Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX

"Contra returns to the glory days..."

INTRODUCTION:
Back when “Contra III: The Alien Wars” was released on the SNES, it greatly improved upon the Contra formula. It was the pretty much the bigger and badder version of what a Contra game should be, taking advantage of the SNES hardware to create a very intense action game. Today, it is often considered the greatest Contra game of all-time. Ten years later, Konami decides to re-release it on the GBA. Unfortunately, most of the ideas that made up the original game are nowhere to be found in this re-release.

GRAPHICS:
As usual with SNES to GBA conversions, the display area went through a slight cropping, meaning you're more limited in knowing what lies ahead of you. Fortunately, there are rarely any instances where an enemy attack will kill you due to not being able to react in time. At core, the game looks identical to the original. However, with the removal of the two overhead levels, become two more side-scrolling levels ripped straight from the Genesis “Contra: Hard Corps”. Because of the color limitations of the Genesis, the new levels may seem out of place compared with the more colorful SNES levels. Surprisingly, they blend in pretty well. The artwork seen in the “stage clear” screen has also been redone. Other than that, all the effects and details remain in place.

SOUND/MUSIC:
The soundtrack had to be downgraded, which is very unfortunate because the soundtrack in the original game really helped enhance the sense of action. The depth of the soundtrack is now lost due to the GBA's inferior audio capabilities. There are some tunes, such as the “stage clear” theme, that just sound awful without even making a comparison to the original. The downgrade was expected, but the downgrade is just too much for one to not be bothered with the outcome.

GAMEPLAY:
The original Contra III introduced a few new innovations to the series. The secondary weapon slot as well as the aura bombs have been done away. Also, because you are no longer able to carry two weapons, the maneuver in which you fire in all directions with both weapons is no longer possible. Because of the exclusion of these features, Contra Advance plays very similar to the original games instead of the game it's suppose to be based on. Surprisingly, Contra Advance grants you with a maneuver not possible in the original game. You now possess the ability to lock your aiming view and fire in the direction you're facing while still being mobile. This actually becomes very useful in many situations and is a welcomed addition to the gameplay. As already mentioned, the overhead levels that were removed in favor of two more side-scrolling levels now only makes the experience much less appealing. The tradition with Contra, prior to Contra III was the inclusion of two unique levels that were played from behind-the-back or overhead perspectives. Contra Advance eliminates that tradition with nothing but side-scrolling levels. In short, almost everything that made the original version stand out from the previous games is all gone. Although the original game did not feature one, Contra Advance now supports a password feature, which is rather useless since it is a very short game anyway.

REPLAY VALUE:
Contra Advance is a short experience consisting of only six levels. Though, it may be short, the game is still satisfying enough that you'll come back for more. There are only two difficulties to select from this time. The game will end once you've completed Stage 4 in Novice, while in Normal, you're able to play through the entire game. The jump in difficulty between Novice and Normal is definitely noticeable. It's a cheap way to extend the replay value, but it's a sure way of letting you know that if you want to see the ending, you're going to have to give it your best effort.

CONCLUSION:
If you want to experience the real Contra Advance, play the SNES version. Contra Advance is just another quick and sloppy port from the trend of bringing classic SNES games to the GBA. The main problem with this conversion is that the developers made some very unnecessary changes to game overall. The simple fact that they've even omitted the classic introduction really makes one consider the intents of the developers. There are just too many things that will upset fans of the original Contra III. Although it is an inferior version, there's still some value to the game. It's still Contra. It's still fun. It's just that there's no reason to settle for less when there's a much better version to be played.

FINAL SCORE:
6 OUT OF 10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/07