R-Type vs Gradius vs Darius which is better?

[Leynos]

This can be game by game basis or as a series. Up to you.





Personally was never much of a fan of Gradius. R-type is good but I'd choose Darius series over both. Unusual but great music and the sea creature like bosses always been unique. I remember playing G-Darius in a game store on PS1 back in the 90s and was kinda blown away how big the boss was in polygons on screen at the time. Maybe not so much now.

[OmegaMax]

R-Type for me,loved the game in the arcades and equally loved it on TurboGrafx-16.

[Sut]

R-Type for me as well, it’s got a really unique foreboding atmosphere and whilst tough you do improve with subsequent play throughs. The Master System version is ace as well especially with FM sound.

[Black_Tiger]

Super Darius was my first CD game and I got it early on (1990?), so I will always have nostalgia for it as my friends and I never saw the arcade version until years later. The style and ambience of the original still stands apart from the sequels.

With that said, I'd rank these games by quality and admiration equally:

R-Type
Darius
Gradius

I've never liked Gradius, even though Gradius II and Lifeforce NES are cool.

R-Type is one of the most timeless games in general, especially when it comes to aesthetics and style. The gameplay always feels exciting and the powerups/options satisfying.

I've never liked any of the follow up R-Type games I've tried.

[Jeckidy]

What? No PARODIUS? I'd take any of the Parodius games over any of these (including the Gradius games) any day!

[Kamahl]

R-Type would be number 1 for me, in particular R-Type 3 & Leo, plus the first one is pretty decent too
(does Pulstar count as R-Type? If so, that game is awesome too)

Next would be Gradius 2 and Nemesis 90 Kai, especially the TG-16 version of Gradius 2. Don't care about any other Gradius.

Darius in last place since I never cared for the series.

[chilled]

THAT KILLER ASPECT RATIO > anything

[Lync]

My pick according to the first game in each series:

1. R-Type - Set the standard, most well-rounded.
2. Darius - Great presentation, unique boss encounters.
3. Gradius - Good pick-up and play, really quite brass tacks.

My favorite game in each series in no exact order:

1. R-Type Delta (PS1) - Fantastic transition from 2D to 3D.
2. Darius Gaiden (Saturn) - Absolutely pinnacle 2D shooter.
3. Gradius Galaxies (GBA) - Standard procedure but refined, refined, refined.

PC-Engine really takes the cake with the ports that it has available for it from each series, especially on the PCE-CD.

[Leynos]

When I first played this, holy crap this boss looked amazing to me. His eyes move and seemed to have a reflection. It was huge and the sprite work in the background looked great to me then. It intimidated me as a player. Eclipse Eyes. Fitting name.




Some of the music in this series esp in the video has a similar vibe to it as the Borg music in TNG. (56-second mark)

[Pyron]

1- Darius
2- R-Type
3- Gradius

[MrMatthews]

I don’t particularly like the Darius games that I’ve played. I’ve only spent a considerable amount of time with ONE R-Type game (R-Type Final) but I loved it...

Gradius is by far my favorite shooter series.

So my order is Gradius, followed closely by/overlapped slightly by R-Type. Darius is way back there.

[gamevet]

I would have said Gradius, if you had asked me 3 years ago, but after I got Darius Burst Chronicles Saviors for the PS4, that game swayed my choice. 5.1 surround, screen full of enemies and a huge widescreen view in arcade mode. I like the Saturn version too, but it wasn't enough to make me choose it over Gradius.

1 - Darius
2 - Gradius
3 - R-Type


I didn't feel like digging out my Amiga box for R-Type. The stupid game had a glitch that would erase part of the files if you didn't write protect it, and that's what happened to my copy. It's a nice looking disk. I just realized I didn't throw Gradius Galaxies in here either.



Man, I hate the stupid camera on the iphone. This picture looked perfectly fine in my computer.

[Bloodreign]

1) Gradius/Salamander
2) Darius
3) R-Type


I always had a love for Gradius, and thanks to that series we got Parodius, a wild and wacky parody of.... well Gradius and Salamander. Darius was always known to me by it's fantastic soundtrack for pretty much and every game, and it's screen filling bosses (Gradius does that as well). R-Type I love due to how dark it's storyline tends to be, but if you aren't good at memorization, this series will eat you up.

Gradius does suffer from the recovery recovery syndrome, lose a life deep enough into a stage, and recovery becomes near nigh impossible to do.

[Benjamin]

^ Different order, but I have similar complaints.

1) Darius
2) Gradius
3) R-Type

Darius for me. I love the theme, Zuntata, and Gaiden/G/Chronicles are some of the better shooters released. Gradius is OK but feels woefully uninspired, and the power-up system ruins it for me. I get that I'm supposed to not die, but the penalty for dying is too steep for me to have any fun/hope after my first spent life. I cannot stand R-Type. I can respect it for what it does, and the first game is certainly iconic -- the option gameplay, the weapon systems, that first boss especially, but also that mothership stage -- but it puts me off how ridiculously memory dependent it gets later on, and R-Type always feels so sluggish compared to other shooters.

[Zygrunt]

I have a soft spot for Gradius. And Gradius V is my favourite of all PS2 games.

Original R-Type was better than original Gradius tho.

I only played two Darius 16bit games and they were fine but not as good as other shmups from the same era imo.