Funny / Gradius

• In the SNES adaptation of Gradius III and in Gradius Galaxies, entering the original Konami Code (the newer one uses L's and R's in place of Lefts and Rights) doesn't give you a fully powered ship as expected; it just kills you. Or rather, it does give you full power at first; in III, the self-destruct version of the code causes the extra powerups to appear, as if daring you to un-pause the game at which point your ship blows up immediately, while in Galaxies you get three seconds upon un-pausing to enjoy your maxed-out Vic Viper before blowing up, as if the game's saying "Here's your full power ship...not!"
• Losing your last life in V after surviving for 7 stages in a row prompts the announcer to say "What the hell?!"
• In ReBirth, after completing the second loop, the fourth wall decides to take a lunch break:
  Dr. Venom: Hmm...it appears Gaudi's been infected by Bacterians.
  James Burton: Yeah, it looks that way.
  Dr. Venom: Don't worry, I knew something like this might happen. That's why I invented the Bacterian Buster Program. James, grab that controller over there.
  James Burton: (holding a Wii Remote) Like this?
  Dr. Venom: It's a masterpiece of programming. It lets you use a game controller to eliminate Bacterians. Just as if you were playing Gradius.
  James Burton: Thanks, Dr. Venom. That's exactly what we needed.
• In Stage 7 of Gaiden, a black hole is pulling the entire stage into it. While the scenery, enemies, and bullets get taken into the big black mass of suck behind you, your ship is completely unaffected, other than a strictly-cosmetic shaking animation.
• This video showcases two Gradius ROM Hacks: one of II and one of III. Both of them are laden with all kinds of Bullet Hell. You have to see it to believe it. Highlights include:
  • There are times when Vic Viper dies RIGHT AFTER defeating a boss.
  • Gradius II (Arcade version) ROM Hack:
  • 0:28: The Big Core appears from the left side of the screen and rear-ends Vic Viper.
  • 0:33: "DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THE CORE." This goes on until Vic Viper is defeated.
  • 1:32: The Tetran proceeds to spin its four arms at a lightning-fast speed. Vic Viper can barely even penetrate through its core barriers, let alone the core itself.
  • At the 5:01 mark, a lightning-fast missile appears out of nowhere and snipes Vic Viper. It's a "blink and you'll miss it" kind of moment.
  • 5:14: The Shadow Dancer decides to quit dancing and become a living train. "CHOO-CHOOOOOO!"
  • Gradius III ROM Hack (both Arcade and SNES versions):
  • 7:21: Apparently, the Bubble Eye does not understand the concept of the term "personal space".
  • 7:37: Beacon (exclusive to SNES version) fills the entire screen with blue orbs. Needless to say, that's quite an accurate portrayal of Mondays.
  • 7:50: Death MK II teleports erratically all over the place.
    Can't touch this!
  • 8:32: Despite this, Vic Viper actually manages to defeat Death MK II. After this, the Crystal Core approaches from the left side of the screen, moving to the right with its Combat Tentacles stretched to its sides, effectively locking Vic Viper in, as if it was saying, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
  • 9:23: It looks like Big Core MK II does not understand "personal space" either.
  • 10:53: Tetran makes another appearance, and it proceeds to spin its arms lightning-fast once again.
• This other video, a sequel to the ROM Hack video shown above, showcases a ROM Hack for Gaiden. In the video, all sorts of shenanigans go down. Gradius, now with more Bullet Hell! Highlights:
  • The first clip shows the place where Sol is fought... and then Sol SUDDENLY rushes through the screen like a race car! In-Universe, it would have been a Jump Scare for Vic Viper.
  • 0:48: Laser Tetran starts spinning around rapidly while continuously firing homing bombs.
  • 1:41: At the Double Death/Parasite Core fight, the introductory cutscene plays out normally, then all of a sudden, a GIANT MESS of Death Cores shows up and immediately bombards Vic Viper with missiles!
  • 3:07: The Triple Core Electric Boogaloo!
  • 3:43-6:11: The chaotic, fast-paced track in the background actually fits with the chaos taking place at the moment.
  • 4:26: The Juggler Core decides to be a Troll and pull one of its body parts right through Vic Viper.
  • 4:56-6:08: None of the bosses or Bullet Hell seen in this video even compare to the sheer might of the powerful custom-made Neo Core X, the God of All Big Cores. Now how in the name of Ovum are you supposed to defeat THAT?! The utter chaos of this scene, combined with the music, makes it both awe-inspiring and HILARIOUS.
  • 6:16: And if the player were to actually defeat Neo Core X, two Heaven’s Gates appear from both sides of the screen, and... GAME OVER FOR NO REASON?!
  • The very last clip shows Vic Viper reaching the room in which the final boss is fought. At that moment, Sol rushes through the screen ONCE AGAIN. The following voice clips are heard:
    Try again.
    10957457329837573497648466424976491716429799762491767563692358697865975748489293388793874754759434372754757417487582475847584727837438913784837462875829019283987654321 game over.