Contra III: The Alien Wars
Super Nintendo
Nostalgia Factor:
Having grown up a Genesis kid, I never got the opportunity to play Contra III: The Alien Wars. Thanks to the Contra collection for PS4, I now have that chance.
Released for the Super Nintendo in 1992, this game is often lauded as one of the better early entries in the Contra series. How would it fare in my book? Let’s find out.
Story:
Uhh, errrr… This is a Contra game. Does its story even matter? You shoot things and blow stuff up. Judging by the title of this game, presumably aliens.
There’s not much else to say. You fight through the stages, you kill the alien boss at the end of the last level, and then the game is over.
Wham bam, thank you ma'am!
Gameplay:
While you may not play this game for its story, you definitely play it for its gameplay! Everything you know and love about the Contra series returns in style. You run, you jump, you kill things, you avoid a constant hail storm of bullets, and you die a lot in the process.
Contra III consists of only six stages. Most of the stages are of the typical side scrolling variety. You run and shoot your way through these stages and their bosses. There are a few gameplay tweaks as well, like the ability to scale walls and latch onto things. In the earlier Contra games, all you did was run and shoot. In this game, you’ll be swinging from spinning platforms, climbing up walls, and hanging and jumping from ledge to ledge. The third stage in particular was perhaps the hardest for me. So many tough jumps to nail, and the bosses at the end were just BRUTAL! I almost gave up on the game right then and there, but luckily it gets easier after that.
The other stage variety you’ll encounter are the top-down stages. In these stages, you pick your starting location on the game’s map. You have to make your way through this map, destroying a certain number of pre-determined targets along the way. The controls are a little bizarre in these segments and take some getting used to, but you should be able to adapt in no time.
Although this game doesn’t do much to change the tried and true Contra formula, it doesn’t need to. It takes everything great about the NES versions of the game and makes them even better. Better graphics, music, sound, more intricate enemies and stages, a bigger weapon variety. Bigger and better everything, pretty much.
Contra III is challenging, and at times almost overwhelmingly so. I was lucky to be playing this on the PS4 with save states, otherwise I have no idea if I ever would have been able to beat the game without them. Actually, nah – that’s a lie. I played through this game twice (using save states the second time as well), and I got significantly better on my second playthrough. I didn’t die on any of the overhead stages, nor did I die on that motorbike stage. That’s half the game I would have made it through unscathed. This is a tough game, yes, but I feel as if it is fair at the same time. Enemies have patterns and there is nothing you can’t conquer in this game without a little trial and error.
Side note: I played through this entire game twice without realizing there were bombs you could use that kill everyone on the screen or do big-time damage to bosses.
*facepalm*
That certainly would have made things easier for me.
Graphics:
Easily the best looking Contra game I’ve played. Big, detailed characters that really pop off the screen. Colorful backgrounds. Inspired level designs. Visually, this game is extremely impressive – especially when you take into account that it is 28 years old. Wow, does that make me feel old! This came out when I was 10, and I am only just playing it now at the age of 38. Yeesh!
Sound:
They just nailed it in the sound department. Great music, great sound effects. Just great all around. They really poured a lot into the presentation of this title without sacrificing any gameplay quality in the process. Most impressive.
Overall:
Looking at my past Contra reviews, the only one I actively disliked was Super Contra for the arcade. The rest of them ranged from simply okay (Operation C on the Game Boy) to good (Super C for the NES) to great (the original Contra for the NES). This game stands right up there with the NES Contra in the great category.
Even though it is as difficult as it is, I was never deterred by its difficulty. As long as you plug along, make note of enemy and boss movement patterns, and proceed with extreme caution you should be okay. Yeah, yeah - says the guy who only beat the game using save states. What can I say? I have a one-year-old, a giant backlog of games, and a limited amount of time to spend gaming anymore. As much as I would have loved to spend several weeks mastering this game, that just isn’t an option for me right now.
When you look at this game’s overall package, you can’t help but be impressed. Great music, great graphics, great presentation, improved level design – all without sacrificing any of that great console Contra quality in the process. While you may think a game as challenging as this might get frustrating after a while – it is just so well-made that you can’t get angry or frustrated at it. I looked at each stage as a fun challenge, and I really got locked “in the zone” as I played. It was able to bring back out that intense, competitive kid in me again. And that’s great.
I really wish I had grown up playing this game. If I had, it might have been able to earn the title of best Contra game for me. That award still goes to the original Contra, at least in my opinion, but this is game is easily sitting in second place right now. If I was able to brush nostalgia aside I might, MIGHT consider it for the top spot. It’s that good.
Overall:
A
Check out some of my past Contra reviews:
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