I have never been much of an arcade player or a fan of shooters. My first experience with a shooter was on the Sega Game Gear, and I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't tell you what game it was, but the point is I have no nostalgia for arcade games or shooters.
That said, getting into Gradius was tough for me. I watched a couple of movies they included with the collection and set out to play the original Gradius, not knowing what to expect (although I had heard these games are difficult). The first thing that had me reaching for the manual were the little orange (and sometimes blue) candies (not really, but that's what they remind me of) that appear after you kill certain enemies or squadrons.
It turns out that Gradius has one of the coolest upgrade systems ever invented: getting an orange candy causes the next upgrade in your upgrade bar at the bottom of the screen to be selected, and hitting square will "buy" that upgrade. It's a perfect system for this kind of game (simple yet effective), and later iterations of the game let you change what upgrades you can buy and what order they're in (and therefore how much they "cost" . The blue candies are very simple. When you touch them, all of the enemies on the screen die, and you might get about half a second to breathe... If you're lucky.
With a simple upgrade structure, linear progression, and a control scheme that basically just has you hold down triangle (mapped by default to rapid-fire guns AND missiles) and fly around, it might seem like all you do is upgrade and avoid any fire that can't be destroyed with lasers and missiles... And that's true. Sort of. It's an awful understatement, since just avoiding enemy fire is a task unto itself, even when it can be destroyed.
The way you avoid enemy fire is by using strategy. It seems odd, but I can't think of any other way to describe the method you have to use to decide which enemies are worth destroying, and how, and from where on the screen, while still ending up where you need to be to destroy or avoid the next thing that wants you dead. Distributing your options (the little helper drones that mimic you) so they are most beneficial is definitely a strategic battle. Do you want two above and two below for an effective spread, all behind you for concentrated fire and a bit of shielding from the rear (in the first game, shields only protect your front), all in front so they can missile some pesky turrets before they have a clear shot at you, or some other in-between configuration? There are many decisions you will make every split second in an attempt to destroy as many baddies as possible, protect yourself, and still navigate the obstacle-ridden courses.
Speaking of obstacles, these are some of the coolest and most varied level designs I have ever seen. In just the first game, you will see a simple mountain (volcano toward the end) level, a space platform level, a Maoi head level (required in every Gradius game, apparently), an upside-down version of the first level, a weird (hard-to-describe) level with lots of cells and grids, and the enemy base level, which is very hard to navigate. If that doesn't impress you, there are four more games with remakes, references, and tons of new and ingenious levels. My favorite level so far was stage 2 of Gaiden, "Requiem for Revengers", made entirely of trash, mostly the remains of old bosses!
Aside from the variety and ingenuity of all of the levels (and the music that accompanies each section), Gradius Collection offers a lot of options for each game including three display sizes (Arcade, which is tiny, Large, which maintains aspect ratio but stretches the display to the top and bottom of the screen, and Full, which is the default because you can actually see what's going on), difficulty, number of lives to start with, how many points you need for an extra life, power-up method (Semi-Automatic or Manual), control setup, and "wait time", which I haven't figured out yet. Most importantly, there is a Save/Load function which stores your upgrades and level in the game. It's not quite save state, but it's close, and it works. You can actually use it to cheat a little by powering up as much as you can before the end of a section and then saving and loading. This will start you back at the beginning of the section with all of your power ups, and give you an opportunity to grab a few more before the next section. Since the beginning of each level includes a power up zone with relatively easy enemies, this isn't a huge help, but it's good to know about. Mostly, you'll be using the load function after you die so you don't have to restart the section with nothing (since that's basically instant death... frustrating!). Actually, this is one of the few issues I have with the game - You have to wait until the section restarts and you can pause to reload your game, which means you have to then wait for the section to restart again. This is merely seconds to wait, but it would have been nice in a game this difficult to have a quick-save system that didn't use the generic PSP menus.
My other main gripe is Gradius III. This game is so hard that I haven't made it past the first level yet. Even the first section, usually intended to be easy so you can power up, is so fast and packed with enemies that you might not even get to see how great the graphics are in this one. It's too bad, really, but I'm hoping I'll get through it eventually.
All are amazing games, though, and the graphics and sound get better with each. The entire collection has plenty of replay value (especially the later games, where you can customize your upgrades) and the kind of challenge that makes you feel like you've really accomplished something when you're done.
Pros:
• Strategic, intense gameplay
• Graphics look great on PSP, especially in IV and Gaiden
• Load times didn't bother me
• Good music/sound, especially in IV and Gaiden
• High replay value: addicting and challenging as any arcade game should be
• Lots of amazing, beautiful levels
Cons:
• Gradius III (but it would have been weird not to include it)
• Save/Load system isn't optimal (small gripe)
• Could have included Salamander games or Gradius V
• No multiplayer
Overall, I highly recommend this collection for the level design and gameplay. You're really missing out on some sweet portable arcade action without it. Lastly, I'd like to mention The Gradius Base, a site with a lot more information on the individual Gradius games: link
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. The blue candies are very simple. When you touch them, all of the enemies on the screen die, and you might get about half a second to breathe... If you're lucky.
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