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GRADIUSGAIDEN: Probablymy favourite 'serious' Konamishooter, and one of the few decent PSXshooting games out there. All the usualtouches, including a nasty Easter IslandHeads level, and bosses that punish you forputting the pad down too early(level 6 boss, eh Mike?) Steve PerryThanks Steve for the scans! Here wehave one of the finest Playstation shootersofthem all, and (alongside the splendidCastlevania Symphony of the Night) one ofKonami'smost impressive and timeless 32-bit releases.If you think of Gradius as a classic butnowadays slightly dated shmup and the PSX asa underachieving sprite-shifter then thinkagain, this is a contempory 2d shootermasterpiece! The pretty FMV intro andbroodingintense atmospherics immediately immerse youin what soon becomes clear is the ultimateGradius - everything here goes up to 11 byprevious instalments of the series, and itevengets one (actually make that several) up onthe newly-released in terms ofplayability, lastability and design. Theweaponry is ingenious and varied over a fleetof 4different ships to choose (includingstock-favourites the Vic Viper and LordBritish, and twoall-new souped-up gunbirds in the guise ofJade Knight and Falchion B), and the ninelonglevels varied and for the most partgraphically stunning. Look out for oldfavouritesincluding those pesky Moai heads (whonow have a nasty sting in the tail. Nuffsaid!), theboss fromthe original game now trashed and redundanton 'Requiem forRevengers' level, the 'Organic Fortress'level complete with pulsating intestinalwalls a laSalamander, and a reprise of the originalGradius's first level, but now menacinglyself-destructing into the ether as youprogress on through (an incredible effectthat has tobe seen to be believed.).
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Their latest offering comes from the old shooter Gradius, entitled Gradius Gaiden. In Gradius Gaiden, players take control of the hero, Vic Viper, who is sent by the Gradius Army to defend their galaxy from the Dark Nebula. This time, our hero has help from three other warriors; Jade Knight, Lord British, and Falchion Beta.
Much more of anintense all-out blastathon than previousGradii,and with it's near faultless artwork, designand execution, this is one game thatPlaystation-owning shooter fiends should notfail to be without.
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