Gradius Galaxies has a long and distinct lineage among hardcore classic shooter fans. I have dabbled in this genre a little in the past. My favorite series of shooters were the Thunder Force series by Technosoft on the Sega Genesis as well as the awesome Thunder Force V on the Sega Saturn. Treasure's Bangai-O and Radiant Silvergun are also a key part of my collection. I recently contracted that "shooter-thumb itch", and decided to search for something newer that would fit the bill. I stumbled upon this little discounted gem and figured that it was meant to be. I haven't really been a devout Gradius fan, I never actually owned a game in the series, but I figured I could do a lot worse. After all, many shooter fans hold this series near the top in their lists.

Gradius Galaxies is classic shooter all the way. You're job is to blow up nearly everything that moves, power-up, survive and destroy bosses. Sounds simple enough, but as any shooter fan knows, it's never that easy. Gradius has traditionally been on the tougher end of the blast-a-thon spectrum. I have read some complaints that this entry into the series is a lot easier that previous game. I suppose it is mainly due to my lack of practice in the genre for the past couple years, but it seemed hard enough to me. Although I can attest to mastering levels faster than I used to be able to, so I suppose those complaints are valid. Either way, a slightly easier game would be more suited for the handheld market in my opinion.

Konami knows how to make a good looking game, and I must say that Gradius Galaxies impressed me with it's visuals. Not only does everything look detailed, but there are a lot of things going on at the same time. Konami employs many of the graphical tricks that the GBA can muster all at once, all the while never stuttering once. For anyone who remembers playing shooters on the Genesis and moreso the SNES, slowdown was an expected part of the game. It was just a natural part of shooters for the most part. I appreciate the fact that slowdown was not intentionally put into the game like some previous games. I like feeling like I am in complete control of a shooter, and slowdown would always throw me off my game.

The gameplay in Gradius is very tight and well balanced. You can choose a variety of options before you begin the game that determine basic weapon configurations. For instance, you may opt for a head-on power attack with powerful shots or a slightly weaker attack in favor of greater range in your shots. You can also choose a barrier type as well as how much control you have over your power-ups. The power-up system is extremely well done and controls effortlessly in the game. When you pick up an upgrade pod, it adds a point on your power-up bar. When you want to enable the power-up, you simply hit the 'A' button. For instance, the first point on the bar is your speed. When you collect a pod, you may immediately initiate the power-up for a permanent speed boost. Collecting a few pods before powering up will allow you to upgrade your missiles, lasers, etc. It's an excellent system for a shooter that allows a decent amount of additional strategy.

The sound on this cart is the weakest point. Shooter sounds are generally just adequate, as are the sound effects in this incarnation of Gradius. There isn't anything wrong with the sound effects, it is just that we have been there and done that. There just isn't a whole lot they can do, although it does sound better with headphones as the explosions and such have a little more kick to them. The bad is the mostly forgettable music. Music in a shooter is important to me. For instance, I made sure to pick up the Japanese Deluxe Edition of Thunder Force V on the Sega Saturn which featured a music CD of re-mastered classic and current Thunder Force tracks. I was not expecting a mind blowing CD quality soundtrack, but I know that Konami is capable of more than what we have here.

The game is a solid entry for any shooter fan. I'm not sure if I could recommend it for the casual gamer, looking for a little blasting action since the game really ramps up the tension in the later levels. I don't feel that this title will appeal to the average gamer who isn't into classic style shooters. It's not a Radiant Silvergun which was so good that even people who didn't like shooters loved it. It is a solid effort from Konami, as you would expect and is easily worth the discounted price in many areas.