Gradius 3 & 4 question

[James]

Do I suck or is Gradius 3 impossibly hard? I'm getting the hang of Gradius 4, which is significantly easier, but Gradius 3 seems totally over the top in the default difficulty. I'm learning level 1 pretty well at this point, and I can forsee a day in which I can actually beat it, but I have to wonder if I'm doing something hideously wrong.

Combine really fast enemies (some of the ground walkers) with a cramped screen (in the sand cavern) and large enemies (sand dragon and sand lions) while piloting a ship that has a default speed just a bit faster than the average glacier and I'm left wondering if it's worth bulling through. Just because I can learn to get by doesn't necessarily mean it's worth it.

Gradius 4, on the other hand, is much kinder. A faster ship mixed with more frequent power-ups helps tame things quite nicely. It's still tough but not so hard as to make me wonder what the point is.

James

[Mzo]

Dude, I totally destroyed the SNES version of Gradius 3 on the hardest setting, but I can barely stay alive through half of the PS2 Gradius 3. They're pretty different, and the PS2 one is fucking brutal.

For real.

If you think Level 1 is tough, get to the bubbles.

[bahn]

...why doesn't someone just say he sucks? oh right - this isn't FC

[Timber]

You suck! But so do I. It's not just you, it's nutz!.

[Chojin]

The PS2 version of 3 is a port of the arcade which seems to be considerably harder than the SNES game. Too bad the announcer is different. =/

[bahn]

some levels in Gradius V looks nutz too

[James]

I was waiting for someone to chime in on the suck factor. Thankfully, Gradius 3 is too damn hard for someone to tell me I suck at it.

But what the hell, bring it on.

James

[Zerodash]

Why even complain about how hard a shmup is? As far as I see it, the harder a shmup is, the better it is. Thats what makes Ikaruga and Gradius great and Silpheed: TLP lame.

enjoy getting pasted in Gradius, and keep coming back!

[skelly]

Originally posted by Zerodash
Why even complain about how hard a shmup is? As far as I see it, the harder a shmup is, the better it is.

Go play Rayxanber 2, then get back to me.

[Low]

Originally posted by BenT
Go play Rayxanber 2, then get back to me.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

I swear that damn game actually cheats to kill you.

As for Gradius 3 and 4, I'm not a fan. I can't stand the default speed settings in the game and at this point in the serie's life there's no excuse not to have a decent set speed or selectable speeds ala Thunderforce. Gradius is a home release and PS2 has a load o' buttons, make one a speed select.

Gaiden and Galaxies seemed a bit more forgiving on the mobility and power of your ship starting out. *-neo