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  1. Games

Gradius ReBirth review

Shooting for nostalgic masochists

Reviews
By Tom_McShane published 14 August 2009

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Challenges the hardcore fans

  • +

    Provides a real nostalgia trip

  • +

    Reasonable price

Cons

  • -

    Difficulty limits appeal

  • -

    Simplistic graphics

  • -

    Doesn't innovate

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

There are lots of things that Gradius ReBirth is harder than. Nails. Hulk Hogan. Licking your own elbow. And this leads to one of the game’s unfortunate downfalls – such difficulty has very limited appeal. Only fans of ridiculously hard 16-bit shooters will be in their element with this Gradius ‘remix,’ drawing elements from the first two games and the GameBoy iteration.

The graphics, sound and pumped-up difficulty will provide a real nostalgia trip for any retro nuts. It’s patience-testingly tough, but you won’t care – you’ll hit continue and battle on because that’s what these games are all about. Unfortunately, many won’t appreciate the frustrating difficulty or simplistic graphics enough to shell out 600 points.

Aug 13, 2009

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