Gradius

The Gradius series, first introduced in 1985, is a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms, and has since its inception become synonymous with the phrase \"Shoot the core!\" . more...

Home
Accessories
Adventure
Adventure Game
Arcade Games
Arcade styled
City building games
Computer role playing games
Economic simulation games
Educational Games
Fighting Game
First Person Shooter
First person shooter
Flight simulation
General strategy games
God game
Hybrid strategy
Mech
Online browser based games
Online role playing games
Online shooter games
Platform Games
Player Controlled
Programming game
Puzzle games
Racing games
Real-time strategy
Real-time tactics
Rhythm video game
Roguelike
Shoot up
1942 (video game)
3D Defender
Abadox
Aero Blasters
Agony (game)
Alpha Mission
Apidya
Asteroids (game)
Bangai-O
Bio-ship Paladin
Darius (game)
Disposable Hero
DoDonPachi
DonPachi
Dragon Breed
Earth Defense Force
Fantasy Zone
Galaga
Gauntlet (game)
Gradius
Ikaruga
JetsnGuns
Lethal Xcess
Mr Heli
Nanostray
Parodius
Project-X
R-Type
Radiant Silvergun
Raiden
Raptor(game)
Return Fire
Sinistar
Smash TV
SolarStriker
Spacewar
Spheres of Chaos
Star Fox
Stardust (game)
Thunderforce
Transbot
Twinbee
Tyrian computer game)
Wings of Death
Xenon
XPilot
Zaxxon
Zero Wing
Shooters
Space simulation
Sports game
Survival Horror
Third person games
Turn-based game
Turn-based strategy
Turn-based tactics
Vehicle-based

In many games in the series the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper.

Recurring gameplay elements

There are several gameplay elements that are common to almost all the Gradius games. These include, but are not limited to:

Power meter

One of the defining characteristics of the Gradius series is the use of a power meter. The power meter is powered by a power-up item, whose purpose, when collected, is to move a highlight to the next power-up on the power meter. When a power-up that the player wants becomes highlighted, they may activate it, causing the highlight to move back to the beginning again.

To continue the Gradius example: when the player collects a power-up item for the first time, the first power-up (a speed increase) becomes highlighted.

The player may now activate this power-up to increase their speed, in which case the meter will revert to its original unhighlighted state. If, however, the player does not activate the power-up, and collects another power-up item, the highlight moves to the next item, a missile.

The player may now activate this to receive a missile weapon, again causing the bar to revert to its unhighlighted state, or choose to hold out for the next item, a double gun. Traditionally, the power-ups with greater effects are placed toward the end of the bar, so that the player must do more work to obtain them, although in some titles like Gradius III a harmful power-up exists at the end which will restore the default (weak) weapon configuration.

Other games using a similar power meter include Contra Force by Konami, Slap Fight by Toaplan, and Rare's Cobra Triangle.

Weapon edit

Weapon edit, first introduced in Gradius III, allows players to construct a custom weapon route from the basic categories, such as missile and laser, and replace these accordingly with a variation of a weapon of their choice.

Core warships

The concept of the \"Core\" is a central part of Gradius. Cores are usually blue, glowing masses of energy hidden within large warships and protected by a series of barriers. All cores must be targeted in order to defeat a warship, which normally comprises several phases and often uses the terrain to its advantage. Additionally, the announcer taunts the player to \"Destroy the core!\" prior to an encounter - a feature that has since become a trademark of the series.

Read more at Wikipedia.org