The Konami of the early 2000s was simply beautiful (Gradius V, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, MGS 2, MGS 3, and multiple Yu-Gi-Oh, Castlevania, Suikoden, TMNT, and Contra games.
One of the best games of the genre... I have it, and it took me 2 months playing it for 2 to 3 hours a day to finish it.. After this game, it was hard to find anoter shoot em up as good as this one. I downloaded the music of the game...
The music was done by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who also did the music to Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, and even Gauntlet 4. Love him.
I meant more in the style of the graphics. Literally, the way the game looks. The laser effects and explosions are straight out of Ikaruga, and the enemy ship designs are also very similar. It's a very cool and slick look, so it's not a bad thing, but it is a striking similarity.
Up there with the best, this one set a new high water mark for me as far as everything high quality, and yes the best shooter on PS2 hands down.,excellent video btw thank you.
"On of the best games available for your Playstation 2." Truer words could not have been spoken about this game. Absolutely brilliant, from top to bottom.
Mark, just wanted to thank you for the recommendation on this one. My last outing with the Vic Viper was Super Parodius, and this game is amazing looking, has tight control, sounds phenomenal and is hard as hell. Great game. So again. Thanks.
I have been a fan of Gradius for a awhile. This one just blew my mind. I bought it the day it came out. Reserved it too. I knew it would be awesome seeing that Treasure was producing it. I was playing Ikaruga at the time also. Another great game. Thanks for the great review. I bought the soundtrack too. Awesome in every way!
I absolutely adored this game. The only issue I had with it is the levels are quite long and it meant when trying to beat your high score it took me half an hour to get to level 5 or whatever before getting back into the position to top it. If the earlier levels had been a bit snappier I would have been more inclined to persevere with it but too much of a time investment for me in the end.
I'm not a huge Gradius fan outside of maybe Lifeforce but Gradius V is one of Treasure's real masterpieces right up there with Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga.
In these games slowdown is a good thing. It's almost become an inbuilt mechanic of a lot of shmups because when dealing with a screen full of bullets you need a little bit of extra time to work out how to navigate them. People actually get annoyed when a console port of the arcade game fixes the slow down.
my favorite space shooter ever...and I havent even played it...I know because I love gradius its my favorite space shooter series ever and I know that it always improves itself with every single release and this one seems the most refined. Also it was developed by treasure who made another one of my favorite shooters, ikaruga.
When are you going to review Soldner-X 2 for the PS3(available on the PS Store), that game's perfect for CGR, one the most enjoyable SHMUPS I've ever played.
Such a solid entry in the series. One of my favorite games for the PS2. Gradius V whips my ass every time. But, I still keep coming back. Do I have a problem?...
got this not too long ago after playing my friends copy and falling in love with it. funny thing was, playing it kept reminding me of another fav of mine ikaruga. then i found out gradius 5 was devolped by treasure . no wonder.
He didn't meant that in "it predates it and therefore it's borrowing inspiration from". He means it as in "this game FEELS like Einhänder". Which is an opinion I can share. It's slow moving, and it has a lot of emphasis on camera work and creativity. ...you also managed to misspell Parodius and Einhänder in one sentence.
Get "Gradius Collection" for the PSP. This collection features Arcade versions of Gradius 1-4 and Gradius Gaiden. Also pick up Salamander Portable for PSP so you can play Salamander, Life Force, Salamander 2, and XeXeX.
am playing it on emulator right now - it looks friggen amazing ...and bloody hard...just trying to use save states and not die, (or immediately learn from my mistakes)..so hard, but amazing looking game...ESPECIALLY on emulating...it's like the developers had to dumb it down to play on the Ps2..
Chained to the back of Konami's coldest and darkest closet, silently crying in loneness and despair as it hopes and dreams to one day, for the first time, see a glimpse of warm and glorious light... :(
I just can't enjoy this game without having revival start on. It just makes the game actually feel more like Gradius since every previous game sends you back on death.
Unless I were to import (not secure enough IMO, been scammed and they got away with it before, multiple times, so not doing that again) the cheapest I can find on ebay is 89 US dollars (589 swedish kronor), shipping not included. The cheapest one I can find that isn't import is 54 US dollars (356 Swedish kronor) with shipping included and it's second hand from an online store, not ebay. Either way I'm really not willing to pay that much for an old PS2 game, regardless of how rare it is.
It isn't a rare game, but the price on ebay would make you think it were. I was lucky and had a friend who works at Gamestop get me a copy for almost nothing. This game is worth the money even if it is a bit expensive online.
Another game that's sadly literally impossible to find, I've searched for many many years with no luck. I almost got it once from an online site but someone else bought it before me so I got an email saying it was sold out. Maybe one day...
.... ok, ill start the first comment written by a human being. Yeah, Gradius is one of my favourite shmup series (Gaiden and III being my favourites) but l never played Gradius V, finding a pal region copy is really rare and that often means its going to be expensive.
The Konami of the early 2000s was simply beautiful (Gradius V, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, MGS 2, MGS 3, and multiple Yu-Gi-Oh, Castlevania, Suikoden, TMNT, and Contra games.
+SilentHill401 Konami really jumped ship after 2012. Now, we shall forever taunt them with #FucKonami
One of the best games of the genre... I have it, and it took me 2 months playing it for 2 to 3 hours a day to finish it..
After this game, it was hard to find anoter shoot em up as good as this one.
I downloaded the music of the game...
Just did as I was told, by the only internet reviewer whose opinion I actually like.
Bought the game, mate.
The music was done by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who also did the music to Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, and even Gauntlet 4. Love him.
Love your closing comment - i was buying it while the review was playing. You had me at the FMV opening sequence.
Absolutely love this game.. My first game on the PS 2 and childhood game. man.. :,) ill never forget this game
Gradius is one of my favorite series of shooters. Never a dull moment.
I meant more in the style of the graphics. Literally, the way the game looks. The laser effects and explosions are straight out of Ikaruga, and the enemy ship designs are also very similar. It's a very cool and slick look, so it's not a bad thing, but it is a striking similarity.
Up there with the best, this one set a new high water mark for me as far as everything high quality, and yes the best shooter on PS2 hands down.,excellent video btw thank you.
"On of the best games available for your Playstation 2."
Truer words could not have been spoken about this game. Absolutely brilliant, from top to bottom.
Mark, just wanted to thank you for the recommendation on this one. My last outing with the Vic Viper was Super Parodius, and this game is amazing looking, has tight control, sounds phenomenal and is hard as hell.
Great game. So again. Thanks.
Mark is the only human in the world who could review a game like this.
R-Type Final would make for a good follow up review
Thank you for reviewing this game. Love the lovin that the spaceship shooters get from CGR. Gradius V, truly a masterpiece.
love this game, the hours just pass by when I play this. the rotatable options are my favorite too.
This looks like a great game. Have played the series since Nemesis in 1986. Thanks for posting this Mark!
Love the music of Gradius V! (Hitoshi Sakimoto)
I have been a fan of Gradius for a awhile. This one just blew my mind. I bought it the day it came out. Reserved it too. I knew it would be awesome seeing that Treasure was producing it. I was playing Ikaruga at the time also. Another great game. Thanks for the great review. I bought the soundtrack too. Awesome in every way!
I own this game, but have yet to actually get into it. I love Mark's taste in shoot 'em ups. My favorite is Einhander.
I absolutely adored this game. The only issue I had with it is the levels are quite long and it meant when trying to beat your high score it took me half an hour to get to level 5 or whatever before getting back into the position to top it. If the earlier levels had been a bit snappier I would have been more inclined to persevere with it but too much of a time investment for me in the end.
I was wondering when you'd get to this game ever since your ThunderForce 6 review. Good stuff!
I'm not a huge Gradius fan outside of maybe Lifeforce but Gradius V is one of Treasure's real masterpieces right up there with Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga.
I wish Konami would release a HD port of Gradius V on current consoles!
You are like one of the best space ship shooter players i have ever seen
Mark said "Sally fourth" this brings a smile to my face.
This plays pretty much perfectly on the PS2 emulator PCSX2...and it looks incredible with the resolution increased to 1920x1080p.
Best PS2 game I have and ever will play. Nothing else compares in my opinion. More hours on this than Fallout 3. I absolutely LOVE this video game.
In these games slowdown is a good thing. It's almost become an inbuilt mechanic of a lot of shmups because when dealing with a screen full of bullets you need a little bit of extra time to work out how to navigate them. People actually get annoyed when a console port of the arcade game fixes the slow down.
my favorite space shooter ever...and I havent even played it...I know because I love gradius its my favorite space shooter series ever and I know that it always improves itself with every single release and this one seems the most refined. Also it was developed by treasure who made another one of my favorite shooters, ikaruga.
When are you going to review Soldner-X 2 for the PS3(available on the PS Store), that game's perfect for CGR, one the most enjoyable SHMUPS I've ever played.
Looks awesome, but seems to slow down every so often?
Such a solid entry in the series. One of my favorite games for the PS2. Gradius V whips my ass every time.
But, I still keep coming back. Do I have a problem?...
always wondered when you would finally review this one. incase anyone is still in doubt...this game is BOSS!
..."There's a core waiting to be shot." I'm making a Gradius shirt with that quote. Perfect.
I'm not sure that I'd enjoy the background going all over the place when trying to focus on the action.
It exudes awesome!! A true must get..Thanks for another great review!
The 3d trailer for the game at the start of the review is the game I want to play it looks great.
Sturmwind still hasn't been released though, right?
you should really review the red star :D im sure you'll absolutely love it!
This game is a goddamn classic. Mark is right, people should own this gem. Hopefully we get another Gradius game.
got this not too long ago after playing my friends copy and falling in love with it. funny thing was, playing it kept reminding me of another fav of mine ikaruga. then i found out gradius 5 was devolped by treasure . no wonder.
Still waiting for part 2 of the NES Gradius review... :-P
Mark needs to review Soldner-X 2.
He didn't meant that in "it predates it and therefore it's borrowing inspiration from".
He means it as in "this game FEELS like Einhänder".
Which is an opinion I can share. It's slow moving, and it has a lot of emphasis on camera work and creativity.
...you also managed to misspell Parodius and Einhänder in one sentence.
I have never played this game...It looks similar to the R-Type series. This one looks just much better!
Get "Gradius Collection" for the PSP. This collection features Arcade versions of Gradius 1-4 and Gradius Gaiden. Also pick up Salamander Portable for PSP so you can play Salamander, Life Force, Salamander 2, and XeXeX.
0:21 is that the spaceship from Alien?
o man is this game difficult. just gotta keep learning the patterns and relearning
This is one of the finest SHMUPS ever made.
This game ties for my fave shmup of all time with U.N. Squadron.
What happened to Classic Game Room???
Oh wow! Gradius V! I've been waiting to play this game.
Its worth the $$$ the game is awesome
Please review more SHMUPS!
wasn't this one released on dreamcast also?
I'm surprised there hasn't been an HD release of this game on Xbox 360 so far.
Why oh why doesn't anyone mention the fact that it's the first 2-player gradius (not count life force/salamander), it's one of the greatest features!
What a sweet looking game. This is the first time I have ever seen it. I need to get a Ps2.
Wow, this has gotta be one of the best-looking games on the PS2.
Also Gradius Gaiden features very interesting levels and best soundtrack.
am playing it on emulator right now - it looks friggen amazing ...and bloody hard...just trying to use save states and not die, (or immediately learn from my mistakes)..so hard, but amazing looking game...ESPECIALLY on emulating...it's like the developers had to dumb it down to play on the Ps2..
ive been playing Gradius since super nintendo they made everything so much better from the old version
+Dj Rickey Ricardo I've been playing since the NES and it's a great game series for sure man.
+fireheartis1 me too. Life force was the very first shooter I played. well aside space invaders.
+fireheartis1 I've been playing it since the Atari 2600 and it's awesome!
For a PS2 game, it certainly looks amazing. :D
Well there is one way to have Instant shipping, but it's not exactly legal...
I have 2 of this... my fav of all time
This game is awesome! But where the heck's Gradius VI, Konami?!
Chained to the back of Konami's coldest and darkest closet, silently crying in loneness and despair as it hopes and dreams to one day, for the first time, see a glimpse of warm and glorious light... :(
Or better yet, Order it with Yesterday shipping, because why wait? when you can be playing Gradius five since Yesterday?
Please review MUSHIHIMESAMA FUTARI ver. 1.5 for XBOX 360.
I just can't enjoy this game without having revival start on. It just makes the game actually feel more like Gradius since every previous game sends you back on death.
Why is this re-uploaded?
can u review ikaruga?
Unless I were to import (not secure enough IMO, been scammed and they got away with it before, multiple times, so not doing that again) the cheapest I can find on ebay is 89 US dollars (589 swedish kronor), shipping not included.
The cheapest one I can find that isn't import is 54 US dollars (356 Swedish kronor) with shipping included and it's second hand from an online store, not ebay.
Either way I'm really not willing to pay that much for an old PS2 game, regardless of how rare it is.
If any of you guys haven't heard of einhander
Then you should really check it out on the psx
Possibly the best space/side shooter ever!!!!
It isn't a rare game, but the price on ebay would make you think it were. I was lucky and had a friend who works at Gamestop get me a copy for almost nothing. This game is worth the money even if it is a bit expensive online.
I demand an Akai Katana review!
Another game that's sadly literally impossible to find, I've searched for many many years with no luck. I almost got it once from an online site but someone else bought it before me so I got an email saying it was sold out.
Maybe one day...
those power-ups made you a monster
Damn...how can i missed this game..????
Only 480p?
I rented this back in the day expecting Gradius I... I was promptly handed my own ass after 5 minutes :o
gradius is fun but axelay is my all time fave shoot-em-up :P
I love this type of games so much :D
I enjoy this game, you're the reason I bought it lol
Nice video, love this game.
WOW... paid $20 for this in 2018. Fast forward to 2020 and this game is going for $80-90+
oh how these videos make me miss my ps2
.... ok, ill start the first comment written by a human being. Yeah, Gradius is one of my favourite shmup series (Gaiden and III being my favourites) but l never played Gradius V, finding a pal region copy is really rare and that often means its going to be expensive.
gradius 6 soon?
Gradius 5 is really good, but Ikaruga is still Treasure's shooter crown-jewel.
I really want to play that one!
This game has good music. PS2 best system ever!!!
Got this game for a dollar from a video store.
Well worth it.
Still waiting for materialization??
I have this game, what a Great spaceship shooter! It's freakin' awesome!
welcome to youtube, you must be new here
This reminds me of the game Border Down, but on steroids.
That's too much fun on screen at once!
They're both great games.
I want this on psn NOW
You should play Akai Katana