| paleface [sys=NES; cat=Shooter_Horiz; reg=J] |
| | | Japan-only; Wikipedia says "The game was first ported to the Family Computer in 1988 and was never released outside Japan. Presumably this was due to the fact that the Famicom version employed a custom memory mapper dubbed the VRC4,[1] which enhanced some of the game's graphics and sounds, such as animation and voices, thus converting the game to a standard memory mapper (as Konami later did with Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) would have been too time-consuming (since the original Gradius was not as popular overseas as it was in Japan)."
Wikipedia doesn't say why it would have to be converted to "standard" for the NES; https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/Mapper says "The Famicom sent its audio through the cartridge port to allow the cartridge to mix in additional channels; the NES does not without modification"--maybe that's why?
It's a different game than the MSX's Gradius 2 (see entry 1907)--but like that one, faster default movement speed than NES Gradius (I), and infinite continues (Gradius I NES has no continues, I think?). |
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| | | From https://tcrf.net/Castlevania_III:_Dracula%27s_Curse/Regional_Differences#Gameplay_.28JP_to_US.29 , more on this sort of custom Konami chip--another game of theirs, Akumajou Dracula, used a later version of their custom chip, and required conversion for the NES (as Castlevania III), not least because Nintendo "did not allow third party developers to manufacture their own cartridges outside Japan" (but was okay for Famicom!) at that time:
"Akumajou Densetsu was the debut game for Konami's VRC6 memory mapper, as well as the VRC6's marquee title (since only two other games ever used it; both of them relatively obscure). In addition to bank switching (a standard feature for any mapper), the VRC6 supports three additional sound channels for in-game BGM: two square wave channels with extended duty-cycle support (compared to the NES/Famicom's APU), and one sawtooth channel. Combined with the Famicom's built-in 5-channel sound, this allowed Akumajou Densetsu to have a rich 8-channel BGM soundtrack, a technical feat matched by only a few other Famicom games.
When Akumajou Densetsu was localized into Castlevania III, it was ported to Nintendo's top-of-the-line MMC5 mapper. At the time, Nintendo did not allow third party developers to manufacture their own cartridges outside Japan, disqualifying the VRC6, since it was developed by Konami in-house. The MMC5 does in fact support three extra sound channels of its own, but sadly, these are of no use in an NES game, as only the Famicom allowed audio pass-through from a cartridge. (The MMC5 was probably chosen because it is the only Nintendo-designed mapper which supports the same bank switching modes as the VRC6, a trait which would have greatly simplified the porting process.) |
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| | | " (--oops left that off) Based on the arcade Gradius II.
There's a smallish hole through the cart near the upper left corner. Wear it on a necklace or bracelet! (Or hang it from a string or lanyard in used game shops? I don't know.) |
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WARNING: the boss at the 30 minute mark triggers intense screen-flashing FX!
Playing through Gradius II for Famicom, in the emulator Mesen in Windows!
This seemed pretty hard so even though it has unlimited continues I just save-scummed the whole darn thing instead of like letting myself die at the start of each new stage. = P
There's a quite long boss rush fairly early on in this, sheesh! Some rough yellow screen flash FX from one of 'em, too. Oh and a tentacled one where I had to figure out that hitting diagonals on the controller moves you a lot faster (like you can do with circle-strafing in Doom ; D) 'cause otherwise it might've taken a Speed powerup to beat them. : P
Although not long after that I DID have to buy a speed powerup to get through a narrow diagonal tunnel thing it whooshes you through, bleh! : P
I'd accumulated 40 lives by the time I wanted to end it at the start of the 2nd loop! 30 of 'em came in this weird sequence near the end where the UI disappeared, a creepy boss crept out, I got 'em, then the UI came back with 30 more lives added on! = oo (GameFAQs says you can also get 30 with the Konami code at the title screen. Hm there's also a "Max out abilities" code you can use "once per level," it says.) |
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