Gradius III Arcade - Full Run on Very Difficult (4/8)

グラディウスＩＩＩ ~ 伝説から神話へ ~
Gradius III ~ From Legend to Myth
© 1989 Konami

Part 4/8 of the full run of Gradius III on the hardest difficulty.
Machine settings:

Difficulty: Very Difficult/Hardest
Bonus: 1st at 20000 and then every 70000
Starting stock: 3

All right people, hell has begun. There will be no mercy.

Fire Stage is VERY difficult. Unlike on the SNES version, the smallest fireballs cannot be destroyed. This makes it insanely hard just to survive. If you die, you're out. If I made it seem easy, practice goes a LOOONG way.

On the other hand, Plant stage is a freebie. Just kick back, relax, and don't die. Enjoy the music, and the final moments of peace before Crystal Stage.

Ok, just so you know, I don't think Gradius III is as outrageously difficult as people claim. Sure it took 989 playthroughs to beat it (Gradius took 20-ish, Gradius II 127), but, you know, in the end its all practice.

Except for this stage. OMFG do I hate this stage. The most RIDICULOUS stage EVER in the history of all shooting games. And that's a long history. Sure, most shooters these days are danmako bullet hell shooters, but they still depend 100%, on you, the player, being able to get out of the way.

But not this stage. The crystal rush at the end is all luck. Survival is dependent on getting a good cubeset. If you're unlucky, well, Cube #12 (the "Omni Cube") will come from behind and take you to a better place. And that place is the beginning of the stage. No checkpoints. Even if you get to the boss.

This is the only issue I have with this game. Survival dependent on chance is totally unacceptable.

*TIPS*
-DO NOT DIE.........except at Crystal Stage, where Omni Cube will kill you 99% of the time.

-LAG THE GAME AT FIRE STAGE. It helps ^^;.

-GOOD LUCK.