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Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (実況おしゃべりパロディウス?, lit. "Chatting Parodius Live!") is the fourth game in a series of parody shooters produced by Konami. The gameplay is stylistically very similar to the Gradius series, but the graphics and music are intentionally absurd. The game, as its name would suggest, contains a large amount of Japanese voice samples shouted out in a style similar to that of a game show host. Unlike the previous two titles, Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius was not created as an arcade game. It was first released on the Super Famicom in 1995 and then ported and updated for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn as Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~ in 1996.

Plot[]

One day in 1996 AD

Mr. Parodius, aka Octopus, called his eldest son, Takosuke, to his bedside and told him:

"I'm not long... so I have a favor to ask of you."

Takosuke thought. It has started again... However, he didn't show that kind of expression at all, "What is it, To-chan?"

"Hmm. Actually, there's something I really want to eat before I can pick you up."

"What the hell is that..."

"That's Bakuteriya's 'Phantom Takoyaki,' which is only made once every 128 years."

"Phantom Takoyaki!?" Takosuke felt dizzy at the ridiculous name, but left the octopus pot while staggering, "I understand, To-chan."

But then Takosuke thought. "Last time I had a bad time with 'Past Glory', so I don't want to go looking for it anymore... But I can't leave it alone!" After saying that, he called his second son, Takohiko.

"Takohiko. You've grown up, so I think it's time for you to help me."

"Yeah. What is it, Nii-chan?"

"Hmm. Actually, To-chan wants you to find the 'Phantom Takoyaki'."

"Okay Ni-chan. I'll do my best, leave it to me!"

Saying that, Takohiko rushed out. Takosuke thought as he saw Takohiko flying away. "It's really a problem for To-chan. Ever since I got a taste of 'Past Glory', I've been asking for more. I'm not thinking about '4' or '5' like this. I guess... But I have two younger brothers, so that's okay."

And just like that, a new adventure began.

Gameplay[]

As stated above, gameplay is very similar to the Gradius series, with a few exceptions. For one, there is an impressive array of characters to choose from. Each one of these characters utilizes different weapons and abilities as you obtain power-ups. The second main difference is the addition of bell power-ups, from the TwinBee series. These bells act as one-time power-ups, allowing you to destroy every enemy on screen, fire huge beams of energy, etc.

The playable characters in this game include:

Music[]

The music in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius is also unique. It ranges from a remix of the 70's disco song "That's the Way I Like It," to remixes of Bach, to sped-up versions of tunes from other Konami games. All of the songs are done in a unique style, with loud saw wave synths and fluctuating BPM. The music was produced by the Konami Kukeiha Club.

Notable features[]

Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius translates to something like "Chatting Parodius Live!". As the name implies, a large amount of voice samples are present in the game. As the player progresses, Japanese voiceovers provide information about how well the player is doing, what enemies they are fighting, etc.

The game also features extremely advanced graphics for the time period and system; most notable are the fully scalable 3D polygons present in one of the stages. These graphics are made possible by the inclusion of the SA-1 chip, a special graphics chip used in many games towards the latter part of the Super NES' lifespan.

A feature exclusive to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn version is the goal of collecting fairies (worth 10000 points each) hidden throughout each stage, getting 70 fairies unlocks Stage Select, getting another 70 fairies unlocks Dracula-kun and Kid-Dracula as playable characters. Other features (which can be enabled on the Options Menu) include changing the "OH!" power-up into a Slot Machine game that grants you bell power-ups depending on the color of the bells the slots stopped, adding "Accident" levels, small segments that randomly takes place once a stage ends and the ability to turn off the announcer during gameplay.

In addition to the standard game mode, they also include two Omake modes:

  • Omake 1: A stage where your main objective is to get the highest score by collecting coins, destroying toys, and hitting certain enemies. When hit, your character instantly revives on the spot, much like Salamander.
  • Omake 2: (P-1 Grand Prin (sic) in Bellka), a racing parody. The goal is to complete the race as fast as possible by collecting speed-ups (while trying not to crash) and by defeating four mini-bosses with easy attack patterns.

Stages[]

Stage Name Boss Music Remix of
1 Hip Hop Disco Judy and Melora I Remember That!

Judy My Love

That's the Way by K.C. and the Sunshine Band

Miserarete by Judy Ongg

2 School Enormous Hikaru and Akane The Tokimeki People's Dance (SFC)
Days Of The Dream's Colors (PSX)
Westminster Quarters
Yuko's Theme from Tokimeki Memorial
Polovtsian Dances by Alexandre Borodine
Shiori's Theme from Tokimeki Memorial
3 Donburi Fields Mardock's Battleship (SNES)
Warumon's Flagship (PSX)
BaronBee
BoinBee
Cherish the Blue Skies Given to Us Gift Of The Wind from Detana!! TwinBee
Minuet in G by Johann Sebastian Bach
Laputa: Fortress In The Sky from Detana!! TwinBee
4 Edo Goemon Compact Let's Go, Goemon is on His Way Diamond Head by The Ventures
Castle Town from Ganbare Goemon
5 Sweet Land Decoration Core MK II The Biscuit Waltz Arabesque by Claude Debussy
Je Te Veux by Erik Satie
6 High Speed Patrol Temple Lord (SFC)
Cat Battle Train (PSX)
Hyper Patrol Man Fence of Defense from Lethal Enforcers
7 Boss Rush Big Core MK I (SFC)
Ghost Woman (SFC)
Big BaronBee/BaronBee (SFC)
John Wanjiro (PSX)
Penkuro (PSX)
Temple Lord (PSX)
The Pachinko Payout Comes Fast and Furious
A Breath of Relief (PSX only)
Aircraft Carrier from Gradius

Town BGM from Taisen Puzzle Dama
8 Fiesta Base Mr. Goldfish's Selling Fortress
Chichibinta Rika
Bacteriya
It's Fiesta Time! Parodius Dance from Parodius Da!
Mechanical Base from Gradius III
OMAKE Polygon Space Robot Wall Dinner's Next Door... Charge!! Serenade No. 13 in G by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
OMAKE Grand Prix Macram
Bennett
Fellini
Willie
Paruth TRUTH by T-Square

Ports[]

This game was ported for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 with the title, Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~. This port not only added improved graphics and sound from the Super Famicom game, but some altered levels and bosses. Also added were several "Omake" stages and an unlockable Dracula-kun and Kid Dracula as a playable character. In a two-player game, both players can now choose to play simultaneously instead of just alternately in the Super Famicom game.

The game was also ported to the Sony PSP in 2007. One notable change was the first stage's music, "I Remember That!", which was an instrumental remix of "That's the Way (I Like It)" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. It was replaced with "Brilliant 2U" by Naoki Maeda from Dance Dance Revolution to avoid copyright infringement.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Not only is the second level of this game a nod to the popular Konami dating sim, Tokimeki Memorial, so is the "~forever with me~" subtitle added for the updated PlayStation and Saturn ports. This is poking fun at the original Tokimeki Memorial game for the PC Engine which was also updated and ported for the same systems with the added subtitle "~forever with you~".
  • A female announcer is available for the second player in the ~forever with me~ port: the announcer is said to be Noriko, Tako's wife and mother of Takosuke and Takohiko, according to the Japanese resources.
  • The final stage is a nod to Gradius III, in which remixed versions of some of its music are played. The stage layout is also the same as that of Gradius III's.

External links[]

Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius
Characters Takohiko and BelialVic Viper and Lord BritishPentaro and HanakoTwinBee and WinBeeSue and MemimMike and RanSoitsu and DoitsuUpa and RupaDracula-kun and Kid DraculaMr. Past Glory
Stages Hip Hop DiscoSchoolDonburi FieldsEdoSweet LandHigh Speed PatrolFiesta BasePolygon Space (Omake 1) • Grand Prix (Omake 2)
Bosses Mirror BallJudyEnormous Hikaru and AkaneMardock and Warumon's ShipsBaronBeeBoinBeeGoemon CompactDecoration Core MK IICat Battle TrainBig Core MK I (SNES) • Ghost Woman (SNES) • Big BaronBee (SNES) • John Wanjiro (PSX) • Penkuro (PSX) • Temple LordMr. Goldfish's Selling FortressChichibinta RikaBacteriyaRobot Wall
Gradius video games
Gradius series GradiusGradius IIGradius IIIGradius GaidenGradius IV: FukkatsuGradius GalaxiesGradius VGradius ReBirthGradius: The Interstellar AssaultGradius NEOGradius NEO Imperial
Spin-offs Salamander (Life Force) (MSX ver.)• Salamander 2Nemesis 2 (Nemesis '90 Kai) • Nemesis 3Nemesis (Game Boy)Cosmic WarsSolar Assault
Parody games ParodiusParodius Da!Gokujō Parodius!Jikkyō Oshaberi ParodiusSexy ParodiusParo WarsOtomedius (Otomedius Gorgeous) • Otomedius Excellent
Other games ScrambleThunder CrossThunder Cross IISpace ManbowForce Gear
Pachislot Gradius: The SlotCR Parodius Da! EXGokuraku Parodius!
Cancelled Vic ViperGradius ArcSalamander HD Remaster
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