The old-school 2D shooter market was always dominated by two major series: R-Type and Gradius. Now Konami is bringing the latter to Nintendo's infant handheld, with vastly upgraded graphics. Gradius Galaxies is a completely new game with new levels, new bosses, and judging from screenshots, new weapons and enemies too. Shooter fans definitely have much cause for rejoice with this announcement. Here's the official press release:

REDWOOD CITY, CA – July 16, 2001 – Konami of America, Inc., announced today that its classic arcade shooting game, Gradius, will be making a new appearance on the Nintendo Game Boy® Advance this fall. The all-new game, Gradius® Galaxies™, will be arriving on store shelves in November, for an estimated retail price of $39.99.

Gradius Galaxies places would-be star pilots at the controls of the Vic Viper, a fast and deadly attack ship. Players can choose their Vic Viper’s initial weapons configuration, including twin cannons, photon missiles, and beam lasers. Those weapons can then be enhanced during gameplay by grabbing power ups.

Gradius Galaxies’ side-scrolling action hearkens back to the early days of arcade shoot-‘em-ups while building on the classic gameplay that gamers have come to expect from the Gradius series. Wave after wave of enemies hound the player through 8 all new stages, while colossal end bosses fill the screen with a constellation of heavy fire.