Gradius Collected for PSP
Konami's classic shooter series find itself a new home on the PSP, but will your favourite be included?
Fans of old-school shooter games haven't had much to cheer in the past while, but Konami has something that might lift their spirits. The company is putting together a collection of games from its classic Gradius series for the PSP.
Never one to toe the line of mediocrity, Konami is going all out for the collection, which will include ports of five games from the seminal series, including: Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Gradius IV and Gradius Gaiden.
The collection will sadly not include the recent PlayStation 2-exclusive Gradius V, which was developed by superstar shooter developer Treasure.
There have been some minor additions, such as the inclusion of a widescreen option, but for the most part the games will be identical to the versions that have come before.
So far Konami has not confirmed whether the game will be making it out of Japan, where it will debut in the beginning of February, but the region-agnostic nature of the PSP means that ardent fans will still be able to hit up their local importer for some much-missed arcade action.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
Satoru Iwata Video Interview - the late Nintendo president spoke with Kikizo in 2004 as 'Nintendo Revolution' loomed.
Kaz Hirai Video Interview - the first of Kikizo's interviews with the man who went on to become global head of Sony.
Ed Fries Video Interview - one of Xbox's founders discusses an epic journey from Excel to Xbox.
Yu Suzuki, the Kikizo Interview - we spend time with one of gaming's most revered creators.
Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers reveal the fascinating story behind Tetris
Rare founders, Chris and Tim Stamper - their only interview? Genuinely 'rare' sit down with founders of the legendary studio.
The History of First-Person Shooters - a retrospective, from Maze War to Modern Warfare