Gradius 2 is quite frankly the best shooter available on the NES/Famicom platform...
it was a remarkable act of idiocy that it was never released outside of Japan.
Like many Konami arcade translations, there were various additions and changes
made to the gameplay, so it stands alone as a somewhat unique version. And,
of course, it bests is predecessors Gradius and Life Force by offering multiple
weapon configurations, stunning bosses and vertical scrolling (though no
two-player alas.) It's frustrating in typical Konami tradition, but the
patient will come out truly rewarded.
