November 2^nd, 2005 (10:04am) - The PSP is home to all sorts of ports thus far, but a new game from Konami will have old-school gaming fans salivating profusely.

Konami has announced they’ll be bringing the Gradius series to the PSP, packing Gradius I, II, III, IV, and Gradius Gaiden on a UMD under the name simple-yet-effective name Gradius Portable.

Konami isn’t just throwing the the games on a disc and calling it a day though, they’re going to add new features people have wished to see for some time.

Choosing the size of your ship is possible, as is the odd feature of turning slowdown on and off. You’ll be able to zoom in on the screen, and Gradius I and Gradius II will play in a true wide-screen format, fitting the wider PSP screen.

Most importantly though, is the added ability to save your game anywhere from the pause screen, so you’ll be able to keep all those hard-earned power-ups should you be hit by some random wayward bullet. Saves are permanent as well, so you can restart from that point as many times as you wish.

Konami is also going to include a lot of extras for the fans. Movies from Gradius Deluxe Pack, Gradius III & IV, and Gradius Gaiden will be included, as will a sound gallery.

The japanese version will release in February, but a US release, while likely, is yet to be announced.