Game:

Gradius III (1989)

Duration: 39:55

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This is Gradius III for the Super Nintendo, played by me on hard mode. This was played using the real console and cartridge, but I recorded onto a Betamax tape first since I didn't have a video capture device for my PC when I made this playthrough.

Not only was Gradius III the first shoot 'em up (SHMUP) released for the Super Nintendo, it was also the first game Konami ever made for the Super Nintendo. And it shows. Although it has good graphics and EXCELLENT audio, this game also has some MAJOR slowdown issues. It doesn't take very much to bring this game to its knees, and sometimes it moves in slow-motion for no apparent reason. In fact, the slowdown is so constant that you'll eventually stop noticing the slowdown; rather, you'll notice when the game speeds back up to normal!

Despite the slowdown, however, Gradius III is an excellent game all around. There's plenty of configuration options for your power meter when you begin, the difficulty progression is fair, there are 4 difficulty levels to choose from, and the game is just overall a blast to play.

That is, unless you die. Gradius III can suffer from the infamous "gradius syndrome", depending on where you die. When you die, you loose EVERYTHING, and depending on where you die, recovering can sometimes be next to impossible.

If you are willing to look past the slowdown and the "gradius syndrome", you'll find Gradius III to be a very enjoyable game, even if you aren't a die-hard SHMUP gamer (that's why there's an easy mode!)

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