Startcounter: 2000/11/01

A program made in a hurry ?

From time to time, Japanese players discovered a lot of game bugs while playing the AC GRADIUS IV. Most of the bugs are not essential except the Phantom Laser and Rolling Core Freeze which affected the fighting style of professional G4 players. The PS2 version reserved the original bugs making the program exactly AC like.

* Most of the G4 game bugs, inculding the Phantom Laser, are noticed from Mr. IMO, Japan.

The Phantom Laser

It make enemies disappear without a trace.

It works only in weapon Type 1 and Type 2.

This is a situation unknown to most players. While weapon is changed from Laser to Double, invisible Lasers' tips remain on the screen with destructive power. They cannot be seen because they're invisible, but enemies will be destroyed when get hit to them. It looks like some of the enemies are being self-destroyed from the screen.

A clear and easy to do demostration can be done in the first part of the Magma (3rd) stage. In the Sky Battle, while Laser is activated, obtain three powers to highlight DOUBLE in the power-up gauge. Locate Vic Viper at the uppermost position of the screen. Hold your fire. Shoot out Laser and then activate Double (quickly) before those Lasers' tips leave the screen. Finally, when you entered to the volcano section, you'll see enemies located to the upper ceiling will be destroyed 'automatically'.

Phantom Lasers will disappear when Vic Viper activate Laser again; or Vic Viper is crashed; or when Vic Viper goes to the next stage.

* Phantom Laser do not exist in the Hi Score Try mode, which is debugged, of the PS2 version.

Additional - Special Name Entry

There could be a long list of bugs in GRADIUS IV if you look at some Japanese Gradius homepages. Most of which I know are not much important or useful to players. In opposite, some of which are fatal to players and could make people feel sick. One of the most famous ugly bugs location should be at the Bubble stage, in which (one example) bubbles and ice blocks will sometimes suddently bounce in crazy speed like the pattern in a brick game. This situation will not happen in every games, but you don't know when it will. The original design of game level of the Bubble stage is very high. And in addition to these bugs, this is the stage give people the most heavy pressure. (PS: I found the blue background influence in PS2 look worst)

Sorry but every time I talk about G4 bugs, I talk about the Bubble stage. (^^ !

Well there are special name entries in GRADIUS IV. If you enter words such as "SEX" or "AHO" (which means spoony) etc. in the name entry, your input will not be accepted and title will be changed automatically to "AAA". But, they can be kept if you finish the 3rd letter by pressing the START button.

Well I think . . .

The overall ranking of GRADIUS IV is excellent even many people gave it negative comments.This is very difficult just making one popular game. And the difficulty in creating legends could be out of the imagnation of you and me. We love Gradius because it is different, it is not 100% commercial.

GRADIUS IV is a sussessful release. It successed in create a new style of Gradius. It give people a feeling of the coming of the new age. And in the same time, it reserved most of the classical elements. This is not easy to do putting these two things together. If not making changes, it will be no meaning. G4 is a correct, great and nice try at this moment.

It seems like GRADIUS IV is made in a hurry especially when looking at the final stage. When will be the release time of GRADIUS V? Another 10 years? Time is not the problem. Gradius is the dream of all shooting game fans in the world. We wish G5 will be, again, another legend in the game industry.

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