With five complete Gradius games in one portable package, there's no going wrong with this collection.

User Rating: 9.5 | Gradius Portable PSP
I've always been a sucker for shooters, especially Gradius. My only regret is not being able to experience them in their true arcade forms--the best I could ever do was play the Nintendo games. Gradius Collection packages a whopping five-game mantra into one pocket-sized universal media disc to be experienced on the go for the PSP. It's been a long time coming, and fans of the series (myself included) will most certainly be pleased with what it has to offer.

You get five complete Gradius games, including two that we never saw stateside; Gradius 2 GOFER and Gradius Gaiden for the original PlayStation. Each game has been carefully ported over from their original source material and perfectly translated 100%. On the PSP, the games hold up pretty well, and you can even adjust the screens so that they fit within the PSP's widescreen for a better experience.

Well, for the most part, the harrowing difficulty of the games have also been ported over in its infamous glory. Gradius III, in my opinion, is still one of the toughest shooters I've ever played. It makes the Super NES game look as easy as making a peanut-butter and jelly Ritz sandwich. And, as I mentioned earlier, Gradius II GOFER is also available for the first time for North American fans. This is a Gradius game that I've ALWAYS wanted to play, and now I get to... anytime, and anywhere, I want!

Furthermore, there's also an interesting Gallery mode where you can sample the soundtrack of all five games. Even after all these years, you still get an emotional chill just listening to the songs. You can also view some cool CG movies showing the Vic Viper in furious action.

If there were any disappointments in regards to Gradius Collection, they would have to be the exclusion of Life Force; (known as Salamander in Japan) a cooperative spin-off of the Gradius series, and Gradius V, the recent PS2 release with the awesome Hitoshi Sakamoto soundtrack. But that's a bit much to ask considering Konami went through the trouble of bringing us five complete Gradius games--including Gradius II and Gaiden.So, maybe in the next Gradius Collection.

Overall, if you like Gradius, or just like shooters in general, this is a must. Not only can you experience an excellent piece of arcade history, you can relive the memories anywhere you like.