Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 тра 2022
- Check out our website, UCanBeatVideoGames.com for announcements, episode lists, and official merchandise!
ucanbeatvideogames.com/
Join our Patreon! / ucanbeatvideogames
Episode 79
One of the most notoriously difficult games for the NES, Gradius was so difficult that the famous Konami Code was invented just to make this game easier to test! This was the game that defined the side scrolling shooter genre, and its legacy continues to this day.
So how did this classic find its way into our Nintendos? In this video we'll find out, then we'll dive deep into the game play where we'll learn:
* How to beat ALL SEVEN Stages!
* Strategies for powering up quickly, even without the Konami Code!
* The SECRET of the game's WARP ZONES - Learn how to get ahead fast!
* How to unlock RAPID FIRE, so you can blast enemies quickly!
* ALL of the game's SECRET CODES - The Konami Code isn't the only one!
* Where to every find HIDDEN 1-UP and secret cache of points!
* Easy ways to beat every boss, even the Big Core Bosses... AND MORE!
Thanks for watching!
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." - Ігри
Always appreciate the history lessons and contexts behind every game you cover. If you ever decide to make a second channel that exclusively dives into the history of games or the companies behind them, I'll be there in a heartbeat.
As always, thank you for all your hard work.
It’s funny how this game introduced me to the concept of calling small, flying slave discs “options” and I used it for the rest of my life never really questioning how little sense that makes.
Glad I’m not the only one xD
Gradius was, and still is, one of my favourite all time games. And you weren't wrong when you talk about "fluking your way into one of the first 2 warp zones". I managed to fluke my way into the first warp zone the very first time I played it, and could never do it again.
11:35 If you have the Shield, Laser and one Option, position the ship so that the Option is just above the Volcano on the left. If you fire fast enough, barely any Volcano rocks will fly up because your Option will neutralize the left Volcano. This will also rack up thousands of points very quickly..
He also missed the trick to position Vic Viper between the boss's firing shots. Vic Viper can fit between the shots, and you can do the trick he does in more places with that knowledge. Man this game was my jam back in the day!!!!
My power-up routine goes like this: two Speed-ups at the start, then Laser so you can one-shot groups of Fans for more power-up capsules easier, next is the Missile, and finally Options and Shield. Speaking of Shield, despite what you see in the game, it protects your whole ship from six hits. In the arcade original, Shield is really only a protection from the frontal attacks and can be depleted very quickly by touching the solid ground, usually when negotiating through narrow passageways.
Same, you really need the two speeds at first, otherwise the ship is just WAY too slow.
I played this on NES Classic. Takes extreme practice due to the atrocious difficulty. But once you get good, it does become decently fun.
This has become my adult replacement for Saturday morning cartoons. Absolutely love this channel and all you do! A big Thanks to you and Kylo!
I only managed to activate the warp zone once. Back in the day I read online that they were all accessed by beating the big core quickly enough. Good to finally know how they actually work.
You know a game is tough when the programmers added TWO cheat codes.
Also, I just beat MegaMan 1 and 4 thanks to your guide, my man! The only one missing for me is MegaMan 6, your guides are always amazing! Maybe I'll give this one a try. I have beaten gradius 3 on the SNES, so I know how unforgiving these games are
Beated is not a word. Stop it!
@@Animebryan2 funny, I've seen more people use beated than beat.
Thanks for the correction!
I really enjoy your short history lessons at the beginning of your videos. They are super interesting. Thanks for doing these
I'd like to still request Earthworm Jim for the Genesis. This game is brutally difficult and oddly charming in its on way.
Love your work!
It was on SNES as well. I remember struggling with an underwater part and the heck levels. The sequel seemed a bit more forgiving.
I'd like to see the Sega CD version if possible. I've been asking for him to do Little Samson on the NES for the past 7 months, but each week.....
@@furiousapplesack
There's a missing level in the SNES version so I was thinking the Genesis was a more complete version.
@@brockhard3555
That game has the best worst ending.
I had both Genesis and SNES, and was wayyyyy more a SNES guy, but yeah, absolutely, EARTHWORM JIM was better on Genesis... and of course, all the sports games and Mortal Kombat better on Genesis too ...
I was also a big Sega CD fan, so I always kept my Genesis around...
Dragon's Lair
Mansion of Hidden Souls (very underrated, and if u can overlook the TERRIBLE voice overs, you got a really intricate, spooky, problem solving game that got better the further you got, and has one of the scariest, most unexpected moments of any game I ever played... if anyone reading this knows, uhhhhh..HALLWAY GOLEM, anyone lol??? Sucks, I can't "relive" that thru a walkthrough video, cuz they don't die in those vids, just breeze right thru... but it got me, whomever I showed that to, and the VERY few friends who also played it...)
and I believe yet another rather underrated game, but I have yet to meet/chat with someone who HAS played: THE THIRD WORLD WAR on Sega CD, and not absolutely LOVED IT .... actually playing out your invasion battles definitely saved it from being a tedious, monotonous strategy game... and when all else fails, NUKE EM! ("get them before they get you!" 😉)
I had grown up with Lifeforce and Gradius 3 and loved them. I never played the original until I was an adult and was stunned at how difficult it was. This guide should give me the means to finally add this one to my list of beaten games 🙂
As soon as I finish watching a new episode of UCBVG, I eagerly await the next one! Thanks so much for putting these out each and every week.
Had Gradius on my 110 game cartridge, also a "Super" version with all the power ups at all time. One of my favorite for sure! I had no clue that the Konami code worked for it, it would have helped a lot for sure.
Never played this game. Now I must! I love the background!
This is another great classic SHMUP by Konami. In my opinion Gradius and the other games in the series and sequels are some of the best SHMUPs ever. That't just me though. This Gradius game, Gradius II, Gradius III, IV and V are just so good to play. Despite the difficulty they're very rewarding games.
This one looked tough. Well done
Still love this game even today on the switch. So many days at Pizza Hut playing between drinks and my pizza 🍕 being served.
Gradius composer Miki Higashino titled Stage 1 teme "Challenger 1985." You know he was paying homage. Another fun fact... Konami released a Famicom only game called Moai Kun. There a solo Moai is the protagonist in a puzzle based adventure.
Cannot start my Saturdays without watching you!! It's become a ritual.
Gradius is bullet hell before there were bullet hell games. You do not know what a hard space shooting game is until you have played this. This and Ghost 'n Goblins are the hardest NES games. A lot of people do not even know that there is a 2nd level to Gradius because they never made it past the 1st level. So much random stuff coming at you all at once, and how under-powered your ship is. You need every option and every laser upgrade that you can get your hands on. Lifeforce is another game on the NES that is very similar to Gradius that is very hard as well. So very easy to get a game over in Lifeforce. But at least on Lifeforce, it is somewhat fair. You get more chances at powerups in that game, unlike Gradius where you have to struggle for any powerup at all. If there was ever a game where you absolutely needed invincibility, it is definitely Gradius. If you can beat Gradius without any cheat codes and without The Konami Code, you are a NES master.
Lifeforce/Salamander is easier due to the fact that it uses a different revival system and potentially having a buddy to give you a hand (but it also features the live stealing system from Contra), Gradius games uses the checkpoint revival system, however in Gradius Gaiden if you are in a 2 player game it uses the Salamander revival system instead, in Gradius V the game by default uses the Salamander revival system for single player (EVEN if you have to use a continue you restart on the same spot you died instead of the start of the stage or checkpoint), but yeah, Lifeforce/Salamander despite that is not a walk in the park, is still hard, bur feels fair somehow.
Actually Gradius isn’t remotely “bullet hell”. While Gradius is SUPER difficult, actual bullet hell games are notable for how many bullets they have on screen. Gradius doesn’t really have many. Bullet hells are also notable for becoming a self mockery by having the player have a tiny bit box and then putting stupid amounts of bullets on screen to appear more difficult than it really is.
@@PikangsFutaba honestly I always thought Life Force was alot harder than Gradius. Sure the revival system is better in Life Force but I think I never actually beat Life Force without the Konami Code.
Wow! There’s a lot of hidden stuff I didn’t know was in Gradius!
I’d love to see Life Force and Abadox future videos, as well as Metalstorm!
Abadox is underrated. Really freaking hard.
I could never get behind the Laser in Gradius games. Double always worked better for me.
The armor piercer in Gradius IV was powerful, I would sometimes choose that over the laser.
I find this game much harder than Contra. Yet Gradius seems to not get it's well deserved invitation to most top 10 hardest NES game lists. While Contra often does. I believe it might be because that Silver Surfer (A even harder scrolling shooter) gets to fill it's spot.
I think the nes gradius doesn’t get a lot of attention at all because it’s just one of many versions and not the best by any means.
I agree. Gradius is much harder because recovery after dying is near impossible. Contra anyway, despite being hard, is nowhere near top 10 hardest nes game. Contra is pretty generous of extra lives and recovery is very possible as long as you being careful.
This game reminds me of Chinese food. One Friday after school I played Gradius 3 for SNES. After my mom got off work that day she took me eat out at Peking Chinese restaurant for the evening buffet.
I am more excited for this video than I rightly should be. AAAALLLLLRRRIIIIGGGHHHHTTTT!
I rarely insta-like a video but Gradius is one of the best games on the NES. Even as someone who can 1CC it without the code I appreciate the hard work! Thank you!
After 33 years, I finally beat Gradius this morning. Thank you! I never thought of switching to "double" for the final stage.
Congratulations!! This was one of the hardest games ive done a guide for.
I thought it was pronounced "Grey-di-us" 🤣
I didn't know this game had warp zones...then again, I never really got past the first area much when I was little!
Great video!
There’s not really an official pronunciation. Arguably, it’s actually meant to be “Gladius”, as in the Roman sword. But the “r”/“l” Japanese “Engrish” phenomenon has it being translated as a “Gradius”. But you will find support and rebuttal for that theory online.
But, generall, no matter what the “long a” pronunciation would be less correct than other alternatives.
@@JazGalaxythat same r/l thing is also why Nelo Angelo's name in the original Devil May Cry was spelled the way it is
Nice walkthrough! Never knew this game was where the Konami Code was introduced in! [as opposed to Contra]
I'll use all the hints and tips for whenever I play Gradius, and make good use of those Options! Keep'em coming, U Can Beat Video Games!
Like number 103 and comment 30. You are The Game Master hands down.
The manual says this about enemy fire (paraphrased): The enemy will always target where you were if you're moving. This makes it fairly easy to kite enemy fire to one spot and then dodge around it. Once you master this, you don't need the early shield. Whenever I cleared the game, I would usually get speed, speed, missile, laser, option, option, in that order. If I'm super lucky, I'll have grabbed every capsule and had enough for the shield. I get the laser early because it mows down crowds of enemies.
Once I have that, I have enough to cruise through the game and occasionally re-charge my shield, except in the Moai and the final stage where I switch to the double gun (too many enemies shooting from both above and forward, harder to position options up top rather than letting the double guns shoot them).
Volcano "boss": The manual suggests you have 2 options, missiles, and the laser, and position your ship right above the volcanoes with the options above you. This is perfectly safe even without a shield (this is why I get the shield last), the missiles will rain down on your ship and destroy any incoming boulders. It's much safer to deal with both volcano "bosses" this way, because the laser just mows everything down.
Zub Rush: Use a similar formation to the one described above, and let the missile barrage from the options defend you. This should take care of 99% of the incoming Zubs.
Motherships and "Meatballs": The manual recommends using your options to take these out as you can "ram" enemies with options. The ramming itself won't do anything, but it keeps your ship from ramming the enemy while your options destroy it.
Whenever your shield turns red (around 27:00), that means it's got one hit left. If there are capsules around, you should deliberately take one enemy hit and immediately recharge, because the enemy will start firing several shots a second towards the latter stages, and you want that shield topped up at all times. Capsules are easy after the "meatball" stage.
Nucleus boss: You can shoot this boss' projectiles, so you can position yourself like for the volcano bosses above (options above) towards the middle of the left side of the screen, right behind the lip of the lower ledge.
YES!!! I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO BEATING THIS GAME!!!
This was the first game I bought with my NES. I got the basic, basic version. Didn't even come with SMB.
The only warp I knew how to active was from 3 (my favorite level) to 5. I always four 4 harder than 5.
35 years later this game seems so much simpler....many a stuffed animal spent time flying out of frustration playing this game. Either way I always came back for more. Easley my favorite game.
Yes!!! I love shmups and this is one of the best. Thanks for adding this.
Same.im a cotton addict
gradius is a very "nintendo power" kinda game. cool to see all those secrets put so concisely, and with some fun dev history to boot!
Man for sure you come out with these bangers week after week. This is one of my favorite games
Fantastic share! Appreciate you covering Gradius!
Always great quality videos with quality information!!! TYVM!!!!
Man you are the best guide out there !!! thank you so much !
23:56 Funny you mentioned Stage 5 "may be the most difficult stage in the game." As a kid, I actually found it the easiest, probably because it lagged so much, it made it easier to dodge the bullets. There also aren't any walls or ground in that stage, so you can't get insta-killed as easily as in the other stages. It's the really crowded stages that I find the most difficult.
Dude, I just wanted to say thank you very much for this channel. I have beaten most of these games in the 80's but it's awesome to see again.
Really happy I found this channel!
The first and only video game my mom beat…she was addicted.
Ive played Gradius back when I was young in the 90s, and played some during college days, and wow, I didnt know most of the secrets you mentioned. Great video man. You earned a sub from me.
Love your work!
I had Gradius 3 on the SNES. One of my favorite games. I could play through Very Easy to very Hard with one life.
Great! I really need that rapid fire tips and glad I found it. I already beat this game legit, but my thumbs are sore as the result. Really loved your channel!
When I was a kid playing Gradius, I accidentally pressed speed up after I defeated the first boss. Then it warped up. I thought that was a secret. I told my friends about that and showed them. I tried it again and it didn’t work. I tried a lot of times and still didn’t work. My friends said I was lying but I could not lie with my eyes! I got my redemption when the internet was born and this video as well!
Oh Yeah! I beat Gradius just now! Thanks! Can't wait for the next game!
Oh Yeah!! Another awesome choice! I loved this game. I haven't looked forward to Saturday mornings since I was kid. It's like getting a new favorite episode every Saturday
Oh man, what a classic. I remember playing this way back in the 80s. Thanks for the guide!
love your content! Keep up the amazing work.
Gradius is one of my favourite games from my childhood and ive only recently started playing it again but playing with an xbox joypad is no good and im useless. Ive now ordered a comp pro and i cant wait , no excuses !!!!
Love this game! Nice work!
Well your up ten thousand more subscribers since last week and you definitely have earned every single one
I loved this game as a kid and enjoyed being able to take Nemesis with me on the go with the GB. Such great games!
Honestly, I really just wanted to see how to clear the volcanoes. I've only ever passed it by luck and I was certain there had to be a safe spot. The volcanoes in Gradius III are way easier with the rotating options and charge lasers ToT
Amazing. Love your videos - they keep getting better. Hope you do one on Bucky O'Hare. It was a favorite of mine as a kid and I still can't beat it.
This was one game that I had to use the cheat code to beat it. Never could do it the usual way!
Gradius II is one of the few retro games I wasn't able to beat but I luv playing it so much despite the insane difficulty. I was able to beat Life Force/Salamder without cheats but Gradius is on a whole other level!
I didn't know the famous cheat code started with Gradius. I always thought Contra started it. 😋
Gradius 2 is one of my all time favorite games. I really hope you cover that one some day! 🥰
Your channel is amazing. Keep it up
Very cool, thanks! 👍
Gettin close to 100k buddy keep it up!!
One of my favorite games
It’s always a good day when puppy Kylo uploads a UCBVG video. 🤘🏼
At the volcano where those "rocks"fly all over the place, it's actually easier if you get a laser power up and just position the multiples over the volcanoes, they essentially "spawnkill" the rocks that come to fly. In stage 2, just before the zub rush starts (15:44), in that middle isle of rocks there is that small space, try to graze somewhere in it( I forgot how I did it ), there's also a free 1up in there.
I am from the islands and as a kid I liked playing this game because it had islander statues in space.
I have actually beaten this game--it just took a thousand save states to do it. I still prefer Gun Nac; you get more power-ups and the game just feels easier, or at least manageable.
I never played gradius when I was a kid but did play Life Force a lot when Gradius 3 came out on super Nintendo I played the hell out of that game.
holy shit lifeforce was a sequel and I never knew it. That's why the game is so amazing!
Cool, I've been playing Gradius 3 and 4 on the PS2 lately! I love the game on the playstation, the graphics are great even today.
I've never thought I would be able to beat Gradius, but thanks to your guide I managed to finally do it! Great job, you're the best when it comes to game strategies! BTW have you considered to do a guide on Life Force / Salamander?
Love your Dog, love your videos. Keep it up!
Gradius is a game I DEFINITELY prefer running in an emulator because you can just save state at the beginning of every stage rather than have to try to enter the continue code. It's a huge accessibility boost for those of us who have difficulty with remembering "did I push a or b last" and IMO isn't cheating because it just does something that could be done anyway (now saving state "wherever you wanted" would be, and not exactly the best idea anyway with some of the ways you can get stuck)
BTW, I also recommend emulators (if one has a legal copy of course) for pretty much any game that relied on the password save system, had no saves/continues at all, or that only had one save location (looking at you, Dragon Quest 1 and Zelda 2). Yes, technically it may make the game easier but it's a huge anti-frustration feature that simply fixes a problem that was originally unfixable (or inherited from the arcade payment-encouragement model)
This can even turn nigh-unplayable nightmares (again cough Zelda 2 cough) into interesting games where you can actually explore/get into the gameplay, or at least playable.
Also, while this part would immediately disqualify a competitive run because it *is* cheating - if you're just playing for fun, I recommend doing it for games that have That One Sequence (clunky platforming in a JRPG where sheer luck can make you fail? A series of rhythm-linked button presses where if you miss a beat you lose out on a really good item? A boss rush where you've defeated 3 of 5 already but aren't certain where you stand on making it all the way? Etc) because saving state right before the sequence really does remove the "why am I doing this over 100 times just to get there and fail again I HATE THIS GAME" factor.
This is a step up from Chip and Dale difficulty wise for sure.
The Konami Code is also referenced in the movie Wreck It Ralph because you see the Candy King/Turbo inputting the thing in at one point
I've never seen the warpzone, so this was really new to me! Also, I didn't even know that the Moai statues could be defeated (which is probably why I never saw the warpzone lol). I rarely got by the Moai stage, thank you for all the neat tips and tricks!
Great video
I hope you do Life Force and Abadox one day in the future! Great video. I love Gradius. There are so many obscure gems in the space shooter genre on the NES.
way to show some awesome skill in this game. Unlike a lot of games,(link metroid,) this game takes some real play time and skill to master. good job.
Great game. Beat it a few times as a teen. I always assumed Life Force was part 2 and Gradius III on SNES was the 3rd entry. Konami should have released the second Gradius here as well.
I think they marketed life force as gradius 2. Maybe I’m making that up thoughz
@@JazGalaxy you should check gradius 2 on famicom. That game is really great
You can get Gradius 3 and 4 on one disc for the PS2, graphics and gameplay are incredible!
If you're talking about the Gradius 2 that's called Vulcan Venture in America, the arcade version is on one of the Konami anniversary collections
Loved this game as a kid, i was surprised to hear it's considered a harder game. We had a video store that had this game and if you could beat the owners hi score you'd get a free rental. I took that man to the free rental cleaners haha.
You just made all my childhood frustration look so damn easy in less than 35 min.
I'd love to see you do Legend of the Ghist Lion on Nes
There are actually 6 loops in the game but all that changes is a single word you get at the end.
Ending Text. Translation
1 KANGEKI! Impressive!
2 OMIGOTO! Bravo!
3 NIKUI NIKUI! Amazing!
4 ANTAWA SUGOI! You're incredible!
5 MIAGETAMONDA Admirable!
6 IUKOTONAINE! I have no words!
Well done as always. I could never beat this one.
thanks to you....im looking forward to gradius 3 on the snes
Thanks bud, I never go to stage 2 in that game. I'll have to try again now
Awesome!
I first played this in '87, and just got past the volcano things for the first time ever, today.
Closest I ever came to playing this game was the mini game in Blades of Steel.
Yeah, I definitely encountered that mini game (and Life Force) well before Gradius itself. I'm semi-surprised he didn't mention the Blades of Steel mini game in historical portion of the video.
This is my Saturday morning cartoons now
for a somewhat small niche of people, I think it's safe to say we all look forward to you releases. Except when I see its Gameboy ;)
It's awesome seeing gradius 1 and that it was on the nes thanks for the interesting info on it, the only one I ever played was gradius 3 on the snes and it had 2 menus pre set power ups and choosing your own power ups I would pick rotating option and reduce making your ship tiny
You can get Gradius 3and 4 for the PS2, it's on 1 disc.
When I was a kid it wasn't called the "Konami code," it was called the Contra code. The only kids who knew were I grew up were the kids who got nintendo power. I didn't learn of this code until the magazine I read at a friend's house was old and saw it in the classified info section.
Man, I wish I had this kinda of playthrough when I was in pre school years. I got this game when I was 4 (because my uncle likes to play famicom). I just couldn't pass level 3 and felt so bad about myself.
I have the nes classic mini, and I have this game, I also have the turbo graphics 16 mini, this also includes gradius which is a first Superior version