Gauge Edit allows you to rearrange the order of weapons on the power-up bar. While that level of customization isn’t completely present Gradius Gaiden does offer something just as cool. Gradius III was a fan’s dream with its extensive edit mode. Occasionally they are blocked by the environment but this is a minor trade-off for such devastating power. These shots create mini black holes that have a wide spread radius. The Falchion β is my personal favorite thanks to its gravity bullets. It can be hard to use effectively but is devastating in tight spaces. This laser sends out a wide arcing pulse. On top of its spread bombs and twin lasers it has the Round Laser. The Jade Knight has the most interesting weapon in the game. As well rounded as these two ships are they don’t compare to the new kids on the block. The usual 2nd player exclusive Lord British has the Salamander weapon set with a new piercing laser and two-way missiles. The Vic Viper returns unchanged and is well rounded. Much like Parodius Gradius Gaiden offers a selection of numerous ships with different weapon load outs. This was one of the first PS One games I ever imported and I don’t regret it for a second. Gradius Gaiden is a truly amazing game, one of my favorite shooters of all time and one of the PlayStation’s best games in my opinion. Never in a million years did I ever imagine Konami would leave a Gradius game in Japan yet that is precisely what happened. While a few brave companies like Working Designs kept the torch burning even longtime pioneers in the genre gave up on it. The slow, agonizing near death of the genre in the late 90s was painful to watch as we missed out on some truly brilliant games. I’m not much of a fan of mobile gaming but I do appreciate that it has given shooters a second life in the US. Developer: KCE Tokyo Publisher: Konami Released: AugGenre: Shooter

Gradius gaiden soundtrack