| Gradius Portable review |
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Gradius. Definitely one of the most influential games of all time as far as shoot 'em-ups are concerned. It’s certainly difficult to think of an earlier game that shaped the horizontal-scroller as much as Gradius ("Nemesis" in Western markets) did. It introduced many elements and graphic stylings that would be aped for years to come, but its key innovation is undoubtedly the power-up system.
Unlike other games, the player is free to choose how they equip the Vic Viper by way of a single power-up token; of which, various amounts can be collected to "purchase" additional firepower from the weapons array menu at the bottom of the screen. Along with being unique at the time of release, this freedom of choice also brought a certain amount of strategic thinking to the gameplay. Particularly since the game difficulty was dependant on how well-equipped the player's ship was due to the game employing a "rank" system (the better you are, the harder it becomes). These gameplay elements, coupled with impressive level design and extremely catchy music made the game a firm favourite in the arcades and earned Gradius a place in many gamers’ hearts.
But that was in 1985. Today? Some twenty-one years later? Well, things have obviously moved on since then in terms of graphics and sound, but the game is still remarkably good and hasn't really aged much at all. That's because good design doesn't age - subsequent entries in the series only feature minor differences with even 2004's Gradius V being essentially the exact same game at heart. As a result, the first outing in the series is still extremely good fun to play with a tremendous "one more go" factor.
For this PSP release, Konami have also been generous enough to include the other arcade games in the series (II, III and IV), plus the PlayStation-only release, Gradius Gaiden. All of these games are extremely good in their own right, but Gradius II and Gaiden are the picks of the bunch. Not just in terms of quality, but also because they have never appeared on consoles in the West before.
Gradius II (full title: Gradius II GOFER no Yabou) features only subtle changes from the original, but everything (graphics, music, speech) is improved considerably, giving the game a much more polished feel. So much so, that it still impresses today on an aesthetic level. The classic gameplay is also taken to a higher level thanks to a choice of different power-up configurations (including the weapon set from the spin-off, Salamander), larger levels, more varied Bosses, plus a slight increase in difficulty.
The third game in the series (Gradius III Densetsu Kara Shinwa e) is probably more widely known than the sequel thanks to an appearance on the SNES, but that conversion wasn't quite the same as the Arcade game, which is included here. Graphical quality is very similar to Gradius II, but the main talking point for Gradius III revolves around the game's incredible difficulty level; even the opening stage is brutal and it just gets worse from there. The Vic Viper is also much slower than before and power-up tokens are much scarcer than in previous games, making it a huge struggle to survive once the first life is lost. A "beginner" mode is available, but that features just three stages, with the main game having the most of any game in the series; ten in total, plus the opening levels of Gradius and Salamander are available as hidden extras. The weapon edit mode is also a welcome addition but the extreme difficulty only serves to render this the least enjoyable game in the package.
Gradius Gaiden was the first game in the series to be developed exclusively for home consoles, and also the first one to feature polygon graphics. It's also the most ambitious of them all and features many new additions. The eight year gap between III and Gaiden certainly helped inject some freshness into the franchise. First of all, there's a choice of four different ships available with the trusty Vic Viper being joined by the Lord British (the red-coloured 2P ship from Salamander), plus two brand new designs; the Jade Knight and the Falchion Beta, each craft having their own unique set of weapons.
Gradius III's weapon edit feature is omitted, but the player is allowed to edit the order in which power-ups can be selected on the menu bar. Certain power-ups can also be selected a second time to increase their effectiveness and there are two new types of shield available; of which, the "limit" makes the ship invulnerable for 3 seconds.
Gaiden also features more inspired level designs than any of its Arcade brethren, with the second stage (a Boss graveyard full of defeated "Cores" from the previous games) being a particular highlight. This stage also features a choice of two possible routes at the midway point with a unique boss at the end of each. The use of polygon graphics throws open the possibility for some unexpected events and enemy appearances, and it's this sort of freshness and diversity that helps make this game one of the best in the series. Gradius staples like the obligatory Maoi level and a "Boss Rush" make a return to keep existing fans happy and the feeling between old and new is nicely balanced.
Although, technically speaking, it’s the fifth game in the series, Gradius IV carries the subtitle Fukkatsu in Japan, which is literally translated as "Resurrection", and that's exactly what Konami were aiming for since the franchise had been absent from arcades for quite a long time. Perhaps surprisingly, it's distinctly "old-school" in nature - despite the polygon graphics - and includes very few of the features that had debuted in Gradius Gaiden on the PlayStation a year earlier.
IV's main weakness is its uninspired level design, since many of them are just lifted straight from Gradius II and III and given a new look. Admittedly, the stages in question are some of the best from those games so the classic gameplay is still there and it remains a very good game. That said however, the fact that Gradius II & III are also on the UMD makes IV reek of familiarity more than usual.
Konami have made a considerable effort in porting all of these games to the PSP. The main menu is superbly presented and features a Gallery section where CG movies and soundtracks for each game can be checked out, including the wonderful Sharp X68000 tunes for the first two games. The ports themselves are faultless, being based on the previous Gradius Deluxe Pack and Gradius III & IV home releases. Meanwhile, Gradius Gaiden is also identical to the PlayStation original but is shorn of its simultaneous 2-player mode for obvious reasons.
Each game in the package can be played in their original 4:3 resolutions or zoomed to fill the entire screen, which seems the preferred option - the bigger sprites certainly make up for any slight loss of clarity. Gradius and Gradius II also have proper "wide" settings which make more of the play area visible. Additional features for the PSP include the option to save the game at any point, which is always welcome on a handheld game. The abilities to decrease the size of the ship's hitbox and reduce or eliminate any slowdown present are also notable inclusions.
The bottom line is that none of these games are new, but this is still a wonderful package that offers excellent value for money, and for Gradius fans it's a must-have.
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System: Sony PlayStation Portable
Genre: Shooter
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1
Version: Japan
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Writer: John Henderson
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Pros:
- It's Gradius! And portable!
- Five great games in one package
- Excellent ports and presentation
- PSP extras are very good
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Cons:
- Essentially offers nothing new besides portability
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Gradius Portable Video: 4.0MB
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