Graphics: 8
The graphics do well, even considering the time. There is a nice collection of moving sprites and level detail, but Gradius could have used more, like the ship. The background is also just space and stars, but consider, this is like 1986 or '87.

Sound: 7
The FX is pretty interesting. There are separate sounds for the default gun and the laser. You can tell each different action that takes place: receiving a power-up, killing an enemy, receiving an extra life, defeating a boss, and (of course) dying. My favorite sound is when a power-up is selected.

The music isn't one of Konami's best, but some of it is nice. The first level is probably the best theme. Then again, stage 6 is one of my favorites, yet I also like stage 7, and stage 4 (the upside down one). Miki-Chang must've done a good job.

Gameplay: 8
CONTROL: At first it seems that the ship, Warp Rattler, is slow and only fires two shots at one time. Really when looking at it, Konami gives too much freedom in handling it. As you should now know, power-ups can be collected and used to excel the abilities of your ship. Collecting enough power-ups allows the player to select a better power boost. The order of the power boosts are: 1.) Speed Up 2.) Missile 3.) Double 4.) Laser 5.) Option 6.) ?
NOTE: You may not have Double & Laser at the same time.

The game is rather difficult, but it's worth accomplishing each stage one at a time. There are elaborate levels that, mostly, include their own enemies.

Overall: 8
If you haven't played this game, then now is the time. If you've had this game for some time and haven't seemed to get past stage 3 or 4, then it's time to try harder (because you don't know what you're missing).

Who can forget that Konami Code? Enter the Konami Code during the Pause screen to become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. Oh yeah, it should only work about once per stage, atleast I think.

Graphics: 8
Very respectable, Gradius manages to retain a lot of the graphical nuances of the arcade game, with only a slight down-grade in graphics quality (and when the arcade version looks like an SNES game, that's sayin' a lot). There's lots of slowdown as usual (:D), and the first stage boss has been moved out a few feet, probably because the NES wouldn't be able to handle both it and the volcanoes. The Moai are great as usual, and the bosses are nicely designed and look superb. Nothing too bad to complain about here.

Sound: 5
Lacking. Konami was dealing with almost first-generation hardware, and as such were restricted as far as what they could do with the good ol' nes sound system. Some tunes are pretty good, such as stage 6, but there still isn't anything that would cause you to turn up the volume. The music stays firmly in the background, and it never, ever gets in the way. Sounds are generic.

Gameplay: 9
Classic and pretty hard. As in every other Gradius, red enemies drop small satellites when killed, and collecting them moves you along on a small 'weapons rack' at the bottom of the screen. The better the weapon, the more satellites you'll need to collect to earn them. At the bottom of the rack is the old standby SpeedUp, followed by Missile, Double, Laser, tasty Option, and finally Shield. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. Bosses are the bastards as usual, and often kill you simply by taking advantage of your own fear. Yeah, it isn't that hard to duck between a couple lasers, but it'll take nerves of steel to do so when yer being stared down by an evil sapphire eye from the boss du jour. You've also got no continues, so be prepared for rote memorization, of the good, fun kind. :P

Overall: 8
(NOTE: SCORE NOT AN AVERAGE)

Gradius is a great game, and you should definitely pick it up if you find it. Besides, it's got a low rarity, and shouldn't cost more then about 6 or 7 bucks. Remember, 'millions sold in japan!'.

-Deets!