PlayStation 2 Critic Reviews

Hardly pushing the limits of the PS2, Gradius III and IV is a shooter combo package that will appeal to retro gaming fans.

It's a hit because it's fun, pretty challenging and relies on a tried-and-true game style -- but if you're choosing a game to show off what your PS2 does -- this ain't it.

An acquired taste, no doubt, but Konami's Gradius package delivers quality thrills in quick bite sized bursts.

Patience and timing are really the only way to get through either of these games.

These are still great, classic games that are worth owning if you can find the package for a decent price.

Some people still enjoy the outdated and arguably unfair rules of Gradius, and if you're one of them, then you'll probably enjoy this package a great deal.

There's a dozen titles that look better, but they don't play nearly as well.

Certainly a purely retro affair, aimed only at a small enthusiast market, but it's retro gaming done properly, a package that's worth the money to its target audience (hey, you would have paid 60 bucks for just Gradius III back in the day).

Konami's sights may be locked dead on the retrogaming audience, but Gradius III & IV are both excellent, albeit incredibly difficult, games in their own right.

The good news, if you're a hard-core old-school gamer, is that they both play like the Gradius shooters of old. The bad news, for every other gamer out there, is that Gradius III and IV don't showcase the true power of the PS2.