The Final Word game review

Gradius III and IV -- Konami

R.I.P.
Hmmm... I really liked the Gradius games in the arcade, and for some reason I had deluded myself into thinking there would be something more in this release than just arcade ports of the games. Don't get me wrong, these are awesome arcade ports. I broke out my joystick and was hammering away in the zone in no time. But... their kinda dated, and you're telling me that two games were all they could fit? Why not make it an anthology of Gradius games? That would have been far more attractive to me as a consumer than this.

Graphics and sound were good, solid translations. I didn't feel the new CG intros added much value to the package, although I did like the fact that you can use the digital stick as a joystick in the game. Personally though, I like my old standby joystick for playing shooters.

If you are a hardcore Gradius fan, than you really should go ahead and get this game, just don't expect to much more than what you get. If you are not an old-school shooter fan, steer clear... way clear. You don't get much more old-school arcade shooter than this.

(01/2001)