When comparing Donkey Kong vs Gradius, the Slant community recommends Gradius for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Gradius is ranked 37th while Donkey Kong is ranked 56th. The most important reason people chose Gradius is:
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Still competitive more than 30 years later
Players still compete for high scores in tournaments and casual competition. The game is streamed daily on Twitch by people striving to beat their own PB or reach a high score goal.
Pro Secret stages
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
Pro Power-ups chosen during gameplay
The kind of power-up depends on the amount of power-up capsules collected, and the second button allows you to choose the desired one.
Cons
Con Very optimized world record
There is very little room to improve the world record, and the MAME record is close to the theoretical maximum. Getting a new world record would require not just skill but also a great deal of luck.