Arcade Gradius 3 might be the hardest game I have ever played that is still good and isn't a TAS only game.
Even the second stage is already more difficult than pretty much any stage in Gradius 1 & 2. My best runs already ended in Stage 3 and I can only imagine how tense it must be to get to the final stage and beat the game. It is also about twice as long as the previous two games and has alot of super unfair sections. (Cube Rush being the most infamous one)
The SNES Version is a much much easier game that is much more balanced and actually beatable with a little amount of skill. It has some different stages too.
Even the second stage is already more difficult than pretty much any stage in Gradius 1 & 2. My best runs already ended in Stage 3 and I can only imagine how tense it must be to get to the final stage and beat the game. It is also about twice as long as the previous two games and has alot of super unfair sections. (Cube Rush being the most infamous one)
The SNES Version is a much much easier game that is much more balanced and actually beatable with a little amount of skill. It has some different stages too.