Gradius III

"Speed up!"

Ah, Gradius III, one of my personal favorite games from my childhood. A game where both guns and lasers meet with stupid level and boss names. However you rate it, this game is great.

Graphics

Ok, I like the graphics here. Everything looks pretty decent in the game which is good, and everything move fluidly. You can tell what everything is without too much trouble which is how I rate Super Nintendo titles. (Whereas on NES you could barely distinguish anything) There isn't a lot to say in this department from its nice and vibrant colors and good looking effects.

Sound

One of my personal favorite parts of this game. From the sounds of your lasers and the impacts of your missiles the SFX in this game is fairly decent. It isn't annoying like some other games and the sounds fit. I love the sound it makes when you shoot your lasers... instead of the regular ZAP sound you would think you hear, instead you hear sort of a light Zing sound. It's totally cool. But in the sound department where this game truly shines, is the music. I love the hard core 80's techno of that day with the awesome tracks. Even the opening track is good but even better are the music for the (my favorite stupid level name) "Greased Lightning Round". Awesome music. Good SFX. Good in sound.

Story

You are the pilot of the Gradius. The galactic alliance (or whatever) has spent like 94 billion dollars to craft your ship. It is your job to go blow up Bacterion (I love the names...) and you will have to go through multiple pointless levels to get there. Ok, so the game has a lousy story but so what? Why does a side scrolling shooter need to have a good story? If you want a story I'd go to the movies because you won't find much (if any) here. If I want to shoot aliens, go play Gradius.

Game play

The point of this game is that you are on your ship, which has weapons, and you have to maneuver through alien vessels and perilous levels while shooting as many aliens as you advance. Pretty simple, but, there is a catch. You have first off, a ton of different gadgets you can have. Some enemies drop little orange devices that you can pick up and then, after you've saved enough, spend on upgrades for your ship. You can make your ship "SPEED UP!" as the announcer guy says, equip your ship with missiles, shields, twin cannons, lasers, and little red spheres called Options that are basically a clone of your ship that shoots the same amount as you do while being able to go through enemies and bullets without a scratch. The best part of this game honestly, is the customizable beginning. In the beginning you can chose your selection of weapons. You can chose which way your missiles fire (and what they do once they've left your cannon), which way your second cannon will fire, what type of laser you can have (I.e. you can pick the T. laser which shoots short spurts and is good for bosses, or you can chose the longer C. laser which can clear an entire screen of enemies) you can chose what kind of shield you want, (from a barrier in front, to a force field, to making your ship physically smaller, there are many innovative and fun things to do here.) and finally you can pick what formation your options make. That part alone makes the game, in my opinion, worth playing. Because you can run through the game multiple times without getting bored by going back and trying new weapons. Not to mention the levels are very fun and difficult. Which brings us to our next subject,

Difficulty

Wow. This is a toughie. First off there is no "HP" in this game. One hit and you're dead (but that's why you have shields). I have not been able to get through this game on the hardest mode without cheat codes and I have owned it since it came out. That is over TEN YEARS. That should tell you something right there. This game is hard. On easy, it is pretty nice, but you won't get the satisfaction of beating it on the higher levels of difficulty. Luckily, there is a difficulty option so this won't be too hard for you guys.

The topic everyone wants to talk about *drum roll* The Slow Down

Part of the trouble with this game is that when the screen gets too cluttered with enemies and bullets, it begins to slow down. I know most people hate it but I actually grew fond of the slow down. I always felt it was kind of like the Matrix when all the bullets were flying around you, and you could dodge them all because the game slowed down. I think it's a blessing in one level in which basically the whole screen fills with bullets. If you are really aggravated by the slowdown then this game isn't for you but I like it so whatever.

Replay value

Like I said earlier, this game is fun to keep coming back to because it is relatively short, and you can keep trying new weapon combinations. It is like most arcade games where you are supposed to play it multiple times. And besides, you will be playing it a lot at first because you're going to die a lot.

Has it lasted the test of time?

Like all SNES and NES games I give them this rating. Sure, lots of people rate games on how good they were then, but let's be honest, how many games are still as good as they once were ten years later? Gradius III has stood its ground through the years. It is still entertaining to me and I still love it, but you can tell it is dated. I think the game has lasted no matter what anyone says, but in the end its up to you. It is not so horrible that it isn't worth playing, but still it shows its age.

Final rating

If I was reviewing this in the early or mid 90's this game would receive a well earned 9, but since this is 2004 this game earns a fitting

7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/04