R-Type III

"One of the best (and hardest) side-scrolling shooter for the SNES. Period."

The whole R-type series is always the ruler of the side-scrolling shooter genre, and R-type III: The Third Lightning is no exception. Do not underestimate the imagination behind the creators of Irem.

Storyline: 8
The Bydo empire is back, and you will have to destroy it with a ship called R-9 (which is 1,000 times smaller than the whole empire). That's it. Somehow, the same "saving the world" crap is still important to any shooter game....

Gameplay: 9
It's very good. You can charge beams that fire a HUGE laser and swiping anything that tries to block it; and hyper beams that fire smaller but even deadlier lasers. There are also 3 types of force devices instead of one in the past R-type games. As your main protector and main weapon, you will need to know how to use the force device to increase your chance of survival. During the game, you will also get some orange orbs that can protect the ship from attacks above and below your ship. At this point, I think you will say, "Does that mean I am invincible?" The answer is NO. Even with this kind of equipment, the insane difficulty of this game will make your ship like a glass surviving a fall from the roof of a 56-floor building. Get the picture? This game is HARD.... The stages, the bosses, and even your normal enemies will try their best to kick you out of the Bydo Empire. Fortunately, there are no slowdowns at any point in the game, so it will not ruin the gameplay in any way.

Graphics: 10
The graphics are killer, and the animation makes the game even cooler. The sprites (2D graphics) of each object have highly detail; the use of Mode-7 effects is awesome, and it's nothing you have ever seen before in any 2D game back then. You can "feel" that you are the fighter of the R-9 ship.

Sound/Music: 7
The sound is average. While some are good, like when charging beams or the classic "dying" sound, there are also some bad ones, like the explosions. They just do not sound like real explosions at all. I like the music, though. They fit everything in the game. Like, in stage 1, the music will make you feel like "it's payback time!" =)

Controls: 10
A shooter game without responsive controls is totally unacceptable. However, this game does not. Every little move with your ship is by tiny pressing with your left thumb. If your ship blows, it's YOUR fault --- not your controllers, your TV, or Irem. You can also fully customize your controls instead of that dumb "Type A" "Type B" configuration.

Replay Value: 10
This game will take weeks to master because of its difficulty, but that is the reason the fun and enjoyment will hardly ever go to its endpoint. You will play it repeatedly until you beat it without losing a life...but the chance of that is rather darn slim, though.

Overall: 9
This game rocks. You'll love every moment while playing it. It's also great for learning the concepts of fast reaction, too.

Buy or rent?
Well, that really depends on your personality. If you do not want to be an shooter expert, at least rent it. However, if you do, buy it right now!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99