I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I have a strange fondness for Japanese cute-em-ups. In fact, the console port of Konami’s original Otomedius is one of the reasons I bought a Japanese Xbox 360. With 2D side-scrolling shooters not as popular as they once were, it is indeed a rare event for one to see a retail release. It is even rarer to see one with the amount of kookiness unique to Japanese otaku culture to be localized and released in a Western market. But against all odds, Otomedius Excellent is here.
The title “Otomedius” is a mishmash of the terms “Otome” (meaning “maiden/young lady”) and Gradius (referring to the old-school 2D shooting series). The Otomedius games are actually sequels in the Parodius series, which is actually a parody of the Gradius series. The gameplay remains true to the original Gradius titles, but the ships and enemies in the Parodius games are, for lack of a better word, “goofier”. In Parodius and Otomedius, the enemies range from normal mecha and cannons to gigantic flying turtle ships and Vegas showgirls (yes, showgirls). These games certainly don’t take themselves seriously, and Otomedius Excellent is no exception.
Otomedius Excellent is a side-scrolling 2D shooter in the vein of Gradius. The player can select one of several characters, and each character has a different set of weapons that can be customized. Powering-up one’s ship in Otomedius Excellent is done in the style of Gradius as well, in that collecting consecutive power ups will fill a meter that the user can trigger to unlock specific ship upgrades in the order of their choosing. There is an auto mode that unlocks upgrades based on a simple algorithm as well, sacrificing flexibility for ease of use. Try not to get hit, because getting grazed by a single bullet means death, and dying even once removes all the upgrades collected by the player. Unlike older titles, however, a player can regain a fraction of their lost power up configuration by touching an item that appears immediately following their untimely demise.
None of the games in this series have been released stateside, so players may find the concept of game more than a little…unusual. When compared with its prequel, Otomedius Gorgeous, the game performs better and seems to be progressing quite nicely. Those that don’t mind a dose of absurdity in their arcade shooters should give Konami’s Otomedius Excellent a look when it launches later this year on the Xbox 360.
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