If a game could be tried for crimes against humanity, Super R-Type for the SNES would be the first to stand trial. It's the most viciously, sadistically difficult and unforgiving videogame I've ever encountered. Essentially a port of the arcade R-Type II with a short, largely extraneous level tacked on the front, Super R-Type is ruined completely by Irem's bizarre and irrational decision to exclude any restart points on any of its lengthy stages.
Whether you're thirty seconds in to a level or you've managed to battle and swear your way to the area boss, one tiny mistake and you're dumped right back to the beginning. Super R-Type will have even the most ardent shoot-em-up fan tearing at his (or her) clothes and hair with anguish.
The SNES' usual slowdown problems when more than a handful of sprites appear onscreen only add to the game's woes.
Bitterly disappointing, and arguably the worst entry in R-Type's otherwise illustrious canon.
Incredible blog.
R-Type was the dogs danglies.
Did you ever play Thunderforce 4 on the megadrive?
Parallax scrolling mania at its finest, also made good use of the Megadrives awesome (at the time) sound chip.
In respect to your post about driving games, Check out PGR4 on the 360. Brilliant graphics, the best ive ever seen.