Hero: KAY (Tsing Yi Island, H.K., China)
Battle: GRADIUS II ～GOFERの野望～ (Gradius Deluxe Pack)
Fighter: VIC VIPER
(Type D)
Duration: 4th-6th May 2000
Enemy destroyed: Uncountable
Score record: 50000000+
In compare with the default hiscore of fifty thousand, fifty million is a googol. In the spring of Anno Domini 2000, web master has got a super score of more than fifty millions in Gradius II, Saturn. This is the highest score ever in the history of Gradius I believe.
My original target, however, is twenty million instead of fifty. When I got close to twenty million, I started to think and considered to extend the battle. I just can't stop it. I kept on playing until about 2 days later, by when I finally decided to put an end to this endless battle. We (Saturn and myself) were completely tired anyway. I accomplished what I expected, together with what I didn't. This cannot be done without a perfect control of Sega's original arcade joystick, the Power Control System HSS-0130.
For such a long lasting battle, crazy game difficulties in high loops become only one of the most difficult things to face to, in addition to tired out and lost of concentration from time to time. Moreover, it don't feel good that every second the Saturn and monitor have a possibility to break down due to extreme long time and continuous operation which I'd never tried before. (Temperature was about 23-27 degrees, and without air-condition) Fortunately, they didn't. WARNING: Do not try to do this or I don't responsible for any harm or damage to your machines or to your body.
In the meantime of this battle, I paused the game while I're going to have dinner. I also paused the game several times to take short breaks for the monitor and also for myself. (Turned off the monitor and speakers, but leave the Saturn on) The longer time 'we' took for breaks, the more danger Saturn's life will be in. I did not and cannot allow myself to go sleeping before the battle is over. Game levels in high loops are very very difficult, but lucky that there exist the well-known full weapon code "Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A" which should be an uncovered secret to all Konami fans. Why don't use it? In fact it was used many times, but except in the 'final' loop where I decided to end this forever lasting battle.
Except for the honor, it's for the challenge of myself. The last stage is the one most difficult to me. Although I usually lost my ships there, the overall balance of remain fighter is positive. However, future is unpredicable. From beyond the 60th loop, the number of remain fighter dropped quickly from thirty to a single number. Situation was extremely dangerous and critical. I felt high pressure and nervous, and these only push me to lost more ships even in stages that I don't usually do. If this keep on happening, and it could be, the battle will be over before reaching fifty million. That is the most horrible experience in my battles of Gradius.
A score of fifty million sounds totally crazy. However, that is not a perfect battle. I had never saw or read of any tactics or guides related to this title. In the other words, all playing methods belong to my own investigated, and most possibly not belong to the best. I even didn't knew about the relation between 'Option Hunter' and the '4th Option'. At the moment, my tactics was immature and pretty elementary. Such act of challenge was actually a rabid and was not a good decision.
Later, after the battle of fifty million, I found some more powerful and more safe tactics. They include the super scoring method at the 'Four Jumping Moais' in stage 5 which I saw it from a Japanese page; and some more safe tactics which I found out by myself in latter play.
Fifty million has another special meaning to me. This is exactly the approximate distant between Earth and Virgo in the measurement of light years, which I didn't know about that before, and is surprise to know.
(New) Below note scan added on 14th March 2005
first wrote on 17th March 2000
(forcus on Stage Select "4-8" to practice high
loop stages)
28th April 2000 (10,000,000 challenge..failed)
29th April 2000 (10,000,000 challenge
successful)
~02:15 4th May 2000 (50,000,000 record p.1)
~17:45 4th May 2000 (50,000,000 record p.2)
~09:55 5th May 2000 (50,000,000 record p.3)
~01:35 6th May 2000 (50,000,000 record p.4)