@Turrican3
Hi, welcome to amiga.org.
You're right, Turrican 3 was a bit linear. I think it was a pity they changed the main sprite for the third game as well - the Turrican sprite in 1 and 2 has got to be one of the most fluid, beautifully animated sprites in any arcade game.
It was hard to get used to not having the 360 laser weapon at your disposal also. I realise this was to shake up the formula a bit as many magazines at the time claimed that Turrican 2 had been too similar to the original to be a classic in its own right. (Daft or what?)
Still, it was a bit disconcerting to be under attack in Turrican 3 and holding down the fire button to unleash laser death on some winged nasty, only to end up chucking a rope at it.
As for my favourite game ever, well, it's easily Turrican 2.
Sheer, unadulterated arcade perfection - I don't think it's ever been bettered.