Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius: Forever with Me

"Parodius at its finest"

...Aah, good old Jikkyo-Paro. First off, take everything you know about the SNES version and defenestrate it (psst, it means "throw it out of the window"). The Saturn version has more levels - some of the originals being COMPLETELY different - along with sprite scaling effects, much better sound, omake modes, and probably more. While the SNES version isn't bad per se, it didn't feel like Parodius to me. Whereas, oh yes, this does. And it does in spades.

Panda in tutu? Check. Return of the now-obligatory battleship cat? Check. Octopus as the last boss? Oh God, yes. This is our beloved Parodius alright.

I'm sure that plenty of other reviews you can look up for the Parodius series will clue you in on the random "Japanese" insanity that goes in within, so I won't spoil any more of it for you. As it always seems to be with this kind of game, it's one thing to be told about it, but it's quite another to be happily shooting your way through some enemies and then have a moment where you can't help but say to yourself "What the hell is THAT?" and then proceed to lose whole continues because you can't even concentrate for laughing too hard. This, ladies and gentlemen, is FUN. And it's what video games are all about. Now, onto the summary stuff.

Graphics: 8/10
The sprites have a SNES-like feel to them (not that that's such a bad thing), but the backgrounds are extremely well detailed. In general, the graphics are about the best you could expect from a cartoon-like game. The bosses are made up of some of the best 2D I've ever seen - Konami do giant sprites like nobody else. ^_^ However, there is one big recurring graphical glitch in the game that is really noticeable, and that is upon defeating a boss. As you should know, after beating a boss in a Parodius game, there's always a short "flying through space" field before you start the next level. The transition between boss end and space start is marred by a whole lot of stars popping up on the screen out of nowhere. It doesn't sound like a big thing, but when you see this in action, you'll see just how much of a pain it can be to the eyes (and none of the other Paro games do it, so I don't see why this one should be excused).

Gameplay: 10/10
It's Parodius for heaven's sake. If you're a Gradius fan, well, think of it as Gradius but with extra power-ups that randomly appear in the form of coloured bells (which you can shoot to alter their colour, and thus, the power they relate to when you collect them). Thankfully, the difficulty curve is PERFECT in this game. The bosses seem to take a while to kill sometimes, but at least this game isn't as cheap as "Parodius Da!" was with its "let's shoot a bullet from the left side of the screen at random intervals" thing that it liked to pull. The game can be hard for newcomers to the shmup genre; but everyone should be able to complete this game eventually. If you're worried that the game will be too difficult for you, try playing Gokujyo Parodius first, as that is the easiest game in the series and will gently ease you into the genre.

Longevity: 8/10
This game has not one, but two "Omake" (bonus) modes, the first of which is a high-score run through a stage designed specifically for the omake (which is great fun); the second being sort of like... um... Micro Machines, I guess. It's a racing course and you have to fly around it the best you can without hitting walls and what-have-you. If you've played Gokujyo Parodius, well, it's like the racing level on that, just a bit more... round. I personally find this mode boring, but some people will probably like it. There's some enjoyment to be had, but there's nothing fresh and innovative about it, which is probably why I've taken a dislike to it.

And let's not forget the hidden faeries! Like the dogs in Radiant Silvergun, if you shoot at a certain area of a level, these faeries can reveal themselves and start flying around the screen for you to collect. They're worth a LOT of points (10,000 unless I'm mistaken), which not only gives you scope for beating previous high score records, but also, if you manage to collect them all you gain access to unlockable features in the game! Exactly what these features are, I won't spoil in this review (partially because I don't even have them myself yet).

Sound: 10/10
Well, the sound effects are still the same as they always were (decent comic-sounding effects, no horrible loud explosions). For the BGM we get delightful pop-like remixes of well-known classics, as well as the odd Gradius series piece. Did you like the music in Lemmings? If so, you'll be right at home here. If not? Listen to a CD and stop complaining. ¬_¬ And what review would be complete without a mention of the variation on "That's the Way (I Like It)" as the music for level 1?

Oh, BTW. The game originally presents you with a scary old man that shouts at you constantly in Japanese while you play. Some people like this option, but it irks me beyond comparison. Thankfully, this ("Oshaberi") can be turned off in the options menus.

Overall: 9/10
To summarise, this is one of the best 2D shooters I've ever played. If you like the Gradius or Parodius games at all, this one is unmissable. Just don't play the comparatively terrible SNES version...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/05