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R-TYPE 3 - SNES - IREM









R-Type 3
Reviewed by Malc

Some of you regulars might know me as a bit of an R-Type fan. I've played every version avidly until well beaten and frothed, and would probably marry one of them if I was single. Before Irem went all inexplicably weird on us and temporarily stopped making shooters and created stupid pachinko machines instead, this company was responsible for some of the best shooters in the arcade, setting a new standard in level and powerup design and playability.

R-Type 3, in my opinion, was the game that R-Type Leo should have been. Don't get me wrong, I do love Leo. But it's not a true R-Type game - because of the insane omission of the attaching PowerOrb, and less inspired level design. R-Type 3, on the other hand, gives you 3 different orbs to play with, each of which has varied weapons which affect how you play the game.

Irem wrung almost every effect out of the poor abused SNES in R-Type 3. You'll encounter all sorts of transparent effects, Mode 7 at every turn, and huge brilliantly animated Baddies. The music is amongst the best of the various R-Type remixes you've heard, slightly heavier and chunky. In comparison to the 'housy' flavour of R-Type Complete CD on PC-Engine, its fabulous! Each level is brilliantly designed, with astounding special effects and set-pieces, more of which I will show you in a wee moment.

The gameplay is EXTREMELY hard later on, with a perfect memory and lightning fast reactions needed to survive. This is my only gripe about the game, there are sections where you just WILL NOT survive unless you've been there before and learnt how you died last time! Still, it's not as if we needed to pump coins into it eh?

Because I had an awful lot of good screenshots of R-Type 3, this review is split into level sections, just choose which one you want to look at first. 9/10




Level 1
Space Garbage

Level 2
Bio-organic Lair

Level 3
Crab Factory
     
Level 4
The Foundry

Level 5
Resurrection

Level 6
Dual Space


Well since this 'review' was originally written years ago last century or something, Irem's back on relatively good shooter form again, with the well received Rtypes and Rtype Delta for PS1, and the forthcoming R-Type Final on PS2. I've been putting off getting a replacement PS2 since my first one died and there's just too many good shmups to miss on it now without one. Not that its awash with them or anything. Malc


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