The Vixens are a series of spacecrafts that serve as the protagonists of 1988 MSX game Nemesis 3. The crafts are equipped with an AI named Gaudie, which assists its pilot David Burton during his mission. Each Vixen type has its own unique weapon setup.
History
In an alternate dimension known as Sub-Space, a pilot named David Burton, aboard a fighter called the Vixen detected an abnormality with the assistance of his A.I.C. (Artificial Intelligence Computer "Gaudie", in a region known as Sub-Space. There, they learned that the Bacterian Empire, an old foe of the Gradius Empire was using a space-time transcoder in order to travel to the past for one purpose: to kill James Burton during his childhood and alter history in their favor.
Knowing the dangers that James' death can cause, the Vixen races to Sub-Space in order to prevent this plot from unfolding. Using its subspace navigation and black-hole power, the Vixen travels to various planets and even back through time, battling old foes from the past. Eventually, the Vixen locates the Bacterian leader Gofer aboard his namesake ship and destroys him.
Afterwards, Vixen escapes and returns back to the present, foiling the Bacterians' plan.
Weapons
In addition to retaining much of the weaponry used by both the Vic Viper and the Metalion, each Vixen type is equipped own unique weapon setup, giving them certain weapons that other types are unable to use.
- Impulse Rail Gun - fires a single, semi-automatic bolt that can destroy smaller Bacterians easily.
- Missiles - the Vixen's main secondary weapon; missiles can be fired below or above the Vixen in an attempt to eliminate enemy flank attacks. Multiple variants are available
- Missile - fires a single missile downwards at a 45 degree angle. Once the missile makes contact with the ground, it will travel along the ground until it hits an enemy or an obstacle such as the environment. If it comes in contact with a hatch, it will destroy it instantly. Used by Type 1.
- Missile Hawk - an upgrade to the standard missile, it allows the missile to climb vertical hills.
- Guided Missiles - an upgrade to the standard missile, it allows missiles fired from the Vixen to home in on enemies and moves fast.
- Photon Missile - fires a missile that behaves similarly to the normal missile, but when it travels along the terrain, it will penetrate weaker enemies instead of exploding upon any surface. Used by Type 2.
- Photon Hawk - an upgrade to the Photon Missile, it allows the missile to climb vertical hills.
- Napalm Missile - a more powerful version of the normal missile, this variant creates a much larger explosion upon when it hits an enemy. Used by Type 3.
- 2-Way Missile - fires two missiles that travel at a slight arc before traveling upwards and downwards respectively. Unlike the normal missiles, they will not travel along the ground, and simply explode. Used by Type 4.
- Missile - fires a single missile downwards at a 45 degree angle. Once the missile makes contact with the ground, it will travel along the ground until it hits an enemy or an obstacle such as the environment. If it comes in contact with a hatch, it will destroy it instantly. Used by Type 1.
- Tail Beam - fires a single shot behind the Vixen, making it useful for taking out enemies located behind the craft.
- Double - fires an additional shot at a 45 degree angle upwards, allowing the Vixen to clear Bacterians located on surfaces that can't normally be reached with the standard cannon or missiles.
- Up Laser - fires a wide laser beam that travels vertically up from the Vixen. This weapon is more powerful than the standard Double, and can be fired alongside the Laser.
- Down Laser - fires a wide laser beam that travels vertically down from the Vixen. Though powerful, it is not as effective as the Up Laser and the Missile, both of which it replaces when active.
- Down Double - fires an additional shot at a 45 degree downwards.
- Laser - fires a standard beam that can penetrate most smaller Bacterians. Used by both Type 1 and Type 2.
- Meteor Laser - an upgrade to the standard laser, it fires a wider, more powerful laser. Used by Type 1.
- Twinkle Laser - an upgrade to the standard laser, it fires a wider, more powerful laser. Used by Type 2.
- Screw Laser - a further upgrade to the Meteor and Twinkle Lasers, it fires an even more powerful and wider laser.
- Ripple Laser - fires a ring-shaped pulse that is much wider than the normal laser, but lacks the ability to penetrate enemies. Used by Type 3 and Type 4.
- Fire Blaster - an upgrade to the Ripple Laser, it fires a flamethrower that is much more powerful, but has a much more limited range than the Ripple Laser.
- Extend Blaster - an upgrade to the Fire Blaster, it fires a second row of flames, effectively doubling the firepower. Used by Type 3.
- Vector Laser - an upgrade to the Fire Blaster, unlike its Nemesis 2 counterpart, it fires a more powerful version of the Ripple Laser. Used by Type 4.
- Galactic Laser - a single-use weapon, it fires an extremely wide beam straightforwards, destroying everything in its path. It is required in order to bypass a wall in the final level.
- Options - the standard variant of the option will follow the exact path of the Vixen from behind.
- Shield - creates a shield that can protect the Vixen from enemy fire. It can only absorb a limited amount of fire before being depleted. Two variants are available:
- Shield - creates a pair of hexagonal gear-shaped shields that protect the Vixen from the front, but leave the other sides exposed. They shrink with every hit they take until they are depleted.
- Force Field - creates an aura that surrounds the entire Vixen, allowing it to absorb enemy fire from any direction, but usually takes less hits (three in most cases) to deplete.
External links
- Vixen at the Gradius Wiki
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