THE FUSE

R-Type III: The Third Lightning is distinctive in a few ways. Irem passed development off to a new team. It was the first in the series to be console exclusive, skipping arcades entirely for the Super Nintendo. These all sound like prelude to a whiff, but the third entry is considered by many fans to be the best, uplifted by dynamic set pieces and novel new weapon types. The first two were remade in 2009 as R-Type Dimensions, fans waiting 15 years for the third to follow suit. Now that it’s here, Dimensions III shimmers in many ways, but could use some deep patching up in others.