Main

What's New

Import Stores

Import Reviews

Import Cover Archive

Special Features

Games

The Top 100

Video Game Fiction

Wanted!

Acknowledgements

Forum

Links

We love Konami!

I now present to you what is quite possibly the PC Engine's finest hour~ Parodius-Da!, courtesy of those crazy-fine folks over at Konami. It looks cute, it plays great and it stands head and shoulders above 99% of the other shooters out there. In fact, it's so good, I would own the console just for the sake of playing this game alone -- that's how incredible it is. It's nigh impossible to look at most other games for the TG16/PCE after you've witnessed this game's majesty. Not only is it one of the most fantastic-looking games for the console but it can more than back it up in the gameplay department, which is superb beyond compare. It feels like Gradius--indeed, you can choose to play as the Vic Viper--but it blows Gradius and others away in the imagination department. There's so much creativity present, it's almost SCARY. Graphics, gameplay, music, depth, challenge, funfactor, replayability.... You want it, you got it. It's all here. Words cannot possibly hope to convey the visual splendor of this game, so please... take your sweet time enjoying the screenshots as provided by the following (most excellent) sites~

Cool screenshots; Tons more (*Warning* Includes animated gif pictures of the endings.); Short summary w/ screenshots; (and) This site is nothing short of incredible! (*Warning* It shows every level in the game. May cause involuntary fits of rapture and joy.)

Now that you've had a glimpse, now's a good time to talk a little about what you've just seen. You're saying, "Oh my God! Konami is downright EVIL for overlooking this title for US shores! Sacrilege!" Yes, it is indeed a tragedy of epic proportions that Konami simply passed this power over, and we can only lament its passing. Konami has done other equally wicked things (read: Dracula X ~ Rondo of Blood) but at least it's possible to track down imports. First of all, you've never seen stage designs quite like this, save for other Parodius & TwinBee titles. You'll be blowing through a floating airship with a large pirate cat head on the front which lets out a cute little "meow!" as you pummel it, mad lips from hell which stick out their tongues while they shoot out sharp munching teeth which follow you, sumo wrestlers with a bad attitude problem, and a massive assortment of other crazy oddities. All of this in over seven stages of power-packed Konami crazyiness. Enjoy the ride.

Stages are often brimming to life with a wide assortment of sprites and action. How Konami manages to push this console so far without it exploding, I haven't the slightest clue--it's akin to a Genesis inexplicably acting like it's a Neo Geo for no reason whatsoever. And the scary thing is that there is no hardware boost included with the game itself. But I'm not complaining; Konami has scared me many times before. I've come to expect the unexpected when it comes to their products.

The challenge is worthy of a Gradius. And, actually, you can select the difficulty at the beginning and even after continuing. Thankfully, you'll begin in the same area of the stage whenever you continue (you have three credits). When first starting the game, you get to choose from four different crafts/creatures, these being the Vic Viper (Gradius), Octopus (later named Takosuke), Twin Bee (Twin Bee), and Pentarou (a flying penguin unique to this series [actually, Pentarou is from the classic Konami games Antartic Adventure and Penguin Adventure, and who may or may not have been the main character of Yume Penguin Monogatari - Rob]). Each has their/its own means of attack and power-ups. Power-ups work in similar fashion to Gradius games: you collect the appropriate power-up and it will light up one of the weapon/option boxes at the bottom of the screen. However, there are some funky twists to the usual formula. For instance, just like in Stinger (NES), which is in the TwinBee family, enemies will sometimes release bells which you can collect for points or shoot to change color and use as a power-up. Furthermore, you can utilize special attacks once obtained.

Do I have any gripes? No, none that I can think of. Some of the bosses are rather easy but the game itself is so well-rounded that it more than compensates for this. And besides, it's not like every boss is a pushover. FYI, this Parodius is a translation of the arcade original which only came out in Japan (as is typical). Also, there's a Super Famicom version available which also includes an extra level, but I have yet to play it.

The music is supreme merriness, featuring some classic Gradius tunes reworked as well as some rather impressive famous pieces of classical music throughout. Once again, highly original and chock full of flavor. Mmmm, yummy. The sound treatment overshadows other HuCards by a wide margin. Once again, Konami takes something and makes it better than it should be. The sound effects are very good and the added voice work adds much to the overall impression.

Hats off to Konami on yet another timeless classic. Games like Parodius-Da! are a rare breed, a hidden treasure which can bring a tear of joy to every shooter fan. Pure, unadulterated 100% ultra shooter bliss. If you ever happen upon a copy, snatch it up immediately! It's not to be missed.

Wanna check out some awesome import covers? Or how 'bout just check out on of the best classic gaming sites in existence? "Yes, please!" [Thanks for the nod, Michael! - Rob]; An incredible site which covers Parodius across all platforms! ~ Hardcore Gaming 101's Parodius section

We're not worthy!