Grind Stormer (Arcade)

Grind Stormer
Also known as: V-Five (JP) Developer: Toaplan Publishers: Taito (JP), Toaplan (World), American Sammy (US), Atari Games (US, alt.), Unite Trading (KR), Charterfield (HK/AS), Anomoto International (TW) Platform: Arcade (Toaplan Version 2 hardware) Released in JP: March 1993 Released in US: March 1993 Released in EU: 1993 Released in KR: 1993 Released in HK: 1993 Released in TW: 1993 Released in AS: 1993 This game has regional differences. This game has hidden bonus content.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Regional Differences

Title Screen

Japan	Japan (Taito license)	World	US (American Sammy license)
US (Atari Games license)	Korea	Hong Kong/Southeast Asia	Taiwan

Several distributors published Grind Stormer across the world, and as such multiple revisions were made to accommodate for this.

Gameplay

Grind Stormer	V-Five

In addition to the name change, the gameplay underwent some changes between the Japanese and international releases, notably when it comes to the power-up system:

• In V-Five, the power-up system is reminiscent of Gradius in that the power-up gauge will shift to the right one by one as you collect the diamond-shaped power-up capsules that specific enemies drop. The gauge is reset, and the weapon that is currently selected is equipped when the second button is hit.
• In Grind Stormer, a traditional power-up system is used instead, where weapons are dropped from certain enemies and immediately equipped upon pickup. A new smart bomb with a limited supply is also included in this version which is activated by hitting the second button.

"Bomber Ver."

V-Five actually contains a hidden code that allows you to activate "Bomber Ver." essentially changing the gameplay to be that of Grind Stormer. To activate it, insert a coin, then press the following in order:

Right, Left, Button 2, Left, Down, Button 1, Up, Left.

If done correctly, "Bomber Ver." will appear underneath the title.

Note: if you take too long after entering the code, the next demo will start and cancel the effects of the code, forcing you to insert another credit and input it again.

(Source: shmups.system11.org)