Contra III: The Alien Wars

"A frustrating, but fun game."

Contra III for the SNES is a good game, but difficult. It's one of those games that you'll never beat, not because you got bored, just because you CAN'T beat it. Yes it's possible, but you have to spend countless hours of dedication to beat it. It stays true to the Contra formula. You get hit once, you die. And practically the only gun you have is the machine gun, in which you can pick up upgrades for it like you can turn it into a laser, flamethrower, shotgun, and more. We all know the spreader (Shotgun) is the only upgrade that really matters, like in the first one.

Now, my first problem with this game is the "cheats." To get infinite lives in the American version, there's a glitch you have to do, you can't just put in a code to give you them like the Japanese version. Seriously. What happened? In the first one, we had the infamous Konami code that gave you 30 extra lives, which you practically needed if you wanted to beat the game. Unless, of course you're a Contra expert. And another problem occurs with having no extra lives code, it's way harder than the first. The difficulty is just unbearable. Besides Call of Duty 2 on Veteran difficulty, this is the hardest game I've played. Even on easy with your lives up to I think 7.

The story is basically the same, too. You play as a dude on steroids and kill aliens. Plain and simple, not too in-depth. I mean it's a Run-'N-Gun shooter, you shouldn't expect a story-driven plot that should be in a RPG.

Now the upgrades. There are plenty to satisfy you. Now another problem. If you accidentaly run into another power-up when you already have the spreader (Or whatever you're personal favorite is), it changes. There is no way that I know of to keep that power-up, except don't die and don't run into any other power-up. And yet, ANOTHER problem occurs. When you're in the midst of a lot of gunfire and trying to do anything to survive, you probaly don't pay attention if power-ups pop out if you already have one that meets your satisfaction and since you're constantly moving forward, you'll probaly run into it. Unless you pay attention and jump over the power-up or are lucky and accidentaly jump over it.

Gameplay-9/10

The gameplay is awesome. All though difficult, shooting enemies never gets old. Even if you're doing the same level over and over again. It's straight-forward and intense, very intense. Not complex in anyway, just shoot the bad guys and try to survive (Ha, yeah right). This game, for some reason, isn't really that frustrating as most hard games. Maybe because it's simplistic, I don't know. I just get bored doing the same level over and over.

Graphics-8/10

The graphics are incredible, too. Nice, colorful, and bright. But it slows down when a lot of action is on-screen at once. Like when explosions occur and when you're driving a vehicle.

Difficulty-5/10

I know the Contra series is notorius for being difficult. Contra III, however, takes that a little too far. Unless you spend countless hours, like I've mentioned in the beginning, you will have a very tough time getting past the first 3 levels, let alone the first, even on easy.

Sound-8/10

Sound is pretty odd. Especially when you shoot your machine gun, I can't even explain what it sounds like. But the sounds within the game represent arcade-style shooters very well.

Controls-9/10

Controls are excellent. The control scheme is simplistic and very easy to use, perfect for this kind of game.

Length-6/10

Instead of making a long game, they just upped the difficulty. Like the Karate Kid for the NES, it was insanely hard, but only had four levels. Cut down on the difficulty and add more levels, please.

Pros:

-It's holds true to the Contra formula.
-A very good sequel, just isn't superior to the first one.
-The animations look so sweet.
-A lot of intense boss battles.
-Only 800 Wii Points ($8) on the Virtual Console.

Cons:

-The difficulty.
-No Konami code. Where did it go!? :(
-It's short length.
-Won't appeal to the average casual gamer, if they ever play it that is. Either on the ol' SNES if they actually buy one or buy it on the Virtual Console.

Final Rating-7/10

Contra III is a very good game just to play for fun and not actually try to beat it. Like a pick up and go game if you're taking a break from another game or taking a break from your homework. A 7/10 means I can be satisied with the game. I still sometimes play it. For a hard game, it's not really frustrating, just insane and fun. It's worth checking out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/08

Game Release: Contra III: The Alien Wars (US, April 1992)