Post by soop on Sept 6, 2018 8:42:32 GMT
Here it is, we're officially halfway through the knockout stages, and I get to stop writing crappy reviews after these two!
Gradius II, the only other of the series to make the cut aside from Parodius, is more of the same from the now established Konami franchise. This is a faithful CD conversion of the arcade game, and actually features some impressive graphics, I'm fairly sure are identical to the arcade. This time you get to choose different weapon configurations, a feature which would carry forward through the series. The PC Engine version also features an extra stage and multiple endings, making it arguably the superior version of the game. As always though, Gradius is very hard, so it's one for the hardcore.
And the last game of the first group stage is the first ever PC Engine game - quite some feat for a game as old as the console itself to get to the top 64. This is a conversion of Sega's Wonderboy in Monster Land, and it's a really accurate one too. The only differences being some of the sprites were changed to match another franchise for reasons I can't explain. Still, the colour and music are spot on here. This marks a change from the arcade style platforming of previous games, and introduces a less frenetic exploratory style, with secrets, shops, and stat-boosting equipment. It's hard to say what this is similar to, since I think it might be a progenitor of this style of game. But all said and done, it's a fantastic conversion, and I feel like it's stood the test of time, despite a fairly basic look.
* fun fact, Bikkuriman World features a sword called Gradius. Coincidence?
Gradius II, the only other of the series to make the cut aside from Parodius, is more of the same from the now established Konami franchise. This is a faithful CD conversion of the arcade game, and actually features some impressive graphics, I'm fairly sure are identical to the arcade. This time you get to choose different weapon configurations, a feature which would carry forward through the series. The PC Engine version also features an extra stage and multiple endings, making it arguably the superior version of the game. As always though, Gradius is very hard, so it's one for the hardcore.
And the last game of the first group stage is the first ever PC Engine game - quite some feat for a game as old as the console itself to get to the top 64. This is a conversion of Sega's Wonderboy in Monster Land, and it's a really accurate one too. The only differences being some of the sprites were changed to match another franchise for reasons I can't explain. Still, the colour and music are spot on here. This marks a change from the arcade style platforming of previous games, and introduces a less frenetic exploratory style, with secrets, shops, and stat-boosting equipment. It's hard to say what this is similar to, since I think it might be a progenitor of this style of game. But all said and done, it's a fantastic conversion, and I feel like it's stood the test of time, despite a fairly basic look.
* fun fact, Bikkuriman World features a sword called Gradius. Coincidence?