Help, I am getting owned in Salamander!

[Tatsujin]

yeah..what i missed in the FC Salamander version is the R-Type'ish weapon system.

this is one of the greatest konami tune, when they explain the weaponry:

[Arjak]

is the ? just a random select of one of the power-ups?

Yes.  Stay away from that unless you like living on the edge. 

Heh, heh. It actually gives you a shield.

[Duo_R]

oh that is a shield? So it is good to select the "?" then?

[Tatsujin]

oh that is a shield? So it is good to select the "?" then?

if you like to have a shield, which protects you from several hits before dying, yes, then it is good to select it.

if you don't like to have a shield, which protects you from several hits before dying, well, then try to avoid to select it.

[WoodyXP]

is the ? just a random select of one of the power-ups?

Yes.  Stay away from that unless you like living on the edge. 

Heh, heh. It actually gives you a shield.

I must have been thinking about Parodius.. the '?' acts like a Russian Roulette in that game.

[Duo_R]

Woody - my thoughts exactly. In fact in the game Life Force I think it does the roulette game which is why i thought it would do the same in Salamander.

I must have been thinking about Parodius.. the '?' acts like a Russian Roulette in that game.

[WoodyXP]

Woody - my thoughts exactly. In fact in the game Life Force I think it does the roulette game which is why i thought it would do the same in Salamander.

It all depends on the version you play.  The PCE version uses the 'pick-up' power-up system.. you're not even going to deal the '?'s.  The Gradius/Life Force games use the '?' and in some cases 'Shield' is used in place of '?'.  In my experience when you choose 'Shield'.. you get a Shield.  If you choose '?'.. you get a roulette.  Though I must say.. in the 'Weapon Config' menus at the beginning of some Gradius games the '?' will be positioned next to the shields that you get to choose from.  Maybe that's what the guys are talking about... the weapon systems do get confusing.

[Lord Thag]

Yeah, the PCE one uses the (much better) pick up and shoot power up system like most shooters. I usually go with the ripple beam, as it covers more screen real estate. Make sure your speed is high enough to dodge easily. A lot of the difficulty in the Gradius/Salamander games comes from memorizing where the big 'crashable' objects are in each stage. Once you get, say, the big solar prominences memorized in Salamander, that stage is a cinch.

The main thing in these games is speed. If you have a sped up ship, dodging the big bosses and screen-filling objects is a cinch. If you're slow, you're likely to get squashed. Most of the times I've been stepped on by Salamander have been when I'm slow. The first brain boss is a cinch if your quick, and murder if you're not.

[Ninja Spirit]

Beat the game once, I do have my on and off moments, like no matter how alert I think I am, I'm always bound to eat something. But still once you beat it, everything becomes hardwired into your brain.

In my experience, stage 4 at maximum speed on Expert mode is pretty dangerous cause of d-pad
sensitivity

Another weak point I have is those rings in stage 5 that appear out of thin air and close in

Going off topic for a bit, but anyone thought the programmers drank too much sake while messing with the difficulty in PCE Gradius II?

I'm like "Is this really normal mode?" cause the Moai stage made some mad ring hell