<s>
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Vulcan	B-Application
Venture	I-Application
in	O
arcades	O
outside	O
Japan	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
shooter	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1988	B-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
original	O
Gradius	B-Application
and	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Gradius	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ports	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
were	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Family	O
Computer	O
(	O
under	O
the	O
shortened	O
title	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
)	O
,	O
PC-Engine	B-General_Concept
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
arcade	O
version	O
is	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Gradius	B-Application
Deluxe	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
compilation	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
in	O
Gradius	B-Application
Collection	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
returns	O
as	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
pilot	O
of	O
the	O
Vic	B-Application
Viper	I-Application
spaceship	O
to	O
battle	O
the	O
second	O
onslaughts	O
of	O
the	O
Bacterion	O
Empire	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
new	O
leadership	O
of	O
Gofer	O
,	O
the	O
giant	O
head	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
has	O
kept	O
the	O
gameplay	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
infused	O
it	O
with	O
enhancements	O
brought	O
from	O
the	O
spin-off	O
,	O
Salamander	B-Application
(	O
Life	B-Application
Force	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
retains	O
the	O
selection	O
bar	O
from	O
Gradius	B-Application
,	O
but	O
now	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
choose	O
between	O
four	O
different	O
weapon	O
configurations	O
and	O
progressions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
shield	O
option	O
adds	O
more	O
durability	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
for	O
the	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
Vic	B-Application
Viper	I-Application
,	O
while	O
the	O
forcefield	O
adds	O
protection	O
for	O
the	O
entire	O
spacecraft	O
,	O
albeit	O
only	O
against	O
three	O
hits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
offers	O
a	O
different	O
ending	O
screen	O
after	O
completing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
difficulty	O
select	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
first	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Family	O
Computer	O
in	O
1988	B-Application
and	O
was	O
never	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Presumably	O
this	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
Famicom	O
version	O
employed	O
a	O
custom	O
memory	O
mapper	O
dubbed	O
the	O
VRC4	O
,	O
which	O
enhanced	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
sounds	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
animation	O
and	O
voices	O
,	O
thus	O
converting	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
a	O
standard	O
memory	O
mapper	O
(	O
as	O
Konami	O
later	O
did	O
with	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
)	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
too	O
time-consuming	O
(	O
since	O
the	O
original	O
Gradius	B-Application
was	O
not	O
as	O
popular	O
overseas	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PC-Engine	B-General_Concept
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
port	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
remained	O
nearly	O
unaltered	O
,	O
the	O
background	O
music	O
is	O
mostly	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
in	O
redbook	O
audio	O
format	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
additional	O
stage	O
was	O
added	O
that	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
temple	O
stage	O
in	O
the	O
NES	O
version	O
of	O
Life	B-Application
Force	I-Application
and	O
the	O
first	O
stage	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
exclusive	O
Gradius	B-Application
Deluxe	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
a	O
worldwide	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Gradius	B-Application
Collection	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
in	O
2006	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
version	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
saw	O
a	O
release	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
until	O
its	O
inclusion	O
in	O
the	O
Gradius	B-Application
Collection	O
in	O
2006	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Famicom	O
and	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
ports	O
were	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
2007	B-Application
,	O
the	O
latter	O
getting	O
an	O
international	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Arcade	O
Classics	O
Anniversary	O
Collection	O
"	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
separately	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Arcade	B-Application
Archives	I-Application
series	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Gradius	B-Application
II	I-Application
on	O
their	O
May	O
1	O
,	O
1988	B-Application
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	O
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
become	O
Japan	O
's	O
third	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	B-Application
game	I-Application
of	I-Application
1988	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
gave	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
release	O
of	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
an	O
8	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
choose	O
which	O
power-ups	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
has	O
access	O
to	O
before	O
entering	O
a	O
stage	O
and	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
useful	O
cheat	O
codes	O
"	O
to	O
offset	O
the	O
otherwise	O
potentially	O
overwhelming	O
difficulty	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
Life	O
also	O
gave	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
an	O
8	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
new	O
additional	O
features	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
present	O
in	O
arcade	O
version	O
like	O
the	O
animated	O
intro	O
sequence	O
and	O
new	O
exclusive	O
stage	O
.	O
</s>
