Contra III: The Alien Wars

"Good as gold!"

Contra 3 was the newest Contra game for the Super NES. I played it and end up getting hooked and rented it 4 times before buying it! The game looks, plays, and sounds awesome. In short...AWESOME!

You, Jimbo and Sully, 2 commandos to stop the Red Falcon, who is trying to conquer the world (again) You must fight your way through a ruined city, highway, power plant, and more on your way to the secret base. Hordes of highly dangerous aliens stand in your way. Take them out with lethal force, with several different weapons, You can hold 2 different special guns, alternating between the two, or holding L and R and then firing.

Gameplay-10
The gameplay is fun and will reel you in. Several different guns to up your arsenal, as well as Helio Bombs, which can damage/kill every enemy on the screen. They are few, and you should use them with care. I just loved this game when I played it years back! Definitely addictive!

Control-10
Simple and smooth, and very responsive. And if you need to aim down, you can hold R while aiming to hold your place instead of walking forward trying to aim down and right/left, which can be very problematic. There are no custom controllers, and only one set, the set with the game. So this is all the controls you get. I ain't complaining.

Sound-10
I always liked the music in this game, and after a while of not playing, I can remember it without any difficulty at all. The music will stick in your head for many years after playing this game. The gun sounds are fairly realistic, and explosions are pretty good.

Graphics-10
The ruined cities, highway, and the entire alien armada are perfect for the setting of this game, and it was made perfectly. The graphics were not glitchy, at least not noticeably. Definitely a thumbs-up in this section!

Playability-10
Smooth, glitch free, but it can be a bit tough, so hang in there!

Replay Value-8
3 difficulty modes, 3 different life settings. The levels are short, but challenging, and fun!

Buy? Borrow? Rent? Burn?
BUY this game!

Saving
You can save the world, but not save the game. You must do it in one sitting.

Player info
1-2 player simultaneous, you can choose 2-player mode A or B, to be together always, or to separate in the top-view levels. being together can be a pain, considering you could die because the screen wouldn't advance because your partner wouldn't move...

Game info
Action shoot 'em up involving commandos armed to the teeth, and endless swarms of ugly aliens. Bring the pop corn!

Company Info
Nintendo/Konami

Challenge
Easy-Tricky
Normal-Trickier
Hard-Difficult!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/01, Updated 08/20/01