your ideal third level in a shmup

Zeether · Post by **Zeether** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:05 am

Gun Frontier's third level is great.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:15 am

Mushihimesama Futari's 3rd stage is brutal, yet very very fun.

nimitz · Post by **nimitz** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:27 am

Obviously the 3rd level in RF2

the whole level is a Train.

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:29 am

mushihimesama...the 3rd stage flows like butter

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:56 am

Any third level I can get to is brilliant by default.

kengou · Post by **kengou** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:25 am

DDP DOJ's third stage is awesome. Except for some crappy parts near the end. Overall it's probably my favorite level of the game though.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:16 am

nimitz wrote:Obviously the 3rd level in RF2

the whole level is a Train.

The first thing I thought when I saw this thread was, "The third level's always a train."

Kollision · Post by **Kollision** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:26 am

Some very cool 3rd levels indeed:

Choplifter
Eliminate Down
Subterrania
Silpheed
Thunder Force V (the city level with armament armed armor or something like that as a boss...)
Einhänder
Mars Matrix

Post by **Ghegs** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:12 am

Mandatory answer: R-Type and the huge battleship.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:21 am

-- R-Type (that's a given; the game defined the third stage battleship)
-- Mushihime-sama (first time my jaw dropped at sprite graphics since Donkey Kong Country)
-- ESPGaluda (I love how they swarm in and circle, it's like Galaga from hell)
-- Border Down (made you feel like you were just a small part of a much greater struggle)
-- R-Type Delta (Nightmarish take on the third level battleship trend; had you going all over the place)
-- Gradius V (beautiful stage, never a dull moment)
-- Soukyugurentai (Descending from the clouds to greet a legion of tanks with your lock-ons, giving you that ultimate "death from above" rush... this will always stick with me)

LtC · Post by **LtC** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:52 am

So many great stage 3's but:

RefleX stage 3, this is the only one that's made me gasp my breath and think "holy shit..."

indutrial · Post by **indutrial** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:57 am

Ghegs wrote:Mandatory answer: R-Type and the huge battleship.

I always liked this level. Wasn't it originally conceived of as a final boss?

Whether it's the SNES version or the brutal arcade version, I'll always have a strong appreciation for the third stage of Gradius III, which is pretty much a creeping death gauntlet that was made to punish you for having the gall to beat the bubble stage. I suppose this board's unusual length originally had something to do with it's being the last stage in the 'practice run' mode on the arcade release. The two music themes kick ass and the boss is also one of my all-time favorite of the series' 'core ships.'

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:45 am

The people saying Mushihimesama and DOJ, sorry I don't agree at all. Although Mushi's 3rd level on any difficulty level has a certain logic to it, there's random elements to it like the worms which make it too stressful to really be an ideal level 3. I like level 4 way more. DOJ's 3rd stage is much easier but isn't that fun because unless you're extraordinarily skilled you're not going to be full chaining the stage through the mid-boss. And anyways the chaining pattern is so tight and specific that you can't afford to improvise much, which makes it a pretty boring level. I'd say it's the worst in the game actually.

I agree with SFKhoa, Futari has an awesome level 3. It demands a certain precision but also lets you improvise and run around with shot when you want to. I'm also not the biggest Ibara fan, but I think level 3 is pretty dope with blowing the shit out of those trains.

nimitz · Post by **nimitz** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:05 pm

Makes me sad that no one mentioned Rayforce

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:25 pm

Strikers 1945 II.

null1024 · Post by **null1024** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:26 pm

nimitz wrote:Makes me sad that no one mentioned Rayforce

QFT. That descent to earth just made it.

Post by **spadgy** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:23 pm

I always love 2nd levels a lot, but level 3s? I'm loving Raiden IV's at the moment. Takes the classic Raiden 3rd level and enemies and runs with it.

I do like shmups that recyle their levels with sequels like that, as long as it feels like a new level nonetheless. Those nods to the times you've spent with the games predecessors.

I have to agree with the support for Mushi level three two - it has a lovely pace...

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:23 pm

null1024 wrote:
nimitz wrote:Makes me sad that no one mentioned Rayforce
QFT. That descent to earth just made it.

QFT x2. And it's all action too, besides the great atmosphere. Kicks off with a tricky miniboss, then the risky proposition of 8-chaining those tank swarms / AA nests while beset by point-blanking drones (blowing floating islands out of the sky all the while), then right to the boss. I like a shooter to lose any and all "early going" difficulty / pacing by Stage 3 this way.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:02 pm

My ideal stage 3 would be a giant battleship with a train on it.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:11 pm

Taylor wrote:My ideal stage 3 would be a giant battleship with a train on it.

How about a giant battleship with MULTIPLE trains on it, and each car on the train is a small battleship?

SockPuppetHyren · Post by **SockPuppetHyren** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:52 pm

Ghegs wrote:Mandatory answer: R-Type and the huge battleship.

Combined with:

Ed Oscuro wrote:Any third level I can get to is brilliant by default.

twalden · Post by **twalden** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:09 am

Sky Shark - the grandfather of all railroad/train stages

Kollision · Post by **Kollision** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:53 am

Zweihander wrote:-- Border Down (made you feel like you were just a small part of a much greater struggle)

Yes! Very well remembered! Great stage!
I like how Sega tried to do the same on TF6's 4th stage.

t0yrobo · Post by **t0yrobo** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:21 am

Usually by level three I'm starting to really space out. So I don't know what my favorite is really

. The only one that;s sticking in my mid right now is espgaluda.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:37 am

First thing that came to mind: R-Type.

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:19 am

jonny5 wrote:mushihimesama...the 3rd stage flows like butter

And has awesome music to boot.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:06 pm

null1024 wrote:
nimitz wrote:Makes me sad that no one mentioned Rayforce
QFT. That descent to earth just made it.

It's the chaining.

RuffNEC · Post by **RuffNEC** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:19 pm

in must shmups the 3rd level would be the one where I have to train to improve my skill to reach the next level

kemical · Post by **kemical** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:31 pm

donpachi stage 3
all the raidens, there is something awesome when you first get to stage 3 in raiden iv, it is like the game shifts gears into badass mode and the pacing kicks way up.

definitely agree about the rayforce, the first time i saw that whole progression..

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:15 am

I don't like stage 3 in DDP or DOJ. Sky scenery is just so bland imo.

I think ESPgaluda has to have one of my favorite third stages.