msxnet > Konami MSX Games > Nemesis 2
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Nemesis 2 is a 1 megabit, SCC megaROM cartridge. It was the first game with an SCC sound chip. Nemesis 2 is a excellent shoot 'm up. Pretty tough though. When you've finished stage 7, you have to go back to stage 1 again (without skipping the stages in between!) and then you'll get the last stage, also known as stage 0.
This game is known as Gradius 2 in Japan. If you put the game in a Japanese MSX, it'll show Gradius 2 as the title and Nemesis 2 on any other MSX.
There is also another version of this game around, known as the beta version. There are quite some bugs in it and the music isn't as good. Also, some stages are different and there aren't any bonus stages in it. I think the 'official' version is a lot better, though it's nice to play a different version. I do not know if there has ever been a cartridge sold of this beta version. If someone can give some information on this weird version, please do.
This game operates perfectly with Konami's Game Master. You can select the starting stage, though it seems impossible to start in stage 0 (the last stage). The Beta version from the site above does not operate with The Game Master. It resets.
In all the beta versions I've seen, the <F2>, <F3> and <F10> keys have special cheat functions.
Stages in the official release:
| Stage 1: | Giant Statue Planet |
| Stage 2: | Jungle Planet |
| Stage 3: | Ancient Planet |
| Stage 4: | Floating Continent |
| Stage 5: | Fire Planet |
| Stage 6: | Living Planet |
| Stage 7: | Fortress Planet |
Stages in the beta release:
| Stage 1: | Giant Statue Planet |
| Stage 2: | Jungle Planet |
| Stage 3: | Ancient Planet |
| Stage 4: | Planet ? - does not exist in official version |
| Stage 5: | Fire Planet |
| Stage 6: | Ice Planet - does not exist in official version |
| Stage 7: | Living Planet |
| Stage 8: | Fortress Planet |
After the last stage, you'll have to go back to nemesis. This means you have to do every stage again, and then the last stage, stage 0. This is the same stage as Operation X in Salamander if you have Nemesis 2 in slot 2.
The bonus stages do not seem to be present in the beta version.
There are at least three bonus stages in this game. Thanks to Steve Cottam I know the location of the third bonus stage. The first is stage 3.
When you get to this point,
Shoot the three small pillars and go to the point under the block. Now let the block fall on you. If your location was correct, you'll go to the bonus stage, otherwise you'll die.
The other is in stage 6 in the official version and in stage 7 of the beta version. At a certain point, you'll get a drill. Your ship will start rotating. Now you can fly through the blue dots.
Now, go to the following location:
The third bonus stage is in the bonus stage of stage 6. When you get to this point,
You have to shoot away the red dots and move to the previous location of the lower slab:
After you defeat the mother ship at the end of each stage (except stage 7 and stage 0), you can enter it. To do this fly into the space created by the destruction of the vertical beams. Now you'll get a short stage. If you make it to the end of this stage, you'll get up two, one or none extra weapons. The amount of weapons you get depends on how fast you've destroyed the mother ship. The weapons you can get:
There are also weapon items:
In the game you can have one weapon of three groups:
Group A:
Group B:
Group C:
Of each group, you can only have one weapon simultaneously.
If you insert another Konami game in another slot, you can get some interesting effects. Not all games are have an effect, just these:
METALIONNEMESISLARS18TH
BiFi <bifi@msxnet.org>