by 
The Gradius series certainly isn't short of must-play entries, but 2001's Gradius Advance isn't a title you'd automatically recommend to newcomers interested in exploring the franchise for the first time.
Developed by Mobile21, a studio founded in 1999 by Nintendo and Konami that only lasted until 2002, Gradius Advance (also known as Gradius Galaxies and Gradius Generation) is decent enough considering the humble nature of the host system, but it never quite reaches the heights the series is famous for.
Thankfully, allanrps has developed an upgrade patch which drastically improves the game, making it a far more appealing experience. New features include a dynamic rank display, high-visibility bullets, new weapons, enhanced bosses and a practice mode.
Gradius Generation BLACK LABEL is described as "a total rehaul of the original title" with upgrades ranging from "cosmetic to mechanical to extra content."
The modder explains the reason for embarking on this patch:
"The goals of this release were to give the GBA (and small emulation handhelds) one great shmup; one that's worth sinking your teeth into, practising, going for runs, big scores, etc _ and one that can be experienced in its totality on the go on original hardware, without resorting to save states or other malarky. Gradius Generation (or Gradius Galaxies in the west) was as close to this as we got for the GBA, being one of basically two shmups worth your time on the handheld. It had great art, tight level design, and ostensibly most of what you want in a Gradius release, with a few omissions really holding it from securing its place in the Gradius pantheon. A lack of dynamic rank and score-based extensions was particularly lamentable, and this project was originally conceived to solve those two issues."
"You can hardly find a corner of the game code that was untouched," continues allanrps. "New custom-illustrated ship sprites, new weapons, a brand new enemy (the Option Hunter! An absolutely necessary addition), enhanced bosses, bugfixes, significantly improved performance, and most importantly, dynamic rank and an engaging scoring system that encourages you to play at high rank and truly master the game."
You'll need a copy of the Japanese ROM (Gradius Generation) in order to apply this patch, but the effort is worth it.
"I truly believe this game has now secured its spot as a Gradius classic that can stand shoulder to shoulder with other entries in the series," says the developer. "I would be really happy to see fans of the series experiencing and appreciating another great Gradius game. I also truly believe that I achieved my goal; the GBA now has a shmup that will reward investment with great gaming experiences, and a game that you can sink your teeth into. Now that development is finished, I will be focusing on getting a 2-All clear on original hardware, and then there are higher loops, scoring runs, different loadouts... The GBA is so back!"