Contra III: The Alien Wars

"One hell of a ride."

Industrial factories litter the background, billiards of smoke streaming into the air, drenching the sky in a thick dank smog. You charge across metal platforms, rolled up metal balls rolling in from each side to unleash a loaded cannon fully prepared to launch shots at you, armed soldiers stationed to peck you off as you crusade across their guarded threshold. As you clamber across metal rails, hives of demented alien bugs hover around the scene, trying to grasp onto you and carry you up to your impending doom. Suddenly you find yourself clinging to the side of a tower, trapped between the outstretched legs of a deadly machine as it slowly ascends up the titanium tower, launching twin barrages of missiles at you the entire time. After disposing of this unwanted bastard, you find yourself on the top of the tower, a black night sky grimly hanging in the background. And after your rampage through the metallic platforms and steel towers, the battle with the hovering machine than chucks out bombs and aliens, the ascent up the eerie lab equipped with wall cannons and barrages of aliens, and the battle in the sealed-tight room with the twin alien cyborgs, one of which can leap onto the walls and ceiling, what is your reward? Watching as the back of the sealed-tight room get ripped open by a towering, hulking cyborg that launches homing missiles at you while unleashing a spiraling steam of raging fire from its mouth while chucking time bombs set to go off in three seconds that will engulf you in their fiery explosions if you don't dodge the blast.

This is Contra lll, and it will own your ass.

First of all, it should be noted that the Contra series is a glorious legacy (I am in denial about the PSX Contras ever existing, so they are not being accounted for in this statement), and Contra lll: The Alien Wars earns the right to stand proudly as one of the best of them all. There is no messing around about what the game is, Contra lll is a freaking crusade through the absolutely devastated remains of planet Earth straight into the infested threshold of the Alien armies. Make no mistake about it, this game kicks serious ass. From the raging assault across the decimated ruins of the opening metropolitan city to the final showdown in the festering alien threshold, Contra lll is one hell of a ride.

The games four real stages are pure, unadulterated, ass-kicking brilliance from beginning to end. And while were on the topic of ends, lets talk about the massive juggernauts that are eagerly waiting for you at the end of the stage to hand your ass to you on a platter. The battle with the towering alien turtle from stage one is absolutely immortal, and it only gets better from there. I believe I've already talked about the massive alien machine that rips open the wall behind you and launches an absolute assault, but it still deserves credit as being one of the coolest and most unexpected moments in gaming history. And who could forget about the intense showdown against the massive green ship that hindered your travel through most of the level. You sore through the sky while clinging onto a barrage of huge missiles, all crashing and exploding into the rear end of the assault ship. You desperately jump from missile to missile as they crash into the ship, trying to keep yourself in the air instead of plummeting downward onto the fatal ground below, all this time dodging the array of shots coming from the ships cannons while trying to shoot at them yourself. There simply isn't a boss or mini-boss that could be called anything less then awesome (with the exception of the first form of the wall walker in stage three, that just kinda floats there).

But as cool as these baddasses are, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the magnificent stages that lead up to them. Contra lll's stages are non-stop action. From the second you are dropped off in the middle of the war torn remains of the immortal opening city, with renegade soldiers charging at you from either side and rabid dogs making vicious sprints at you, you'll be hooked, and from that point onward Contra lll will absolutely dominate your life. Each one of the four real stages immediately grabs onto your balls like a rabid dog on a mailman, and simply refuses to let go. Who could forget the already described industrial steel mill level (stage 3).

Or how about stage 4. You suddenly find your self blazing through a dark tunnel on a hover bike, enemies hovering above you launching explosive bombs and arrays of bullets. Suddenly the tunnel comes to a complete halt and you find yourself soaring across desert wasteland, a beautiful blue sky and a range of mountains in the background. Out of nowhere a massive green ship (later to be the boss of the level) settles itself several inches above you, and as it passes, you had best be careful not to fall prey to any of the dastardly traps that it has in store. Cannons pop out of its bottom, enemies clamber around on the bottom rails of the ship, lasers launch constant blasts you have to cross through, etc., etc., etc. and when the ship finally passes, you suddenly find yourself engaged in a battle with a long legged machine that runs across the open road. Put this awkward looking machine out of its misery and suddenly you'll find yourself with the option of jumping onto a helicopter holding a missile, thus being lifted high into the air. As the helicopter soars through the sky, suddenly a deadly renegade soldier launches themselves up to the helicopter and grapples onto it, thus engaging you in battle. Once that is done, the missile suddenly launches itself forward, thus started the incredible boss battle I already talked about. Whether on not what I just said sounded interesting, the stage itself is incredible, as are all of the four real stages.

Now notice I said real stages, because not all of the stages in Contra lll are side-scrolling affairs. You see, Contra lll features two levels which use the Mode 7 technology of the SNES to create rotating overhead views. Many consider this to be Contra lll's biggest flaw, and in all honesty, it is. However, they aren't what I would call horrible. The first one of these (stage 2) is admittedly a snooze-fest, but luckily it can be beaten so incredibly fast that it doesn't matter. And the second one (stage 5), can actually be somewhat fun because it's tricky and demands precision and skill to survive the constant balls of fire that the red ants and fire snakes are launching. They do a good job of breaking up the constant action seen in the other four stages, are fairly amusing at first, and never get boring to an extent were they in any way ruin the game. It is also worth noting that the second one can be pretty fun during the multiplayer mode due to the amount of mayhem that occurs with two people on the screen.

Which brings me to Contra lll's multiplayer mode. The Contra series that has always been famous for its multiplayer mode, and Contra lll doesn‘t disappoint. Contra lll feels well balance in its design, ensuring that the game never feels like it values the multiplayer mode more then the single player, or vice versa. The game is an awesome way to spend some alone time, while the multiplayer mode is just as accessible and fun. There isn't anything quite like sitting down to a game of Contra lll with your best friend or significant other (there is no greater bond between a man and a woman then climbing up the top peak of an alien infested threshold and gunning the hell out of a massive alien beast equipped with one main head and two extending ones towering above you). Contra lll is a brilliant gem whether or not you've got someone by your side to play it with.

It is worth noting that while many complain that Contra lll is too hard, just as many complain that it isn't as hard as the other Contras. And in some ways this is true. Contra lll at first glance doesn't seem as hard as previous Contras or even Contra: Hard Corps (the Contra title for the Genesis) for that matter, but you also need to remember that the game has difficulty settings and this makes all the difference. Playing Contra lll on Hard with only three lives certainly ain't no cakewalk, and while it may not be as hard as the original Contra (few games are), it is still a challenge and ranks alongside Hard Corps challenge wise.

Contra lll is a masterpiece only rivaled for the title of best in the series by the also amazing Contra: Hard Corps. Hard Corps was a goddamn masterpiece with its extremely varied and interesting bosses, several characters to choose from, and multiple pathways and endings. Hard Corps gives Contra lll one hell of a run for its money, and it really doesn't matter which one is better, since they are both awesome. When I look at Contra lll, I think of lighting fast levels that take you through a variety of different concepts and settings. The game never slows down its fast pace, always launching at you something new and refreshing. When I look at Hard Corps, I think of extreme and intense battles against a variety of different and truly unique beasts, while charging through a variety of levels.

Contra lll, is easily one of the shining points of the series. From the immortal beginning to the immortal ending, Contra lll is simply not a game to miss. When I look back on Contra lll, I feel both joy and sadness, joy because of all the adrenaline pumping, ass-kicking fun that I have experienced throughout my time with the game, and sadness for the fact that this game and Hard Corps will forever be nothing more than memories in today‘s hollow gaming world. The series reached its peak in the 16-bit age. Contra lll is a masterpiece, a truly radiant gem, one of the finest entries in a series I obsess over. And it saddens me to think that the series will never again reach such heights. But in the end, it really doesn't matter, for I am more than happy to just replay Contra lll and Hard Corps for the umpteenth time.

Don't lie to yourself. Don't convince yourself that you can afford to pass on Contra lll. You aren't fooling anyone. You need to play the game, for your own well being. When you factor in the lighting fast pace, the ass-kicking level design, the massive bosses that litter the levels, the smooth responsive control, the multiplayer mode, and the variety of weaponry you can use on conquest, one thing becomes abundantly clear: Contra lll is a masterpiece. It's not a question of whether you should play it. That's a fact. The only real question is:

Do you think you're man enough?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/04, Updated 02/06/05