Gradius Collection [PSP]

Oh, Gradius. How you torment us. Most side-scrolling shooters are fast, but you start out deceptively slow. It seems so easy to thread a path between the ships and monsters you serve up, until the screen is jammed with dozens of them and inexplicably the pace has quickened from laconic cruise to high-speed flight for life. Shooters are a frustrating breed, and you're more taxing than most. And that's why we still love you.

Konami debuted the series in 1985 and changed it little over the course of five games, all of which are presented here. Two (the PSX release Gradius Gaiden and Gradius II) are making their first official US console appearance. The series looks great on the PSP, which allows gameplay in the original 4:3 aspect ratio or with the image stretched to fill the screen. The latter is recommended, even though it causes a slight dip in resolution.

Every Gradius release uses a similar weapon tech tree, through which orbs collected from enemies can purchase a variety of weapons, and ultimately extra offensive drones. From Gradius II on, each game features a handful of different tech trees, making the game more customizable than any other shooter. The look of each title is also consistent across the series, even when the latter two games begin to add polygons instead of sprite-based ships and enemies.

The differences between the five games seem slight, but sometimes make a big difference. Gradius III is easily the most difficult, but introduced a fully customizable tech tree. Gradius II makes noticeable cosmetic improvements to the first game, but otherwise the two are similar. Though we don't like the polygonal look of Gradius IV and Gaiden as much as the earlier sprites, the level design, gameplay, and overall performance of Gaiden are tough to beat. As a previously unreleased title, it's the jewel of this collection.

The PSP-based upgrades are few, but well chosen. The save feature can be used anywhere, which is useful both for portable gaming and for overcoming the many moments of absurd difficulty. The Gallery option may be momentarily interesting for longtime fans, and the games' menus are exceptionally well designed.

The retrospective games package is always a sensitive subject. We love them when done right, since they maintain gaming history. We also appreciate when the originals are presented without alteration; we don't want Greedo to shoot first in Star Wars, so why should arcade classics be "updated?" So the Gradius Collection, with games free from alteration, is just about perfect. You might not like such demanding shooters as these, but the presentation is top notch and the gameplay enduring.