Gradius

[thordog]

It has been some time since my review of Gradius 3 for the Super NES. Now I will show you the game that started it all. It's a damn shame that this version of Gradius never got a US release unlike the NES version, as with the TurboDuo version of Gradius 2: Ambitions of Gofer. The plot is simple and doesn't rely on cut-scenes of any sort to continue on.<BR><BR> Game Play: Unlike Taito's Darius and Irem's R-type, Gradius has a weapon bar that allows the player to use certain power-ups at certain times.<BR>There are several levels that you must go through in order to crush the Bacterion menace. This version has a boneyard level unlike the NES, arcade, and Game Boy versions. Plus, it has a 2-player mode, unlike Darius Alpha &amp; Rayxanber. However, this version doesn't have Salamander's co-op mode unlike Gradius Gaiden on the PS (Konami better port this on the GameCube).<BR><BR> Graphics: Same as the arcade version only that this port needs to be brightened up a bit.<BR><BR> Music: For a TG-16 port of an '80s arcade game, the music isn't all that bad; not to mention that the sound effects are the same as the arcade version.<BR><BR> Originality: It's an arcade port, therefore it isn't very original other than the boneyard level.<BR><BR> The verdict: If you find the rom to this game; Download it! It's one of the better ports of old games.