It doesn't seem possible, but it's been 20 years since Gradius first showed up on the arcade scene, becoming an instant classic and one of the defining shoot-em-ups (aka, shmups) of all time. Over the years, the Vic Viper has turned up in a plethora of ports, sequels, and side stories, and while some of them have been better than others (Gradius IV has always seemed like the series lowpoint for me, personally), Gradius V may well be the best of them all.