#Gradius gaiden 1cc ps2#

“If you love slow, old-fashioned gameplay, you’ll be in heaven here. (Nevermind the fact that the Gradius games have always been among the best horizontal shmups in existence) But today, it’s just another obsolete space ship, grounded in favor of better, faster rockets.” “Twenty years ago, it would have been worth forty bucks. “The mere fact that it fills a niche on the Wii doesn’t excuse this disappointing lack of substance. However, it has a decided lack of content and doesn’t offer much beyond the initial experience.” “Castle of Shikigami III is a great title for people who enjoy the occasional classic, arcade-style game. (Why does the reviewer believe the game is not really worth more than $10?) “If this were a downloadable title on WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, or PlayStation Network, it’s a safe bet that we’d be telling you to go fire up your console and start it downloading right now.” (Short length is clearly a common complaint about the genre read on for more on that) “I enjoyed Triggerheart, but the game’s length is both a good and bad thing - it has only five levels, and most players will be able to beat them all in about 30 minutes.” The challenge is there for those who would like to memorize attack patterns and master the five levels, but there isn’t anything that feels exciting.” “Like most arcade shooters, the experience is brief. “Despite the enjoyment of slinging bad guys around like giant wrecking balls, Triggerheart’s indecisive difficulty, average looks and short length render it a bad choice for any but the most devoted shooter fans.” Triggerheart Exelica (2008) – Metascore 63 (Obviously the reviewer doesn’t understand the deep scoring system, nor the hitboxes or attack patterns, which demand loads of strategy) There’s no strategy no hook that makes you think about how you’ll do better next time.” (Those of us who enjoy difficult 2D games are “freaks”, apparently)Ĭhaos Field (2004, 2005) – Metascore 61, 63 (DC, GC respectively) “Old-school graphics and unprecedented difficulty level make this one a loser for all but the most dedicated retro-game freaks.

#Gradius gaiden 1cc ps2#

Back then, way back then, this may have been revolutionary but on the PS2 it’s almost like an insult to the grown intelligence of gamers.” “Two arcade perfect ports of games that will get stale within a short few minutes.

Yet Gradius III and IV clings to its roots like a long rotting tooth.” “Only enjoyable if you equate fun with frustration, but most gamers have long since outgrown that philosophy, as have most games. “The game doesn’t take long enough to beat, there’s no real reason to play it again, and there isn’t anything even remotely special about the experience.” “The game is too short, and doesn’t sport enough play options to keep it fresh past a few hours of play.

(The original Raiden came out in in 1990, not the ’80s) “A purebred ’80s throwback, Raiden III hasn’t a chance of competing with exciting modern shooters – or even the classics of yesteryear.”

I also obviously left out positive review excerpts, of which there were several for each game. I in fact left out any negative review excerpts that criticized the game and made a fair point about it – even shmups aren’t perfect all the time. I’ve selected review excerpts from most of them that really annoyed me, not because they just criticized the game, but because they displayed ignorance of shmups as a genre. Let’s take a quick look at Metacritic scores here, shall we? What follows is just about every american-released shmup that has an average score listed on Metacritic. Nowadays, mainstream reviewers and gamers alike seem thoroughly disinterested in the genre. Back in the days when arcades were the ultimate hang-out spot and the Super Nintendo’s Mode7 effects were impressive, it seemed like every game was either a platformer or a shmup. I think it’s fair to say that 2D scrolling shoot ’em ups, or “shmups”, don’t sell nearly as well as they used to. You can look forward to more features and reviews of shmups from me in the future – among other things! My first contribution to Continue is this updated version of an article I wrote back in 2008.