Gradius

Reviewed by Marc Golding (January 03, 2004)

From deep space and the theme that accompanies it, we fly full tilt into the earthly environs of level one. Dormant volcanoes line the ground, until at last, one volcano proves to be active, and violently so. Hide, and pray, and shoot, and survive the angry magma to fight Gradius' only boss (outside of the final one, snicker. More on him later). A nondescript ship faces off with you on the right of the screen and moves up and down, loosing volleys of slivery blue lasers. The same pattern is necessary for every level when he greets you. Take his eye out for the first time in level one, knowing that it won’t be the last.

Reviewed by overdrive (May 06, 2005)

If there is one fond memory I have of Gradius and its hordes of sequels and spin-offs, it is simply the way that all the levels meld together to form what appears to be a single, constantly-shifting juggernaut of a stage. That just gives Konami’s main contribution to the world of shooters a certain flow that’s lacking in many games of the genre, where you tend to be randomly teleported from one locale to another — leaving you to guess exactly how all those diverse regions are connected.

Reviewed by phediuk (March 22, 2006)

When asked to name a Konami game, the Gradius series--likely a mistranslation of "Gladius"-may not be the first games to come to mind. The series has always been aimed towards the hardcore shooter crowd, and as such, they've never been all that high-profile. The series really hasn't evolved much over the years, being your typical side-scrolling shmup, and its gameplay has always revolved around one central gimmick: the Option system.

Reviewed by sgreenwell (Date unavailable)

Gradius upped the bar for shooters, past the Space Invaders days.