Gradius III and IV

"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..."

"...the limitations imposed by the formulaic action that is inherent in both titles reveal them to be two rather linear and basic takes on the shoot 'em-up genre... it really is best left as a fond memory..."

"What really ticks me off about this collection is the fact that the fun-destroying difficulty used to mask the game's shortness is advertised on the back cover as if it's the game's best feature."

"Each of the featured titles looks to be a pixel-perfect translation of the original arcade game, so there's no problem there. As you might imagine, Gradius III looks pretty aged when compared to modern shooters..."

"However, if you squint through a jeweler's glass, you'll see that the game brings back all of the timeless gameplay and exhilaration of the Gradius series (only without the slowdown that plagued the SNES game -- we hope!). Of course, we also have the breathtaking CG sequences that made us all wet our pants, but actual gameplay hasn't been shown yet. Essentially, though, it's Gradius."