Here's my latest retro game acquisition - the snappily titled Sega Saturn shooter 'Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius - forever with me', originally released in 1996. If you've played a Parodius game before, you'll know exactly what to expect - it's Gradius on acid, with cats and penguins instead of spaceships, a warped, peculiarly Japanese sense of humour and zany classical music. 'Forever with me' is essentially more of the same, but with more selectable characters than ever, each with their own weapon systems.
The classic Parodius sense of humour is still in evidence (the unexpected inclusion of KC and the Sunshine Band's Disco cheesefest That's the Way I Like It is hilarious) , though many of the enemies and bosses will seem oddly familiar to fans - the ballet dancing panda, giant burlesque dancer and pirate cat ship all make a reappearance from previous games. This is possibly because 'Jikkyō Oshaberi' isn't a port of an original arcade machine, as the others were, but a remake of a Super Nintendo game of the same name with a few graphical alterations.
It's also worth mentioning that the game's menus are surprisingly difficult - far more so than the other games in the series - for non-Japanese readers to navigate through. There are a plethora of modes and options and it's very difficult at times to tell exactly what you've selected. The confusion also spreads into the gameplay itself - for some reason the weapon selection bar has been abbreviated from the traditional, instantly recognisable system (Speed Up, Missile, Double, Laser, Option, ?) to 'S, M, D, L, O, ?'. While this might not seem like a particularly big deal, it's surprising how difficult it is, while dodging bullets and feral penguins, to remember what each one stands for.
My main gripe comes from its seemingly incessant speech ('Jikkyō Oshaberi' apparently translates as 'Chatting Live') - there's a Japanese running commentary through the whole thing that can't be turned off and rapidly outstays its welcome.
Personally, I far prefer Sexy Parodius, released for the Saturn in the same year - its mission based levels provide far more variety, and it thankfully lacks the irritating speech. Still, if you're a Konami shooter fan or a Parodius completist (and I'm both), this is still well worth your money.
Tomorrow, I'll be looking at another recent Konami purchase, the Twin Bee Deluxe Pack.
The Oshaberi can be turned off. It's accessible from the Option menu. In addition, if you play with a second player there's an additional, "Grandma" commentator. You'd probably hate it though!