Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou
Genre: shooter - horizontal
Publisher: Konami
Year: 1992
System: PCE CD
Gameplay Score: 4
Gameplay Notes:
It's Gradius without the auto-upgrade mechanic. Movement is tight, weapons are great (can't beat that laser), and auto fire is on. Life is good. The only negative is the constant slowdown. This might be worse than Gradius III on SNES. Sheooot is it bad.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
Maybe this is nostalgia speaking here, but I like the stages in the first game more than these. They're good, but not great. The difficult curve is steep here. I didn't come close to dying until stage 3 and even then it was my own dumb fault. But then the difficulty ramps up like a hockey stick. It's a doozy.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
Gradius! No story or cutscenes but the voice calling out your upgrades is a fun touch. Plus, the flaming phoenix and other enemies are memorable.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
Great pixel artwork and effects. The slowdown pulls the package down a notch and shows off some of the warts, but Konami was making good stuff back in the day.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
Classic tunes and mostly good sound effects. That lasers get old after a while.
Overall Score: 80
Review ID: 11123
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