Gradius ReBirth :: Wiiware Game Review

You almost definitely aren't old enough to have played the original Gradius, unless your parents happened to have an old NES laying around with it or something. Regardless, it was a classic on the arcades and several consoles, with brilliant gameplay and (for the time) graphics and sound. Well, similar to Mega Man 9 a few months ago, Konami has released an all-new Gradius game that looks and feels like it came straight from the 80's, but with the Wii's added processing power. We're excited, and here's why you should be, too.

Gobs of Good Gameplay

A game's difficulty must always walk along a very tight line between frustration and boredom. It can't be too hard, or too easy. This game captures that balance perfectly. It is indeed difficult, but there are tons of checkpoints, quick reload times, and there's always something new to try with the power-up system. You may have die a hundred times, but you'll never get fed up, and will always want to try it again. You may start with three lives, but there are infinite continues, so there's hardly a difference.

A $50 Value for $10

There's a lot of value here for a Wiiware downloadable game. You get a nice long story mode, then you unlock a harder version of the same story, and you get to attempt score challenges that let you compare your scores with the world online. There are four different ships you can choose, all with different power-up capabilities to try out. You're getting a lot for your money.

Game Rating:

Price: 1000 Wii points ($10)

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

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