| Gradius Generation review |
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A somewhat belated review it has to be said (the game is now four years old) but with this title recently enjoying another lease of life on Konami's budget label in Japan, and with Gradius Portable (PSP) due for release in just a few months, now is as good a time as any to check out the GBA version of the classic shooter.
First of all, once the cartridge is powered up and the developer logos have passed, we are treated to a nostalgic recap of the series so far. There's nothing particularly new about this since previous games in the series have also featured this, but it's a bit different this time as it somehow includes the 1981 game "Scramble" as part of the Gradius canon. Other than the obvious fact that Scramble was also a side-scrolling shooter, this reviewer fails to see much of a connection...
Anyway, as for the game itself, Gradius Generation (AKA Gradius Galaxies (US) or Gradius Advance in the EU) is probably the best shooter on the GBA. Admitedly, there's not much competition on Nintendo's handheld, but even if there were, it would take a mighty fine game to topple it from that lofty perch.
Perhaps wisely, the developers haven't tried to mess with the tried and tested Gradius (pronounced "Gray-dius" by the way) formula too much, meaning veterans of the series won't find too many surprises. In fact, they'll discover many familiar enemies, weapons and level designs from previous games - there's the trademark "Volcano" and "Moai" stages, and the fiery Stage 3 is almost a carbon copy of Gradius II's opening level. Some of the "Cores" (Bosses) from the arcade games also make an appearance plus, generally speaking, each of the game's eight stages is very reminiscent of those found in older versions of Gradius.
Far from being its downfall, this familiarity is actually the game's strength - it successfully moves from big-screen gaming to the handheld format without losing anything. Unlike say, the GBA version of Super Street Fighter II X, which despite the excellence of the port, always feels like a handheld version. At no point, however, does Gradius feel compromised, or "portable" in nature. It's simply another game in the series and once play begins it's very easy to forget what hardware the game is running on.
Gameplay-wise, it's classic stuff and twitch-gaming at its best. The controls are spot-on and feel tight, making it a joy to play. The only slight fly in the ointment being that the difference between one "speed up" and two is quite dramatic, which makes piloting the Vic Viper through perilous areas rather twitchy if two (or more) are equipped.
If one were to imagine how a Gradius game should look on SNES-like hardware, then this wouldn't be far away from the result. The game looks very good indeed, especially the backgrounds. The framerate is solid, and copes very well with lots of sprites onscreen, and only slows down noticeably during extremely busy moments when four "options" and missiles are equipped.
On the whole, the game is quite good sonically as well. The sampled speech ("Speed up!" Shoot it in the head!" etc) is excellent and sounds nice and clear, as do the sound effects. The music though is a bit of a mixed bag. The compositions actually sound very Gradius-esque and are pleasing enough to the ears, but they're fairly basic on a technical level and wouldn't sound out of place on a NES. Stage 3 in particular, features some incredibly shrill high notes that will make anyone despair.
Unsurprisingly, the game is one-player only, however there are two additional challenge modes to be unlocked, and a stage select. Another neat feature is the Hint mode which can be used to view replays of the CPU playing certain sections of the game.
Overall, this is a game that existing Gradius fans will be very pleased with. It could easily have been a disaster like the GBA version of R-TYPE III - especially since Konami didn't handle the job themselves, but the developers deserve a lot of credit for their work. It remains very faithful to its predecessors, and irrespective of it being a handheld game, Gradius Generation is an excellent addition to the series.
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System: Nintendo GameBoy Advance
Genre: Shooter
Developer: Mobile21 Co. Ltd
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1
Version: Japan
Reviewed: Dec 2005
Writer: John Henderson
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Pros:
- Classic Gradius action
- Nice graphics and presentation
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Cons:
- 8-Bit-style BGM
- No 2-player mode
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