Konami’s classic arcade-turned-NES shooter Gradius brought to the table a unique weapon-upgrade system that would be a defining element in every successive Gradius game. It also had a singular art style that filled deep space with abstract robots, volcanoes, and those gigantic Easter Island heads. Through its nostalgia-tickling Virtual Console system, Nintendo has released the NES version of Gradius for the Wii, and it’s a pitch-perfect emulation, right down to the texture flicker. Its structure can also prove to be screamingly difficult, and despite being only six, relatively short levels in length, it’s a serious challenge to get to the end.