Gradius takes a 3D look in order to make a prettier shooter out of the series.
With that out of the way, let me say a little about the gameplay. It is simply a shooter, so just the concept is simple enough. You fly around blowing up enemy ships as you progress from stage to stage until you face the final boss and win. The good thing about this game is that the difficulty has dropped a little since the last game, though it can still be a little harder than it needs to be sometimes. Still, it is much more beatable this time around. The enemies are practically the same as in Gradius III, with a handful of creative exceptions. The bosses are well made as always and are new mixed with old, making a nice variety in the bosses that is surprising out of a 4th game in a series like this.
The upgrade system is the same, and has not really offered any changes since the last game. That being said, it is still a great system, though it would have been nice to see something new added to the mix (since each of the last games did offer something new in minor steps).
The sound in this game is very good though. The sound effects are markedly better than the last games in the series, and the music is fantastic as always.
Of course the replay value lies in whether you want to play through the game again to continue to rack up a high score or not, and it is relatively short in length. It IS an arcade game after all, so it tries as hard as it can to eat your quarters, but it does an overall good job of being mostly fair to you about it too.
Overall this is a very solid shooter that shows us why we still have Gradius. It is fun, and that is the most important thing. Enjoy.
Graphics: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Value: 7/10
OVERALL: 8/10