Gradius III
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Region: USA, Japan
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Shooter, Horizontal
Gametype: Licensed
Release Year: 1991
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1 or 2
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FROM WHENCE IT CAME

In the darkest quadrant of space there churns the vortex of Bad Vibes. Bacterion, it has been called, is a malignant mass that has spawned all that is wicked in the universe. Feeding on the suffering of the innocent, it moves like a germ throughout the galaxy, manifesting itself in unspeakably hideous forms. In the past, Bacterion has only had the power to rear its ugly head on a few isolated occasions. That is, until now.

Being a good Gradian, your history class in primary school was the first place you heard of the ancient Heroic Missions to fight Bacterion. You even got a toy Warp Rattler for your fifth birthday. Those were the days when it was just a chapter in your history book.

History is important to the people of Gradius, as is all the higher pursuits of knowledge, art and music. Gradius has reached a renaissance. Your people are known all throughout the universe as a good and pace loving nation. Who would have known that it would come down to this.

The ancient scholars prophesied that a day would come when the Evil Beast would be unleased after eons of being kept at bay, inflicting a slow and painful death on the entire galaxy. That day has come.

After a heart wrenching journey through the Gradian Desert Lands, you have come to terms with your fate. It is your mission to save all that is good in the universe. You must defeat the diabolical entities that plague Gradius and the surrounding planets. Fare thee well, brave warrior.

--From the SNES Gradius 3 instruction manual.

Overview:

Are you ready for some out-of-this-world action? Then play Gradius III! This game is like most scrolling space shooters: fly through the galaxy and shoot the enemy ships. Good luck! You're the galaxy's last hope.

I might have expected a little more than what's offered in the game, but this is an early SNES game. Good work Konami for making this quality game!

Directions:

Your goal is to complete several action-packed levels by shooting the enemies that come towards you and use the powerups that lay around the levels. Before you start, you can choose from a preconfigured list of powerups or select your own in Edit mode. After that, you can start showing the enemies who's boss. In the levels, you can grab a pod with an orange center to go up through the powerup selection. Blue pods destroy all enemies on the screen. Be prepared as they get smarter as you pass the levels. The only flaw is that the two-player mode is alternating. 

Controls:

A Button - Use powerup, confirm
B Button - Fire, cancel
Start Button - Pause, confirm
Select Button - Select from menu

Tips:

30 Extra Ships
At the title screen, hold L and press A, A, A, Start 

Arcade Mode
In the Options menu, highlight the Game Level, and rapidly tap the A BUTTON until the level turns into ARCADE. 

Extra Credits
At the title screen, press the X button as many times as you can and then press start before the screen fades out.

Full Power-Up
Pause the game and press Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, B, A 

Random Weapon Select
At the weapon select screen, press Right on the D-pad to enter Edit Mode. Then press X, Y, X, X, Y, Y, X, Y 

Suicide
Pause the game and press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start. 

System Reset
Hold L + R and Start, then press Select. 

Bonus Stage
There is a bonus stage located in the game.  It is located in Level 2. When you fly into the section that is lined with the blue bubbles, look for a hole in the bottom and go in it.

Bonus stages
There are five bonus stages in the game. Here is how to access each one:

Stage 2-When you see a hole in the wall at the bottom of the screen, fly down there.
Prerequisite: None

Stage 3-When you reach the lower level of the stage, there is a platform in the ceiling that drops down.  When it drops down, fly just below the part where the platform was.
Prerequisite: Destroy all of the ground targets in thestage up to that point.

Stage 4-In the last set of Moai heads (they look like Easter Island heads), there is one laying down which will lift itself up. Fly behind it.
Prerequisite: Nothing must be highlighted on your powerup bar.

Stage 5-Fly just below the ceiling before the narrow corridor.
Prerequisite: The hundreds digit of your score reads 5, 7, or 3.

Stage 7-Just after the long downward slope in the second half of the level, stay close to the ground and fly into the wall formation shaped like this:

[CHART REMOVED]

(key: dots are empty space, lines are walls, the asterisk is there your ship should be.).
Prerequisite: Unknown

When you clear a bonus stage, you will end up in the next level. That's right, you don't have to fight the boss of the level you were in previously. However, if you get killed in the bonus stage, you will be taken back to the regular level, and will not be able to reenter the bonus stage.

Easy Final Boss
The Final Boss, Bacterion, will die regardless of whether you attack it or not. Just dodge his blasts, and in fifteen or so seconds, he will spontaneously die. Even cheaper, park your ship in the bottom center of the screen, and the shots can't aim towards you!

Extended Demo Mode
Continue to hold A through the initial demo, and you'll see the entire first stage including the boss.

Full Power Up w/o using the code
Choose 'speed down' for the '!' option in the weapon select screen, if you can get enough power ups to highlight the last weapon, which will not be visible, and using it without powering up on speed up, you will get all four options, missiles, and the shield. But if you have the laser already, it will be taken away.

Spread the Options
Activate the R-Option and collect enough power-ups so that the option selection is highlighted. Now press and hold the A button.

Reviewer: MethodOne
http://www.consoleclassix.com/snes/gradius_3.html
