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Scrawnto's Gradius 3 (SNES)
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| [February 9, 2008 01:46:12 AM]
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GAMEPLAY
I definitely got the flow of the game better the second time. It was especially noticeable as I had to start from the beginning again as the game does not allow you to skip levels which have already been completed previously. However this did give me the opportunity to flex my improved skills. Because I didn’t die so easily, I did collect many more power ups which greatly decreased the difficulty of the next parts. Unfortunately, I found that power ups can become a sort of crutch. Once you die your power ups are taken away and you’re set back to a check point. Without four drones and a force field, the enemies are suddenly much more threatening.
I also had more chance to try the different versions of the different power ups from the different sets. The choices made at the beginning can significantly alter the strategies the player can execute later in the game. Some power ups make it easier to flank the enemies while others are more suited to defend the player.
DESIGN
Gradius III has some issues in overall design. It has a good reward system for the short term in the power up system, but it has nearly no reward system on a larger scale. Very infrequently the player may earn an extra life, but that’s about it. It also has problems keeping the player interested. Most likely due to hardware limitations, most new environments are the old environments in different configurations with a different color pallet. There are also a pretty limited number of different types of enemies. The only thing that really keeps the player interested is the constant action which it executes well. The problem is, every time the action is interrupted, as by the game-over screen, it gives the player a chance to think about whether it’s really worth jumping back in the game.
The game is also mostly a game of progression. There is very little dynamic behavior in the enemies, the majority of which travel on fixed paths. This may let the hardcore players set up routines, in order to play a perfect game, but for the rest of us it is merely boring. Gradius III also lacks a strong tone. The different levels don’t differ much in appearance. The space levels have identical star fields. The game is also very linear. The screen constantly pans forward leaving the player little freedom of movement. The game is rather lacking in design, and as a result it’s entertainment value is shortlived.
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| [February 9, 2008 12:37:34 AM]
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SUMMARY
Gradius III is a shmup for the SNES. The objectives are simple, survive wave after wave of enemies by dodging and shooting them while collecting powerups.
GAMEPLAY
Gradius III is an extremely hectic game. This is often par for the course for shmups, but I haven’t played too many of them. This series shares a common core gameplay mechanic. This is a unique powerup system. A set of upgrades chosen before playing is attained by collecting the right number of powerup tokens and pressing the powerup button. This turned out to be a very important to succeeding in the game. The player is faced with a fairly limited number of powerup tokens and so must choose whether it is worth saving up for the more expensive upgrades. Furthermore, you have to spend all your tokens at once, so if you pass up a less expensive powerup, you can’t go back.
Each powerup has a distinct effect. The speed upgrade is the most useful and the cheapest, but the least impressive as there is no graphical change when it is activated. The missiles are useful for attacking land based enemies. Laser weapons are more powerful and look cooler. The second most useful upgrade, but one of the most expensive, is the “option” upgrade. This creates a little invincible drone that mimics the players actions and increases the firepower at the user’s disposal considerably.
The game is very hard, but I can see its appeal. After losing soundly for a while, I started to get into the sort of zoned out pure reflex mode you have to be in to play the game successfully. I started to see significant increases in my ability quickly. It was a very good example of flow. I hope that the game continues to be interesting, and that I don’t end up playing the same levels over and over again.
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Scrawnto's Gradius 3 (SNES)
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Current Status: Stopped playing - Got Bored
GameLog started on: Saturday 9 February, 2008
GameLog closed on: Saturday 9 February, 2008 |
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