Gradius (Nintendo, 1986)

7 LEVELS OF SIDE SCROLLING ACTION,WITH 6 POWER UP OPTIONS FOR YOUR FIGHTER.IN GRADIUS YOU ARE THER LAST HOPE OF THE PEOPLE OF GRADIUS YOU WILL CONFRONT THE AMOEBOID BACTERION EMPIRE.YOU'LL FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE CENTER OF THE BACTERION EMPIRE.AT CENTER YOU WILL ENTER THE XAEROUS SUPERFORTRESS THE NERVE CENTER OF THE EMPIRE.IT'S A DUEL TO THE DEATH WHILE THE ENTIRE GALAXY WATCHES WAITS AND HOPES THAT YOU CAN PULL IT OFF IN YOUR HYPER-SPACE FIGHTER ARMED WITH THE GREATEST ARSENAL IN THE GALAXY.

i really love this game just as i remember it when i was a young boy. very active shooting game and stategy.

Side-scrolling shooters are a dying breed these days. Back in the day though, shooters like Gradius were the bomb. The first game on the NES here is an impressive predecessor to a series that would see releases on the SNES and Playstation 2. This introduction to the series features what makes the series famous... powering up your ship. Basically the object is to shoot as many enemies as you can, but also to power up your ships defenses and weaponry. You can speed up or save your power ups to get a missile, increase your weapon power and mount defenses around your ship. It's a tough game, but that's what shooters are all about. It'll make you want to play it more, and as a result you'll remember everything you need to know to get through each stage without losing a life. Gradius is a fun classic, but it's definitely not the best in the series, which in my opinion was Gradius 3 on the SNES.

Gradius is a rare classic for the NES. it plays like games such as r-type, or the nova level in kirby super star. except, in gradius, you cant take a hit, and you are only given 3 lives to complete the 6 levels that make up the game. Thankfully the konami 30 lives code is included, and theres a cheat for more continues. my only problem with this game is its difficulty.

This is one of my favorite NES games. It's a galaga-style space shooter that scrolls along both the X and Y axis depending on level. Also there is a multi-level powerup system that is different from other games of it's type. Highly recommended for those people who enjoy this genre of game. It's the best of it's breed.