Nemesis (c) 1985 Konami.

A superb and demanding shoot'em up that shares - along with Irem's "R-Type" - the distinction of being a true innovator of its genre and, again like R-Type, completely revolutionized the humble shoot-em-up.

Nemesis' eye-catching graphics guaranteed gamer interest but it was the game's genius 'weapon upgrade' system that really made the difference. Never before could players actually CHOSE how to upgrade their ship. Destroying waves of enemies would often see the player reward with an 'orb' that could be picked up. The player could collect up to six orbs and could effectively 'buy' an upgrade from the six displayed at the bottom of the play area (speed-up, bombs, double, laser, multiple - which are orbs that follow the player's movements and add greater firepower - and a mystery 6th upgrade that is marked with an '?'). Game difficulty increases depending on how many power-ups the player has, so it is sometimes advantageous to NOT power-up your ship too much.

- TECHNICAL -

Game ID : GX400

Main CPU : 68000 (@ 9.216 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) AY8910 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), K005289 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), VLM5030 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 256 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.61 Hz
Palette colors : 2048

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 3

- TRIVIA -

Released in November 1985.

This game is known outside Europe as "Gradius".

First shoot-em-up with serious power-ups.

Designers did a lot of tries before they fixed the design of the ship. They did at least 100 different versions. And among all of them, there was a ship that leaved a light trace behind him when he moves. It was from an evolution of this concept that was born the 'Options system'.

Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Konami Game Music Vol.1 - 28XA-85) on 27/06/1986.
Apollon Music released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Original Sound of Gradius - KHY1016) on 05/05/1987.

Interesting note : Several Konami arcade games ("Gradius", "Parodius Da! - Shinwa kara Owarai e", "Salamander", etc...) have the default high score set at 57300. '573' refers to Go-Na-Mi kana letters, a play of word for 'Konami'.

Bandai released a board game (in Japan only) based on this video game (as "Gradius") in 1986 : The board is split into 8 sections, each with its own rules. The things that remain the same are that each uses a square-grid for movement, and you can power up your ship by getting the capsules.

- SERIES -

1. Gradius [Model GX400] (1985)
2. Salamander [Model GX587] (1986)
3. Lifeforce [Model GX587] (1987)
4. Gradius 2 [Model RC751] (1987, MSX)
5. Gradius II - GOFER no Yabou [Model GX785] (1988)
6. GOFER no Yabou Episode II [Model RC764] (1989, MSX)
7. Gradius III - Densetsu Kara Shinwa-e (1989)
8. Nemesis '90 Kai (1993, Sharp X68000)
9. Salamander 2 (1996)
10. Solar Assault - Gradius (1997)
11. Solar Assault - Revised (1997)
12. Gradius Gaiden (1997, Sony PlayStation)
13. Gradius IV - Fukkatsu (1998)
14. Gradius Generation (2001, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
15. Gradius V (2004, Sony PlayStation 2)
16. Gradius Neo (2004, NTT DoCoMo i-mode Phones)
17. Gradius Neo Imperial (2005, NTT DoCoMo i-mode Phones)
18. Gradius Wide (2007, NTT DoCoMo i-mode Phones)
19. Gradius Rebirth (2008, Nintendo Wii)

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- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Weapons
1) Speed Up: Alters your ship's speed. Up to 5 levels, 2 is the recommended dose.
2) Missile: Falls to the ground, then slides along it until it hits something.
3) Double: Fires a bullet at 45 degrees up as well as forward.
4) Laser: Replaces your bullets with a blue beam.
5) Multiple: Orange blobs that follow you around, they have whatever weapons your ship has. You can have up to 4. Possibly the best power-up ever.
6) ?: Force field, 2 blob-things that attach to the nose of your craft.

* Plan your power ups well : When starting/restarting the game, the regular shot being your only method of attack could be very tough. But that doesn't mean increasing your firepower by equipping MULTIPLE very first is good because you cannot move around quickly. You will end up being hit. Therefore, first power up your speed once or twice so you can move faster.

* DOUBLE and its problems : With DOUBLE, you can shoot in front of you and diagonally. However, since you cannot fire rapidly, it is not a weapon easy to use. Equip at least 2 MULTIPLE before equipping DOUBLE.

* Make good use of the LASER : Hitting enemies above and below you with the LASER is rather easy. You don't have to go for a direct hit. Make it fly near the enemy for a slight touch.

* MISSILE movement : The MISSILE moves along the ground. If there is something sticking out of the ground, the MISSILE stops there. Keep an eye on the landscape.

* Take control of the MULTIPLE : The MULTIPLE follow the path of VIC VIPER. Take advantage of this feature and attack enemies that VIC VIPER cannot reach. Use formations to wipe out th enemy!
Also, the faster VIC VIPER is, the more widely spread the MULTIPLE are from each other. Take advantage of this feature as well.

* Renewing the BARRIER : The BARRIER wears out not only by making contact with the enemy and enemy shots. It does so by touching the landscape. Make use of this trait and make the BARRIER touch enemies or the landscape to wear it down and get rid of it. Then equip a new BARRIER.

* Come up with a conquering pattern : This game is a shooter that gives you a lot of freedom in terms of how you can conquer levels. Learn the tips, remember the appearance patterns of the enemy, and come up with your own way of conquering the game.

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