Gradius III (c) 1989 Konami.
The Vic Viper starfighter returns to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire.

>>> TECHNICAL DETAILS
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Game ID : GX945
Main CPU : (2x) 68000 (@ 10 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips : YM2151 (@ 3.579545 Mhz), K007232 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 320 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 2048
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 3

>>> TRIVIA
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Released in December 1989.
This game is known in Asia and Japan as 'Gradius III - Densetsu Kara Shinwa-e'.
Konami released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Gradius Arcade Soundtrack - KMCA-155) on 03/04/2002.

>>> TRICKS AND TIPS
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* Change BGM : In Stage 3 (In The Wind), around the T-shaped cliff, you will find an enemy bay against the wall and under a ceiling, which is nearly impossible to hit except with the use of some types of Missiles and the S.Option. Destroy it and the BGM in the stage will change.
* Play First Level Of 'Salamander' Or Gradius : In Stage 10, when you are at the last boss of the game, get hit by the boss' attack that comes out of its mouth. You will then be taken either to Salamander stage 1 or Gradius stage 1.
* Stage Skip :
1. Turn Odd Number Dip Switches except Dip 1-5 AFTER boot up. As follows :
Coin A = 1 Coin/6 Credits
Coin B = 1 Coin/6 Credits
Lives = 3
Cabinet = Upright
Bonus Life = 50000
Difficulty = Hard
Demo Sounds = Off
Flip Screen = On
Upright Controls = Single
Service Mode = On
Unknown = Off
2. In game, hold Service Switch (Coin 3 = Key 7 in Mame) then press 1P Start Button.

>>> GAME SERIES
---------------
1. Nemesis (1985)
2. Lifeforce (1986)
3. Gradius 2 (1987, MSX)
4. Vulcan Venture (1988)
5. Nemesis 3 - The Eve of Destruction (1988, MSX)
6. Gradius III (1989)
7. Gradius - The Interstellar Assault (1991, Nintendo Game Boy)
8. Nemesis '90 Kai (1993, Sharp X68000)
9. Salamander 2 (1996)
10. Solar Assault - Gradius (1997)
11. Solar Assault - Revisited (1997)
12. Gradius Gaiden (1997, Sony PlayStation)
13. Gradius IV - Fukkatsu (1999)
14. Gradius Generation (2002, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
15. Gradius V (2003, Sony PlayStation 2)

>>> DESIGNERS / PROGRAMMERS / STAFF
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Director : Hiroyasu Machiguchi
Game programmers : T. Shimomura, Yuko Itoh, M. Ozawa
Graphic designers : T. Miyoshi, M. Igarashi, R. Itoh, K. Hattori, Y. Asano
Sound editors : J. Kaneda, S. Fukami, M. Higashino, K. Nakamura, Mutsuhiko Izumi
Engineer : K. Ban, K. Itoh
Title designers : F. Shibuya, M. Yoshihashi

>>> GAME PORTS TO OTHER SYSTEMS
-------------------------------
* Consoles :
Nintendo Super Famicom (1991)
Sony PlayStation 2 (2000, 'Gradius III & IV')
Sony PSP (2006, 'Gradius Collection')
Nintendo Wii (2007, 'Virtual Console' - SNES version)
* Computers :
Sharp X68000

>>> OTHER GAME RESOURCES
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Game's rom.