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The legendary shooter explodes onto the GBA.
November 16, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Stephen Smith
It is funny, but I never thought that my age would show when reviewing a game. When I told people I was reviewing Gradius for the GBA, often I would hear “What is Gradius?”. I didn’t realize how old the original Gradius was. But Gradius Galaxies keeps the legacy going, and adds a few new ideas along the way.
Just like with their other Gameboy Advance games, they build the game around the system, making use of the GBA strengths. There is some slowdown, but it is minor, and only when the screen fills with enemies. And just like all shooter fans know, slowdown can be your friend when you are in a tough spot.
The graphics showcase the great effects that can be pulled off on the Advance. Most of these effects take place in the background, and this is how it should be. The various crafts that populate Gradius are very well designed, and their animations are solid. Gradius is no slouch in the graphics department.
Music is what you would expect, general fare. Sound effects, on the other hand are great, from the explosions, to your weapons systems. They even added digitized speech to round out the package.
Where Gradius separates itself from the pack is how it handles it’s weapons. And for a shooter, there is nothing more important. You collect power up icons to upgrade your ship, but you can choose which system you want to initiate. For example, you may want extra speed, or you may choose to build up your shields. This approach gives the player more control over leveling up, and adds a light dose of strategy.
There are 14 different weapons, both offensive and defensive, and 8 levels to use them on. Add to that a continue option that saves your progress, and lets you return to various parts of the levels. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It makes the game incredible fun from the onset, but also in return makes the game extremely short. Not stopping there they added a “Hint” option, that lets the computer show you how do get through each level.
If you look at this game for what it is, it is a success. It plays well, and the levels are very well designed. The creators have made sacrifices to make it more “fun” for the portable gamer. But no one can deny that Gradius is extremely enjoyable, while it lasts.
Just like with their other Gameboy Advance games, they build the game around the system, making use of the GBA strengths. There is some slowdown, but it is minor, and only when the screen fills with enemies. And just like all shooter fans know, slowdown can be your friend when you are in a tough spot.
The graphics showcase the great effects that can be pulled off on the Advance. Most of these effects take place in the background, and this is how it should be. The various crafts that populate Gradius are very well designed, and their animations are solid. Gradius is no slouch in the graphics department.
Music is what you would expect, general fare. Sound effects, on the other hand are great, from the explosions, to your weapons systems. They even added digitized speech to round out the package.
Where Gradius separates itself from the pack is how it handles it’s weapons. And for a shooter, there is nothing more important. You collect power up icons to upgrade your ship, but you can choose which system you want to initiate. For example, you may want extra speed, or you may choose to build up your shields. This approach gives the player more control over leveling up, and adds a light dose of strategy.
There are 14 different weapons, both offensive and defensive, and 8 levels to use them on. Add to that a continue option that saves your progress, and lets you return to various parts of the levels. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It makes the game incredible fun from the onset, but also in return makes the game extremely short. Not stopping there they added a “Hint” option, that lets the computer show you how do get through each level.
If you look at this game for what it is, it is a success. It plays well, and the levels are very well designed. The creators have made sacrifices to make it more “fun” for the portable gamer. But no one can deny that Gradius is extremely enjoyable, while it lasts.
November 20, 2009
