS IV will be more perfect if the 3rd stage (Bubble) is not exist, or not in this way. This is because the difficulty of the Bubble stage in this chapter is seems highly unstable/unreasonable which players usually require a lot of luck in handling it. Some unreasonable situations include the extreme/abnormal high speed of Bubbles and floating ice, which the speed can be several (or uncountable) times faster than normal.

Please notice that the official Internet Ranking Contest of GRADIUS III & IV has been ended after the final day on August 31, 2000.

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