"Contra: The Alien Wars" for Game Boy Color, Tons of Contra fun!
Written: Oct 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A quick paced, fun side scrolling/shooting romp.
Cons: Slightly sluggish controls, filler top down view stages.
The Bottom Line: A fun quick paced Contra romp with all the elements you expect. They did a great job of cramming it all onto a GBC game. Minor quirks don't detract.
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| Mr_D's Full Review: Contra: The Alien Wars for Game Boy Color |
Continuing my Retro Gaming kick, I was in a bit of a Contra mood (Isn't everyone?) after snagging the new Contra for my Wii. So I dug back to 1994 for this classic Game Boy title, which is actually a port of the Super Nintendo game - However, I never (Or at least have no memory) of playing the SNES title, so that won't factor in to my review.
Quick Facts:
Game: Contra: The Alien Wars
System: Nintendo Game Boy Color
Players: 1
Genre: Side Scrolling/Top Down Shooter
Released: 1994
Time to Complete: 1-2 hours.
Contra, is of course, one of the most revered and recognized franchises in gaming. If you're in the mood to grab a gun and run along shooting aliens, this line rarely disappoints. Released in 1994 for Game Boy Color, Contra: The Alien Wars is a port of the SNES title to the little Nintendo, and the title actually holds up pretty well.
You'll run, you'll jump, you dodge, you'll die. You'll grab the coveted Spreader gun. Gameplay is pretty standard - You keep moving to the right, shooting everything in your path, jumping over what you can't shoot. You'll also be able to grapple from things that hang, and climb up vertical walls. These elements are pretty much scripted, so it doesn't really add much to the gameplay itself, bit it is a nice way to mix things up a bit. Powerups come in the form of floating balls which drop several weapon upgrades including the Flamer, the Spreader, Homing Missiles, and Crash Bombs.
There are 5 levels total, 3 of them are done in the side scrolling fashion, the other 2 are done as a top down shooter, where your goal is to take out several enemy generators throughout the stage. I found these levels to be more or less filler - and slightly annoying, as the small screen and somewhat sluggish controls led to a few frustrating deaths from the speedy and fast spawning enemies.
Technically, I was quite impressed with how much they crammed into a Game Boy game. There is great variety in the graphics, several enemies, decent music, and stages that definitely move and change. I never felt bored or like I was repeating anything, and the pacing of the game was perfect. The difficulty was about what you'd expect, some cheap deaths, but you learn your lessons. A limited number of continues means you need to be on your toes. One fo the frustrating elements from the series remains intact - in that if you die and lose your special weapon upgrade, you're going to be in trouble when you respawn.
On the downside, the controls were a TAD sluggish and jerky at times, when moving side to side to deal with enemies that come from both sides of the stage. This is mostly forgivible. Also, the boss fights were pretty simplistic - While most of the bosses looked pretty cool, they basically each had 1 or 2 moves that you just had to get in sync with and take them down, so the boss challenge factor was pretty low.
All in all though, this was an enjoyable and fast paced shooting romp - that still holds up pretty well 15 years later. It does boggle my mind the idea of paying $30 or $40 for games like this at the time though. :shakes head:
Graphics:
I think they did a great job cramming Contra onto the small screen, the graphics don't really look watered down at all. The "Color" element of the game is pretty weak however and definitely looked like an afterthought.
Sound:
I think they use the same Contra soundbytes and music from the first game still. So... go with what works.
Control:
Controls were a bit sluggish at times, but not so much to really take away from the gameplay experience. The climb/grapple maneuevers were fun to execute, as well as hopping up and down dual teired terrain. Some of the jumps were actually fairly tricky to execute requiring spot on timing.
Gameplay:
The Contra formula is in full force here: Run, shoot, get powerups, jump over enemy fire. You'll keep things fresh by having to grapple, climb walls, and jump to avoid traps. The boss fights are interesting and challenging enough, with enough excitement to make them FEEL like boss fights. The top down stages felt a bit weak, however, and didn't really enhance the gameplay.
What I liked:
1. Fun Gameplay.
2. Classic Contra elements intact.
3. Impressed at how much game they crammed onto a GBC cart.
What I didn't like:
1. Slightly sluggish controls.
2. Top down stages seemed weak.
3. Boss fights seemed a little simple to master.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Mr_D
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Location: Upstate New York
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