This is still my favorite shooter on the Genesis, and there's a whole lotta competition on the system. TFIII is one of those games where everything comes together perfectly to create something greater than the parts. The graphics are detailed with great parallax and animation; the soundtrack is an all-time great that I still listen to regularly (it recently got a CD re-release in Japan BTW); the controls are perfect; the action intense but fair, the challenge rising steadily but never becoming crushing.

It's all integrated into a vibe that is slick as hell. The level transitions are smooth and satisfying, boss fights emerge with a claxon warning and each with unique, jamming tunes. Weapon switching is fast, which is good because mastering the game means learning to do so on the fly rapidly. You can likewise change speeds instantly, and often need to in order to navigate tight passages. Even the UI is well-designed, doing its job efficiently and staying out of the way.

The levels are richly varied in design, scrolling all sorts of directions and speeds, and even the requisite "the level is fighting a giant ship" mission is done exceptionally well. The Hades mission and Orn bases are standouts, with the latter having one of my favorite soundtracks in any game.

The missing half star is because the bosses were unfortunately not balanced well - they all have nearly no health and die quickly even if you have little firepower, but some go down in low single digit seconds if you reach them powered up. (An issue fixed and then some in TF IV.) Still, this is a masterpiece right on through.

Played on Genesis Mini.