"Why Are The Aliens Attacking Us Again??? Nobody Knows, So Just Shoot Them Anyway"

I adored Contra 3 on the SNES, and even to this day I hold it as one of the most difficult games I've ever played, and I know other people do too. I have to say I looked forward to playing this when I spotted it preowned as even if it delivered a quarter of the gameplay of the SNES version, I'd be happy. Unfortunately, it delivered about a fifth.

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Storyline (3/10)
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There really isn't one. You're given some vague plot devices after you finish the missions, but all in all, there isn't anything there that can constitute a reason for why you're going around shooting everything. The plot is something like your hero's friend from the first alien wars, who was killed, has come back to life and sided with the aliens and is now leading them in an attack against the earth. It probably gives you a reason as to why he's turned evil, but whatever the reason, it does nothing to spur you on in your mission against the aliens, it really does feel like it's just been put there as an afterthought. There's also very few reasons as to why you've gone to the areas you have except; the enemies there... why are they there? we just don't know.

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Gameplay (6/10)
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There hasn't been a lot of change since this and the SNES contra. They've reduced the amount of weapons to three, but you can switch through them anytime you like, instead of having to shoot the flying powerups as in the previous games. It makes it easier in some ways, but some of the more useful weapons like the homing missile have now been removed. The weapons also have a secondary attack, but it's easy enough to forget about them, since in most situations they're not much use. I have to complain though, as despite the difference in the way the three guns fire, there is very little difference in the amount of damage they inflict, if any. Considering the much shorter range of the flamethrower and the grenade launcher being harder to aim, you'd think they'd do more damage, but this isn't the case, and unfortunately, means there's rarely much point in using either of them, except for the flamethrower being able to pass through the enemy shields.

Aside from that, the game plays pretty much the same as the previous installments. It's a side on shooter; you start at one side of the level and you need to get to the other side, shooting the enemies in your path, in order to fight the stage boss. Some of the bosses are alright, but for the most part nothing special, and I have a complaint here; while in the previous incarnations, the bosses did have a limited amount of attacks to use, they were done at random from what I remember, however, in this one, they follow the same attack pattern over and over and never change it. It makes the game a whole lot easier once you get the patterns memorised, and thus the game can get pretty boring. Also, as with the others, there is no save feature, but the difference is; I enjoyed Contra 3, I didn't really enjoy this; the enemies weren't very interesting, and due to the attack patterns the boss fights didn't feel as frantic. Overall, if you haven't played any previous Contra game, you'll probably find it far too difficult, as it still does have a rather high difficulty rating, but if you have, despite this difficulty, it just feels like a watered down version. However, I do like the fact that they didn't make the game easy for the Zelda / Mario / Sonic loving gamers who feel that all games should fit into that mould. This game series does stand for the old pick up and play mentality and the difficulty and challenge that rarely exists in games nowadays. As much as it annoyed me, deep down I loved the "Well done, you've beaten the game on easy... now do it on hard like a real gamer" which is all you're rewarded with after finishing it on easy. ^_^

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Graphics (5/10)
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While they have been taken to 3D, the game doesn't really benefit from it any way. It is prettier than previous games, and the explosion effects are all a little fancier, but in comparison to most other games, they are pretty run of the mill average. The opening video, at least to me, feels like a waste of their budget, since they probably didn't get given a lot to make the game, and it really didn't add anything to the game, and it really isn't that impressive. Just get on with the game and give me more levels and a better variety of cannon fodder enemies.

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Sounds (6/10)
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I can't really recall any of the sounds, save for the constant sound of the gun firing. That's probably a good thing, since I don't remember getting too distracted by it. The music, however, is generic rock and there's nothing in the game that really stands out but that's not an entirely bad thing, I just wish there was a better soundtrack.

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Summary (5/10)
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It's not the nicest looking game in the world, but it's nice enough, and that's what matters. It's a traditional hardcore shooter, that hasn't strayed away from it's roots. However, that's not a completely good thing, as gamers evolve, and while they have tweaked the gameplay a little, it doesn't muster up to a whole lot of difference. While there is challenge, I can't say I see most people giving a game like this the time of day anymore, as the only reason I did is that I was lucky enough to play Contra 3 on the SNES. Buy it if you're after a challenge and if you know you like side scrolling shooters, it shouldn't be that expensive anymore anyway, I got it for £2.50 about two years ago. :)

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 04/06/07