Gradius Collection

Reviewed by Norman Canseco
August 6, 2006

Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Website: Click Here Consoles Available: PSP Number of Players: 1 ESRB Rating: Everyone

Game selection menu. Courtesy Konami. Click image to enlarge.

For those of you waiting to relive the classic arcade version of Gradius, look no further. The only versions that were previously released in the U.S. were Gradius I for the NES, Gradius III (NES), and IV (with Gradius III for the PS2). The Gradius Collection, however, is the compilation of Gradius I, II, III, IV and Gradius Gaiden.

The two-dimensional, side-scrolling shooter puts one as the hero saving the Gradius Homeworld from the evil Bacterion empire. As for controls, nothing has changed. Along with the basic controls (shoot and power up) you are also given a rapid fire button which fires all weapons simultaneously. You can move your ship by using the D-pad on the PSP with minimal difficulty. However, the ship starts moving from slow to uncontrollably fast as you progress through the stages using a speed power-up. The later sequels of Gradius allow for options of where to arrange your power-ups to your weapons.

As for the view screen, there are two modes: the original arcade and a special PSP widescreen mode. The addition of the widescreen mode allows you better views but makes the screen look stretched. The game itself also has a gallery mode where you can listen to the background music and watch videos and trailers of the original releases.

Konami did a perfect import of these games, for they are just as challenging as there were back in the day. As for the replay value, you are getting five games in one, with different gaming experiences from one another. It's the perfect game for the handheld market because it is easy to get into and quick to enjoy.

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