Gradius

[FM-77]

Space Megaforce

Now THAT's the worst title I have ever heard.

Wow... just, wow.

[GUTS]

Are you guys serious about Space Megaforce?  Holy f*cking shit!  That is the slowest, most boring SHIT pile of a shooter I have ever played.  f*cking Xevious is about 10 times more interesting and challenging.  Megaforce isn't a shooter, it's a showcase for how NOT to use Mode 7 effects in a game.  MUSHA was 4 million times the game Megaforce is.

Macross was sweet though.  But the fact is the Duo absolutely burries the SNES for shooters, its not even a contest.  The SNES had a strong RPG and platformer line-up, but its not even in the same ballpark as the Duo and Genesis for shooters.

[Kitsunexus]

Are you guys serious about Space Megaforce?  Holy f*cking shit!  That is the slowest, most boring SHIT pile of a shooter I have ever played.  f*cking Xevious is about 10 times more interesting and challenging.  Megaforce isn't a shooter, it's a showcase for how NOT to use Mode 7 effects in a game.

I actually thought that it moved at a decent clip according to the design of the game. And the soundtrack is phenomenal!

[Tatsujin]

what's going on? super aleste is an excellent shmup, out of any questions. the only disturbing thing is its boring and useless bonus-stages. also the main-stages turned out to be a little bit to long IMO. and concerned to the SFC specs. an absolut master piece in programming!

[Spector]

Just as a footnote, I played the Gameboy version which is a bit easier, and enjoyed it a lot. Going back to the PC Engine version, I am beginning to appreciate it now for what it is - a very good shoot-em-up. Still prefer R-Type though.

[Digi.k]

and not forgetting the special warp points and special stages on Gradius!!

[GUTS]

All I know is that if you mention Space Megaforce to any serious shooter fan you'll be laughed out of wherever you are.  The game is a total joke once you get past the graphics.  You want a snes shooter that rules AND has awesome graphics then Macross is the way to go, not megaforce.

[Kitsunexus]

All I know is that if you mention Space Megaforce to any serious shooter fan you'll be laughed out of wherever you are.  The game is a total joke once you get past the graphics.  You want a snes shooter that rules AND has awesome graphics then Macross is the way to go, not megaforce.

SM's soundtrack kicks ass though. Get the SPC and listen to "Black Hole Anomalies" and tell me if I'm wrong.

[Ninja Spirit]

What about Super Famicom Spriggan Powered? I didn't like that one much. Sure most of the graphics were 3-D rendered and a great soundtrack but I wasn't feeling the weapons. If they lightened down on the rendering, it could've been just as solid as Macross SV was.

[Michael Helgeson]

I totally hated Space Megaforce. I thought it was a f*cking joke and back then I did not think much of Compile,but years latter after realizing how many good games they made it was sad to see they made Super Aleste/Space Megaforce. I still to this day feel like even some of the first shooters on Megadrive like Thunderforce 2 and Curse are worlds better then SM.

[Zor Prime]

Is Gradius anything like Life Force on the NES?  The powerup system and general design looks the same.

Life Force was spectacular.

I'd really like to check out Gradius PCE if it's anything like Life Force was/is.

[Spector]

Well Life Force was a follow up of sorts to Gradius, so yes, it is similar. Though Salamader on the PCE is even more similar to Life Force, since it's the same game!

[nat]

Zor, it goes like this:

1985 - Gradius/Nemesis
1986 - Salamander/Life Force
1988 - Gradius II

...and various other sequels on the SNES (Gradius III) and other platforms.

Gradius II is the direct sequel to Gradius, but Salamander (Life Force) was kind of a spin-off feauring the same hero (ship) and arsenal. Although the way in which the arsenal is powered up is different. Salamander is largely considered the superior game in the series, an opinion I happen to agree with.

If you liked Life Force, get a copy of Salamander and bask in the 16-bit-graphic goodness.

[sunteam_paul]

Is Gradius anything like Life Force on the NES?  The powerup system and general design looks the same.

Life Force was spectacular.

I'd really like to check out Gradius PCE if it's anything like Life Force was/is.

[Kitsunexus]

Is Gradius anything like Life Force on the NES?  The powerup system and general design looks the same.

Life Force was spectacular.

I'd really like to check out Gradius PCE if it's anything like Life Force was/is.

That's kickass! Much better than the NES Graidus, though not better than Gradius III or R-Type 3...

Speaking of R-Type, does anyone know where I can get the Duo CD soundtrack for R-Type?

I found three MP3s of it, it's a great soundtrack.