Gradius Galaxies

Whether you're a grizzled arcade veteran or a newcomer to the series, Gradius Galaxies is sure to satisfy your appetite for destruction. [Spring 2002, p.41]

This game has such a high replay value that it’s worth so much more than the SRP on the package.

The crisp graphics hold up fine on the small screen, but the music is standard, forgettable fare.

It’s well polished and has a pretty lengthy eight worlds. The power-up system is really cool and works for both novice and stronger players.

Though not spectacular in any category Galaxies proves you can make a decent shooter on the GBA while retaining much of a games arcade roots. Once you finally finish this tough, deep, space-blaster, you'll probably not bother with it again.

The difficulty is much better than previous games in the series, so no need to worry about that if you’ve had horrifying experiences with insanely difficult shooters before (which everyone has.)

It is relatively short (when you consider the 30 hour RPGs on GBA), and has no innovative features whatsoever. If you can get past that, it can be an enjoyable game, although nowhere near the caliber of other shooters fashioned in a traditional style (like "Gunbird 2").