"ReBirth" is an overstatement.

User Rating: 4.5 | Gradius ReBirth WII
The Good: Online leaderbords
The Bad: Expensive; lazy

Released as part of a Konami rehash series developed exclusively for the WiiWare service, Gradius ReBirth–as the title states–intends to update the franchise for modern gamers while keeping its oldschool, hardcore appeal. Unfortunately it ultimately fails in both fronts.

In one hand that modernization never quite happens. The gameplay structure–even if it's a good one for sure, a classic side-scrolling shooter plus the customizable power-up tree that made the series remarkable–remains unchanged even in the slightest; which means you'll need to beat it in one seat for a lack of restore points/save states/whatever, for instance–simply unacceptable for a 20XX release.

On the other hand the design is too lazy to deliver it to a desirable hardcore audience. Most levels are recycled from MSX previous entries and in fact they were even dumbed down with artificial, cheap difficulty. Bosses are too easy, pre-bosses sections are too annoying and the game as a whole is too short. The retro presentation could have been a great feature in itself if the result wasn't just plain ugly. (Take a look at a cutscene screenshot if you don't believe me.)

Of course, the score attack mode with its online leaderboards and an unlockable hard mode can add some value for more passionate players, but it's still a too-shallow revolution to care for.

The way it is Gradius ReBirth can't even stand toe-to-toe with the original NES Gradius available at the Virtual Console service; or the SNES installment, Gradius III all the same. And having both for a better price tag doesn't help either.