Gradius 3
Books: How to Win at Super NES Games - Super NES Games Secrets
Conquering SNES Games
Get most power-ups
Options widen out
Demo on Arcade Mode
Computer Selects your weapons
29 ships
More credits
Bonus stages
Increase the radius of your R Options
Arcade
Get most power-ups
Sent in by X
First when you are choosing your power ups got to edit. Choose anything
you want, but on the last powerup choose speed down. When playing the
game get enough red capsules to get to the speed down option. Press
your button, you will now have every thing except lasers. You even get a speed.
Options widen out
Sent in by George Maddox
This only works with the rotational options or the standard options.
After getting all options, highlight the option weapon bar and hold
the power up button down. This will cause the options to widen out
so they get a better range of destruction.
Demo on Arcade Mode
On the Title screen, hold A. You will see the Intro screen, the Title
screen, and then the Demo on Arcade Mode.
Computer Selects your weapons
If you want the computer to Select your weapons, go to the weapon
Select Screen, then Edit Mode and press X, Y, X, X, Y, Y, X, Y.
29 ships
On the Title Screen, hold Left, and press A, A, A, Start. You will
start with 29 ships.
More credits
To have more credits, press the X button quickly and repeatedly while
the Title Screen is up. Press Start before the Title Screen disappears.
Bonus stages
There are bonus stages in levels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
Most bonus stages require that you meet some condition and
then fly into a seemingly solid area to enter the bonus area.
The conditions and areas are described below.
Level 2 - (condition: none) fly into the first ship opening
along the bottom of the screen in the last section of the stag
before meeting the boss (area after the giant carbonated
bubbles)
Level 3 - (condition: must have destroyed all of the guns on the
ground), fly up close to the low rock ceiling toward the end of
the level right before the last "mountain".
Level 4 - (condition: must have no power-up boxes lit at bottom
of screen), fly into the back of the Moai head located in the
middle of 3 heads toward the end of the level. This particular
head will be facing away from you and all 3 heads are upright,
difficult to explain location w/o picture).
Level 5 - (condition: unknown), fly through the fire at the
corner of the inverted volcano just before the small passage
which leads to the 2-headed fire dragon.
Level 7 - (condition: unknown), fly through low corner just
after the 4 turrets where your ship would normally have to cut
diagonally upward.
Sent in by Joel Welsh
In the second level before you reach the leader, there are two holes,
one up and one down. A slightly different color enemy should come
out of the bottom. Shoot him then go in the hole as fast as you can,
if you do it right, you will be in a bonus level.
Increase the radius of your R Options
Select R Option (rotating options) from weapons panel. Once you
have acquired all 4 Options, collect enough power-ups to again
highlight the "Option" option at the bottom of the screen. Press
and hold the A button to increase the radius of your R Options.
This will make the R Option as effective (probably more so) as
any of the other Option types by covering a large portion of the
screen.
Arcade
On the Option Mode Screen, select Game Level and press the A
button as fast as you can until the level reads "ARCADE".