This game is pretty impressive. It looks and sounds almost as good as the arcade games, and plays just as well. Heck, it runs better than the arcade entries. The switch to a handheld works pretty well in it's favor as well, getting away from the series's usual spammy enemies and tanky bosses. However, the personality and absurdity is way toned down here. It feels like a better, more varied version of the first game in terms of theming. Compared to 2 or 3, it comes off as rather tame. Additionally, level design can be a bit annoying with instant death pits. But frequent check points and fast pacing prevent this from being a huge problem. I'd say it's better than 1/2/X, and about on par with 3. The level design is generally better than 3's, but it lacks a lot of the personality and variety 3 had.