Gradius V: Возрождение классического шутера

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a Japanese developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004. Gradius V was largely developed under contract by Treasure, who had previously worked on Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga. The game is set predominantly in outer space where players control a fictional spacecraft called Vic Viper through a continuously scrolling background depicting the territories of Bacterian—an evil empire which serves as the player's enemy. Gradius V received overall positive reviews. Critics praised the level design, graphical design and "classic" revival, but criticized the game's difficulty.

The game takes place as a 2D scrolling shooter with the Vic Viper contending with formations of enemies, both stationary and moving, that fire bullets. Players go through levels consisting of open space and others consisting of maneuvering through close quarters which alter between horizontal and vertical scrolling. Should players come into contact with anything on the screen, the Vic Viper explodes, and they lose a life. Gradius V marks the first time in the series in which players can reappear immediately and resume the game from where they lose a life ever since Salamander series. Alternatively, players may also restart at a previously cleared checkpoint depending on the game's settings. and players may receive extra continues depending on how much total playing time has been accumulated. After players start the game, they will enter a "Select Weapon Array" screen, where they may select the types of power ups they will use through the course of the game. There is also an unlockable feature called "Weapon Edit" in which players can access if certain conditions are met. In this mode, they can customize the Vic Viper with various combinations of weapons found in the "Select Weapon Array" screen, from earlier Gradius games, or new weaponry. Players are able to start the game from the beginning or at any stage that was previously cleared. Players can also play a "Score Attack" mode, where they play the game from the beginning under specific parameters. At the end of "Score Attack" mode, players receive a password which allows them to post their highest achieved score on the Internet. Finally, players have the option to view the highest local scores, save or load game data using a PlayStation 2 memory card, or to adjust the game's settings, including stereo or monoural sound, difficulty, number of lives available, the number of points required to earn extra lives, the ability to restart from a checkpoint or immediately after being destroyed, or button configuration. Throughout the game, players can accumulate various power up capsules after destroying certain enemies or enemy formations. Collecting a yellow power up capsule moves a yellow cursor on the power meter at the bottom of the screen, while collecting a blue capsule will immediately erase all enemies and bullets on the screen. Pressing the "Power Up" button will award the player the power up that is highlighted on the power meter. The types of power ups that can be obtained throughout the course of the game are selected at the "Select Weapon Array" and "Weapon Edit" menus before starting. A new feature in Gradius V gives players the ability to control their "Multiples" with the push of a button, depending on which weaponry was selected before starting the game. By pressing a button, players can freeze their Multiples in place, cause them to rotate around the Vic Viper, control the direction of their fire, or spread them out above and below the ship. It was modified from the similar system used in Gradius NEO, a mobile phone game released months before this game. as a joint venture between Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and Treasure a development studio founded by former employees of Konami. In the 2006 French documentary film Japon: Histoire Du Shooting Game, produced by CanalSat's GameOne channel, senior producer Osamu Kasai explained that because of limited resources the development of the game had to be outsourced. A potential collaborator would have to be experienced with modern shoot 'em ups and have a shared design philosophy. Kasai concluded that "Treasure was the best choice" for the project. In an interview with the game's producer Yasushi Takano on the promotional DVD, Gradius Breakdown, Takano said that he felt the traditional Gradius formula had become stagnant and expressed a desire for a new direction for the series to remain relevant, he also admitted that some of their early work was not as impressive as it would later become. The game went through several iterations and the game was subsequently delayed and made frequent appearances at trade fairs including the Electronic Entertainment Expo and Tokyo Game Show. Plans were also made to produce a counterpart for video arcades alongside the console version, but it was canceled because of time constraints. Adding further incentive for customers to purchase the upcoming game, Konami later revealed the availability of The History of Vic Viper — a book indicating inner design, the background and the roadmap of the Vic Viper ships. The book was included with all versions of the original Japanese pressing of the game. An additional DVD with expanded content titled Gradius V Official DVD The Perfect was also released in Japan to be ordered separately or with the game from Konami's online retail store, Konamistyle. Konami also held an online high score ranking competition in the United States and the winners received a director's cut version of the Gradius Breakdown DVD that included additional pieces of concept art and videos of the later levels. Gradius V was released for the PlayStation 3 on April 22, 2015, as part of the PS2 Classic programme.

The soundtrack was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto whose previous video game work includes the soundtrack to the tactical role playing game Final Fantasy Tactics, the shoot'em up Radiant Silvergun and the action/RPG hybrid Vagrant Story. Sakimoto noted in an interview that "It was a great honor for me to able to work on a title like this, but also very stressful" and names the original Gradius as an important source of inspiration on his work. He also revealed that his clients requested a music style that would be reminiscent of the earlier games, and the soundtrack as a result comprises remixes of music used in previous Gradius titles as well as original tracks. The soundtrack was released separately on CD as Gradius V Soundtracks by Konami Media Entertainment in Japan on August 18, 2004, and features 22 tracks.

Overall, Gradius V received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one seven, one eight, and one nine for a total of 32 out of 40.