Game Debate #163: Contra III: The Alien Wars

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

10,,, probably my favorite game for a quick play-through. An ideal game for me with some difficulty, big bosses, fast action, and not too long. I think I've done everything in this game but beat it blind-folded. I recently completed a no death run on Hard mode without any weapon upgrades or bombs... very challenging. Also great on 2 player mode as well.

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

I enjoy it, but I've never had the desire to practice it or any other contra for that matter. I've only ever played through any contra with a friend and the konami code. It's never been my cup of tea per se.

7/10

[GPX | 1,369]

A blast from the past. I don’t recall a better run-and-gun game on the SNES. Konami were the king of creativity back in those days, which reflects on so much variety throughout the levels. Bosses were epic! 

[fox | 1,667]

2 hours ago, GPX said:

A blast from the past. I don’t recall a better run-and-gun game on the SNES. Konami were the king of creativity back in those days, which reflects on so much variety throughout the levels. Bosses were epic! 

Sunset Riders tho

Edited July 29, 2023 by fox

[GPX | 1,369]

On 7/30/2023 at 7:12 AM, fox said:

Sunset Riders tho

Contra 3 deserves a better score with more originality and weapon variety. Though I’d agree both are great titles in the fun factor. 

[Sumez | 2,951]

On 7/29/2023 at 9:24 PM, GPX said:

I don’t recall a better run-and-gun game on the SNES

What other run-and-guns are there even on the SNES? Such an underrepresented genre  

Gunforce, Super Turrican 2, Rendering Ranger, Cybernator, ??

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 7/29/2023 at 5:42 PM, fox said:

Sunset Riders tho

Definitely!

[GPX | 1,369]

35 minutes ago, Sumez said:

What other run-and-guns are there even on the SNES? Such an underrepresented genre  

Gunforce, Super Turrican 2, Rendering Ranger, Cybernator, ??

Yes come to think of it, this genre was definitely not represented as much on the SNES. Super Ghouls’n Ghosts (with the dagger) is my sneaky answer.

[peg | 370]

It's my favorite game in the series by far, a true run and gun masterpiece. Gotta play on hard to truly experience it though.

Edited August 1, 2023 by peg

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:11 PM, peg said:

It's my favorite game in the series by far, a true run and gun masterpiece. Gotta play on hard to truly experience it though.

I also love how the game really is significantly harder on HARD compared to NORMAL. I know most of it is just speed/spawn adjustments but it almost plays completely different with bosses/strategy as you can't instantly spam everything to death with C. I remember getting my ass handed to me when I started playing HARD mode over NORMAL.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:59 AM, Andy_Bogomil said:

I think I've done everything in this game but beat it blind-folded. I recently completed a no death run on Hard mode without any weapon upgrades or bombs... very challenging. 

[AirVillain | 489]

On 7/23/2023 at 5:31 AM, Bearcat-Doug said:

This is also one of those games that annoyingly requires you to beat it on the hardest difficulty to get the ending. It's a challenging enough game on easy, but hard is a nightmare.

Hmmmm... well.... I'm pretty sure I put it on easy and increase my lives every time I play, so much so that's just "normal" for me, haha. I don't recall being able to add continues? 

But yeah... not ashamed to admit I put it on easy when I play. Fuck... knowing I won't even get the ACTUAL ENDING on easy is a huge deterrent. 

But then again, maybe just find a Game Genie code? I'm checking the codes.... on gamegenie.com Because I think I would need an Invincibility code. I don't even think an unlimited Lives code would help on hard. No invincibility code there...

WAIT A SECOND.... PEEP THIS.... Link provided because I realize people don't want to click random links, above is good. 

https://etherealgames.com/snes/c/contra-iii-the-alien-wars/game-genie-codes/

Hhhhmmm.... if I have an invincibility code I might find it interesting to ACTUALLY play through the entire game.  Otherwise it's just not an enjoyable experience. 

On 7/29/2023 at 5:42 PM, fox said:

Sunset Riders tho

100%

I enjoy Sunset Riders over Alien Wars for many reasons, but the first is the variety and accessibility. Colourful game with 4 different characters, great Boss fights with hilarious tough talk from bosses before/after you kill them. Great music, great gameplay.... Big W for SNES shoot 'em ups. 

Contra III is fucking hard, but at least with Sunset Riders it gives you a chance to get started and you can make it a decent ways without it being annoying.

But.... when I first played it my first thought was "Western Contra", so it's not like Contra wasn't the pre-curser.... Konami, etc. .... But in terms of shoot 'em ups on SNES, Sunset Riders is top notch. 

[Sumez | 2,951]

3 minutes ago, AirVillain said:

But yeah... not ashamed to admit I put it on easy when I play. Fuck... knowing I won't even get the ACTUAL ENDING on easy is a huge deterrent. 

It's a weird choice for sure, but ultimately the ending is really damn unimportant. What you're really missing out on by playing on Easy, is experiencing Contra 3 on Hard, which like @peg also said is like a whole other game, and truly the absolute best time it has to offer.

Not telling you what to do or not do, it's good that Easy is an option for people who prefer that. But you are missing out

[AirVillain | 489]

5 minutes ago, Sumez said:

It's a weird choice for sure, but ultimately the ending is really damn unimportant. What you're really missing out on by playing on Easy, is experiencing Contra 3 on Hard, which like @peg also said is like a whole other game, and truly the absolute best time it has to offer.

Not telling you what to do or not do, it's good that Easy is an option for people who prefer that. But you are missing out

Well, unless there's different bosses/additional levels, I'll be playing in hard strictly FOR the ending, because I already find it annoyingly difficult on easy, haha. 

So... I might be "missing out" to you... but I'm actually not because I would not be enjoying myself. But I understand what you're saying and I am certainly going to "give it a shot" and play through it on hard a few times. But it'll likely be annoying, haha. 

Invincibility code on hard and smashing the game... that I could enjoy. 

And trust me... I know that's a lot to handle and somewhat blasphemous.

I, for one, respect the sanctity of the Contra name and hold it close to my heart and values. (Hoping to one day again marathon Super C) However.... Contra III is so stupidly hard, I've given up on caring about cheating. 

[Sumez | 2,951]

Well, it's not about seeing the graphics, it's about experiencing the gameplay.

For real, I wouldn't actually recommend playing the game on Hard until beating it on Normal, so of course if you're having trouble on Easy, it's a gradual journey.

So yeah, it'll take some dedication, and going there of course requires being able to enjoy the game without invincibility in the first place.  You'd need to approach the game with the mindset that you're going to play through it multiple times, try to learn from your mistakes every single time, and focus on individually practicing the spots where you're having trouble. It's a much bigger effort than an occasional single 30 minute run ever so often, but honestly compared to most RPGs and longer games released today, it's still not as daunting as people tend to think.  

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 8/10/2023 at 2:12 PM, AirVillain said:

Hmmmm... well.... I'm pretty sure I put it on easy and increase my lives every time I play, so much so that's just "normal" for me, haha. I don't recall being able to add continues? 

But yeah... not ashamed to admit I put it on easy when I play. Fuck... knowing I won't even get the ACTUAL ENDING on easy is a huge deterrent. 

But then again, maybe just find a Game Genie code? I'm checking the codes.... on gamegenie.com Because I think I would need an Invincibility code. I don't even think an unlimited Lives code would help on hard. No invincibility code there...

WAIT A SECOND.... PEEP THIS.... Link provided because I realize people don't want to click random links, above is good. 

https://etherealgames.com/snes/c/contra-iii-the-alien-wars/game-genie-codes/

Hhhhmmm.... if I have an invincibility code I might find it interesting to ACTUALLY play through the entire game.  Otherwise it's just not an enjoyable experience. 

100%

I enjoy Sunset Riders over Alien Wars for many reasons, but the first is the variety and accessibility. Colourful game with 4 different characters, great Boss fights with hilarious tough talk from bosses before/after you kill them. Great music, great gameplay.... Big W for SNES shoot 'em ups. 

Contra III is fucking hard, but at least with Sunset Riders it gives you a chance to get started and you can make it a decent ways without it being annoying.

But.... when I first played it my first thought was "Western Contra", so it's not like Contra wasn't the pre-curser.... Konami, etc. .... But in terms of shoot 'em ups on SNES, Sunset Riders is top notch. 

I had to play it with an invincibility code to finish it on hard difficulty. That's why I hate it when games do that "you have to beat it on hard/expert to see the ending" nonsense.

[rdrunner | 422]

If invincibility isn't kosher for you, you might try "earning" a bunch of extra lives by spamming easy enemies?  I did that when I was first learning the game.

Edited August 12, 2023 by rdrunner

[GPX | 1,369]

On 8/11/2023 at 4:00 AM, AirVillain said:

Well, unless there's different bosses/additional levels, I'll be playing in hard strictly FOR the ending, because I already find it annoyingly difficult on easy, haha. 

So... I might be "missing out" to you... but I'm actually not because I would not be enjoying myself. But I understand what you're saying and I am certainly going to "give it a shot" and play through it on hard a few times. But it'll likely be annoying, haha. 

Invincibility code on hard and smashing the game... that I could enjoy. 

And trust me... I know that's a lot to handle and somewhat blasphemous.

I, for one, respect the sanctity of the Contra name and hold it close to my heart and values. (Hoping to one day again marathon Super C) However.... Contra III is so stupidly hard, I've given up on caring about cheating. 

I get the feeling you’re not much of a shooter fan? Not trying to argue with your critique of the game, but your post got me thinking a bit with respect to nostalgia. 

I can see Contra 3 and games of similar difficulty can be off putting to some. Particularly to those without the nimble skills or haven’t got the time to play endlessly to surpass the challenge. However, if playing it when back in the 90s, it was likely you were a relatively poor child (myself including) and could only buy games every few months. So games needed to have that mix of fun but “tough love” challenge, to sustain the entertainment value to keep you playing for weeks. 

Contra 3 had that perfect mix (particularly if you’re a shootem’ up fan) of fun and challenge. Fun to the point you didn’t mind the challenge, and the challenge was steep but fair if you keep on persisting. This of course, is me talking through the lens of a nostalgic kid who loved gaming in the 90s.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

11 hours ago, rdrunner said:

If invincibility isn't kosher for you, you might try "earning" a bunch of extra lives by spamming easy enemies?  I did that when I was first learning the game.

There's a Game Genie code to enable 30 and 99 lives in the options. It's a good way to practice the game since you're not completely invincible. The code is D987-AFA4 for anyone that wants to try it.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Bearcat-Doug

[peg | 370]

You could do it thr old fashioned way and farm lives on stage 1. That's how I did it back in the early 90s lol.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

1 hour ago, peg said:

You could do it thr old fashioned way and farm lives on stage 1. That's how I did it back in the early 90s lol.

I just put a rubber band around the controller and came back later.

[cartman | 195]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:59 PM, Andy_Bogomil said:

10,,, probably my favorite game for a quick play-through. An ideal game for me with some difficulty, big bosses, fast action, and not too long. I think I've done everything in this game but beat it blind-folded. I recently completed a no death run on Hard mode without any weapon upgrades or bombs... very challenging. Also great on 2 player mode as well.

I dabbled in this but on the 4th level when the robots jump out of the aircraft's hatch and swarm down onto the motorcycle i kept dying and thought it was impossible. Turns out you have to be on the move.

Other than that there's the last boss segment where you get to choose wich attack the brain is going to use. You can raise the challenge by opting for the hardest every time.

 

[AirVillain | 489]

On 8/11/2023 at 2:17 AM, Sumez said:

Well, it's not about seeing the graphics, it's about experiencing the gameplay.

For real, I wouldn't actually recommend playing the game on Hard until beating it on Normal, so of course if you're having trouble on Easy, it's a gradual journey.

So yeah, it'll take some dedication, and going there of course requires being able to enjoy the game without invincibility in the first place.  You'd need to approach the game with the mindset that you're going to play through it multiple times, try to learn from your mistakes every single time, and focus on individually practicing the spots where you're having trouble. It's a much bigger effort than an occasional single 30 minute run ever so often, but honestly compared to most RPGs and longer games released today, it's still not as daunting as people tend to think.  

Haha, that's what I mean... it's not a "gradual journey" because I can't barely get anywhere on the Easy/Normal!!! Haha... 

I've played the game enough to consider giving it a shot to learn. I humbly say I suck at this game, haha. More info below.

 

On 8/12/2023 at 8:51 AM, Bearcat-Doug said:

I had to play it with an invincibility code to finish it on hard difficulty. That's why I hate it when games do that "you have to beat it on hard/expert to see the ending" nonsense.

Will report back after I beat it with the invincibility, haha. 

 

On 8/12/2023 at 3:32 PM, GPX said:

I get the feeling you’re not much of a shooter fan? Not trying to argue with your critique of the game, but your post got me thinking a bit with respect to nostalgia. 

I can see Contra 3 and games of similar difficulty can be off putting to some. Particularly to those without the nimble skills or haven’t got the time to play endlessly to surpass the challenge. However, if playing it when back in the 90s, it was likely you were a relatively poor child (myself including) and could only buy games every few months. So games needed to have that mix of fun but “tough love” challenge, to sustain the entertainment value to keep you playing for weeks. 

Contra 3 had that perfect mix (particularly if you’re a shootem’ up fan) of fun and challenge. Fun to the point you didn’t mind the challenge, and the challenge was steep but fair if you keep on persisting. This of course, is me talking through the lens of a nostalgic kid who loved gaming in the 90s.

Nah man... big shooter fan here. 

LOVE Contra/Super C. They are two of my favourite games on the NES. Can no death both, maxed out Contra, and played Super C for 15.5 hours in one sitting. I LOVES my Contra. 

Also love scrolling shooters as well, but a good platforming shooter like Contra is most excellent. Contra is a perfect NES game in my opinion.

I get the concept of "playing endlessly to surpass the challenge", and I understand how you are 100% correct for yourself. 

But for ME... fuck... give me a second (Contra III), yeesh!!!   

I'll have to report back after giving this game another "good shot"  (not able to really put any time into games right now  ) 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

4 hours ago, AirVillain said:

LOVE Contra/Super C. They are two of my favourite games on the NES. Can no death both, maxed out Contra, and played Super C for 15.5 hours in one sitting. I LOVES my Contra. 

Also love scrolling shooters as well, but a good platforming shooter like Contra is most excellent. Contra is a perfect NES game in my opinion.

I get the concept of "playing endlessly to surpass the challenge", and I understand how you are 100% correct for yourself. 

But for ME... fuck... give me a second (Contra III), yeesh!!!   

I'll have to report back after giving this game another "good shot"  (not able to really put any time into games right now  ) 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that can no death both NES games, but for whatever reason finds this one to be insanely difficult. I'm not sure if I can even think of another game where the "easy" difficulty is as tough as this.

[GPX | 1,369]

On 8/17/2023 at 12:22 AM, AirVillain said:

Haha, that's what I mean... it's not a "gradual journey" because I can't barely get anywhere on the Easy/Normal!!! Haha... 

I've played the game enough to consider giving it a shot to learn. I humbly say I suck at this game, haha. More info below.

 

Will report back after I beat it with the invincibility, haha. 

 

Nah man... big shooter fan here. 

LOVE Contra/Super C. They are two of my favourite games on the NES. Can no death both, maxed out Contra, and played Super C for 15.5 hours in one sitting. I LOVES my Contra. 

Also love scrolling shooters as well, but a good platforming shooter like Contra is most excellent. Contra is a perfect NES game in my opinion.

I get the concept of "playing endlessly to surpass the challenge", and I understand how you are 100% correct for yourself. 

But for ME... fuck... give me a second (Contra III), yeesh!!!   

I'll have to report back after giving this game another "good shot"  (not able to really put any time into games right now  ) 

I haven’t played this game in yonks, but I think the big challenge were the levels with the mode 7, top-down views? I vaguely remember them and recall I enjoyed the platform levels more than those other levels.