The advantages is has over MMC1 is having three pages of data versus two, too, and of course the scanline counter and 1KB CHR-ROM chunks compared to the MMC1's 4KB chunks.Īnd the VRC6 compared to the VRC4, the VRC6 is a bit different. With the advantage of making their own mapper and adding a little other feature to it with the PRG-ROM switching in three 8KB chunks, it probably actually cheapened the price of the game and added more capabilities to it that they probably used to expand the game. And probably the reason they did the new bank was to make it worthwhile using the chip, and to save costs on the games by not buying Nintendo's MMC3, which was probably more expensive to buy then this chip was to make. So it offers the advantage over the MMC3 for instance is having 8K banks with only one fixed instead of two fixed, allowing for three other banks to be used for other stuff as far as I can tell. Score of 5 and below.Looking at the pinout, it doesn't have the extra sound, the game is 128K and 128K ROM's, so there's no reason it couldn't be done on MMC3 unless it does something fancy.which it does! Read below. Good to play as a break to Devil’s Crush)ĭon’t bother: (Not that fun to play today. (7) Alien Crush (Interesting, addictive, but flawed.

Honorable Mentions: (Good games that are flawed or gameplay has suffered aging. R-type (Never gets old because it can never be beaten. Gradius (Four options can cause slowdown, but this arcade port remains difficult and legendary.)

Malstrom Awards: (Addictive and Awesome even today, they refuse to age. You can skip this one, but it is a good port!Ībove: Even other gamers agree that Gradius still stands the test of time. Gradius has mechanics that just plain suck. “But what about R-type?” R-type is aging much better than Gradius, that is why! R-type still has that awesome memorization gameplay. This is the Turbografx 16! This is shmup land! There are more fun shmups here and on any other system including the NES. Aside from a trip to nostalgia lane, there is no reason to play Gradius.

While the Moa head level on stage 3 at the time was shockingly awesome, it is mote today. Every boss guy is the ‘shoot the core’ guy. But the point is, it isn’t a fun shooter today. This game holds tremendous value in playing it due to nostalgia. UPDATE: Originally, I gave this game a ‘Malstrom Award’ based on it being a ‘classic’. However, getting your ass kicked is part of the game’s value. I can sit back and really enjoy myself with the Star Soldier games or Blazing Lasers, but Gradius and R-type still kick my ass. What I do hate about Gradius and R-type is the difficulty. Up up down down left right left right II I RUN! Some people say this game looks ‘darker’, but I think it is using more colors than was available in 1985. The four options will eventually create slowdown later on in the game which makes it easier (this is either a bonus or a minus for you). What I like about it is the four options that we never got on the NES. I cannot recall a bad port of Gradius, and this one is solid. Gradius was released in 1985 and this version is 1991. Hey look! It’s a remastered third generation game for a fourth generation console. Gradius is one the two grandfathers of the shmup genre along with R-type.

Seeing as Gradius, the inferior NES port, could stand with these games and is today selling next to them on the NES Mini, the answer is an easy yes. The Malstrom Award is given to games, older than twenty years old, that can stand as classics with Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, and the rest we know as classics. This is the port of the arcade game, Gradius. Note: Gradius was reviewed using original Turbografx 16 hardware.

Gradius 2 nes mini