#GRADIUS 2 VERSIONS PC#

Instead, Konami opted to change a lot of things around for the home releases, though. in fact, they changed so much from the arcade versions that it's worth it to own both the home and arcade versions due to the differences between them. Luckily it's possible to own the original arcade versions of each game thanks to the import only Gradius Deluxe Pack and Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus for the PlayStation and Saturn, and Gradius III & IV, which is available for the U.S. I may not be able to cover all of the differences between the games, but I'll try to list the biggest ones.Īrcade version on the left, NES version on the right What I want to do here is discuss the differences between the arcade and home versions of all three games. Let's start with Life Force, which is probably the game the most players are familiar with. On the surface, the NES and arcade versions of the game look very similar. The further you progress in either game, the more differences appear. For example: the boss of Stage 3 - the Prominence stage- in the arcade game is a giant dragon, similar to the ones that chase you around in the first level of Gradius II. In the NES game, it's a giant dragon head, Cruiser Tetron, that spits fire at you. The NES game has two stages which are unique to that version of the game - stage 4 and stage 5.

Stage 4 in the NES game is an upward-scrolling level that takes you through a nerve cluster, a speedup zone and a giant ribcage.

#GRADIUS 2 VERSIONS PC#

Stage 5 is a horizontally-scrolling trip through an ancient temple, similar to the extra stage in the PC Engine CD-ROM version of Gradius II. The bosses to both of these stages are unique to the NES game as well.

Stage 4's boss is Giga, a giant skull that attacks you with projectiles and it's own eyes. Stage 5's boss is Tutenkamenattack, which is a giant version of the Egyptian pharoah King Tutenkamen's death mask. The final boss of the game, Zelos' heart and soul, is protected by a giant snake that you have to destroy.