Gradius

Manufacturer: Konami
Year: 1985
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Shooter
Type: Videogame

Monitor:

Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
CRT: Color

Conversion Class: JAMMA
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player Ambidextrous
Controls:

Joystick: 8-way
Buttons: 3 [Fire|Bomb|Select Power-Up]

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

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Gradius Description

This is a horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up where the player destroys waves of oncoming enemies.

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Cabinet Information

The cabinet art has a picture of the Vic Viper flying towards a large enemy structure while dodging laser fire.

Game Introduction

This was one of the first games that allowed the player to choose what weapon power-ups were added to the ship.

Game Play

Waves of enemies are destroyed and levels are completed by destroying a guardian. If a whole wave of enemies is destroyed a power orb is released that, when collected, increases an indicator at the bottom of the screen enabling the player to select various power-ups such as bombs, speedup, lasers, and orbitals that mirror the players movements. Game difficulty increases depending on how many power-ups the player has, so sometimes it is advantageous to not power-up your ship too much.

Miscellaneous

This game is known in Europe as Nemesis.

VAPS Arcade Census

GAMES OWNED, WANTED, or FOR SALE BY MEMBERS OF THE VIDEO ARCADE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Scarce - There are 5 known instances of Gradius owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 5 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

Of the 57,121 video games (3,420 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 6 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records.

Wanted - We currently do not know of any VAPS members that have gotten around to adding this game to their wish list. The wish-list system is fairly new (not all VAPS members have filled one out) and there are probably a number of collectors who might purchase this game if offered one at the right price. There are 2 VAPS members looking for Gradius board sets.

For Sale - There is one VAPS member with an extra Gradius circuit board for sale. VAPS members are totally independent of VAPS and the International Arcade Museum, and we are unable to recommend, endorce, or guarantee any person or company selling games or game parts.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operators might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range.

Trivia

In Japan, the game spawned a couple of spoofs called Parodius Da! and its sequel Gokujyo Parodius. The games' graphics were made to be "cute" and the enemies were changed to cats, penguins, etc.

eBay Listings

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TODAY'S PICKS FOR:
Gradius

1. GRADIUS HEADER FOR NINTENDO PLAYCHOICE NOS
Auction ends in: 1 week, 2 days
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
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2. PLAYCHOICE 10 CART GRADIUS WORKING
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 4 days
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
$45.00

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Gradius - Title screen image

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