Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
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Video Game Reviews of Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
Customer Review: It's cool, but not also
Summary: 4 Stars
The GBA is nothing but a repository for bad ports of SNES titles that weren't all that good in the first place. According to some people, anyway. Such close-minded folk will simply have to miss out on this lovely Contra remix, a combination of two of the 16-bit era's best shooters.
The Alien Wars (SNES) and Hard Corps (Genesis) with some extra stuff thrown in for good measure. (The only major omissions: The SNES game's overhead levels are gone, and you can't carry multiple weapons at once.) If you've never played them before, consider this game a handy pocket reference to an age that unfortunately passed long ago. As you'd expect from Konami's 16-bit years, The Alien Wars EX features stupendously well-animated characters and a boopy-yet-catchy soundtrack. The control's spot-on, too, which is helpful 'cuz the smaller screen size means you have a much tinier margin of error during most boss battles. Of course, this being Contra, the game's mind-numbingly challenging a fact that limited continues and an annoying 18-letter password system don't change much. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, this is one hot 'n spicy GBA remake that's actually worth the money for a change.
Customer Review: Not How I Remember It...
Summary: 2 Stars
I was so elated to find out Konami was releasing a new version of the SNES classic Contra 3 for the Gameboy Advance. To my disappointment, I didn't find myself having as much fun with this version as I did several years ago on my old 16 bit machine. My biggest gripe is that the game walks the fine line between excessively challenging and unenjoyably frustrating. What were the developers thinking? You can no longer toggle between weapons; rather whatever you pick up is what you shoot with. This wouldn't be a major issue if certain weapons weren't useless in certain situations. There are also no more bombs so you better pray you have quick reflexes to get you out of those super tight spots. Aside from the difficulty issue, the only other major flaw is the archaic password/save feature which is totally inconvinient for a portable game. Everything else is actually O.K. The game looks just like the old SNES version and has aged quite gracefully making for a really nice looking portable game. Controls are tight and alleviate some of the stress from the frantic learning curve. If your looking for an insanely hard shooting game (and I mean INSANELY HARD) for those long car rides, by all means Contra Advance is a perfect choice. For those looking for a game that is a little more enjoyable and rewards skill rather than luck, you should go somewhere else; and for the old Contra fans, pick it up used for some old thrills, then pull out your SNES and really put some time into the old game.Customer Review: 16 Bit Memory lane...
Summary: 4 Stars
Contra Advance is a great title that is really much better than I anticipated it would be. At first glance, it seems like the SNES Contra III: Alien Wars, with levels from Hard Corps thrown in for good measure. Well, it is that, but I'm surprised at how well this conversion stacks up in today's age of 3D games. While this version has the SNES' overhead Mode 7 levels replaced with levels from the Genesis' Hard Corps game, it also has the restrictions of the GBA's smaller screen. Makes it a little tougher than the SNES version, as well as replacing the original's feature to have 2 different weapons with the ability to stay in one place and shoot in 8 directions or move and lock your line of fire in one. Better in some ways, but some will miss the 2 weapons feature. Also, music is of course not as good as the SNES version, but what GBA game has super music? Graphics are identical to the original 16 bit titles, sound effects sound the same, but boss patterns have changed some. Also, because of screen size, there are some rather cheap deaths once in awhile. Surprisingly, this doesn't detract from the game at all. Plays as well as any Contra did. For a portable title, this game is excellent and it's goodness outshines any flaws.
Customer Review: ROCKZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS GAME IS SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!You can walk on foot shooting aliens,or robots or whatever,or you can get into jeeps or tanks and blow bad guys up.Though the sound is kinda bad the graphics are good for GBA and the gamplay...the gamplay is AWESOME!Also you can play with the GBA link cable in co-op with you friendsCustomer Review: Some games just weren't meant for the GBA...
Summary: 3 Stars
Don't get me wrong, now; I loved this game on the SNES. My dad and I played it and played it and eventually beat it together. But putting this game on the GBA reduces the quality. It's still the same game in many ways, but with one major drawback.THE SCREEN IS TOO SMALL!
With all the action going on in that game--the bullets flying at you, the stray dogs biting at your legs, the enemies running towards you--playing such a busy game as Contra Advance just doesn't work. I found myself squinting at the console most of the time, wondering how I had just died. This is one of the few games that I've bought for the GBA that I've felt this way about. Might want to rent this one first.