Yeah, they're great. I was hoping that my import SNES Classic would have gone with Probotector version just to make my replay a bit more visually distinctive.
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DF Retro: Contra 3 - The Alien Wars! Sublime 16-Bit Shooting!
- Thread starter chandoog
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Yeah, they're great. I was hoping that my import SNES Classic would have gone with Probotector version just to make my replay a bit more visually distinctive.
That original GameBoy port is pretty impressive for what Factor 5 had to work with. Yeah, it's missing things in the second half, but what could you really expect from the original Game Boy?
The GBA port is a bit messy. The cropped screen does add some artificial challenge to the game, and it is interesting that they replaced the mode 7 stages with stages from Hard Corps. I do prefer Hard Corps myself, but I can see why it is hard to make a video on that game, given that it really is a Genesis/ Mega Drive exclusive.
But Contra III is still a classic. One of the best run and guns on the SNES. Cool to see another 16bit title on DF Retro.
If you do another 16bit game on DFRetro, I'd like to see a multiplatform release. Something that was ported to multiple consoles. But I gvuess you did that with Pitfall The Mayan Adventure, which was a good video too.
The GBA port is a bit messy. The cropped screen does add some artificial challenge to the game, and it is interesting that they replaced the mode 7 stages with stages from Hard Corps. I do prefer Hard Corps myself, but I can see why it is hard to make a video on that game, given that it really is a Genesis/ Mega Drive exclusive.
But Contra III is still a classic. One of the best run and guns on the SNES. Cool to see another 16bit title on DF Retro.
If you do another 16bit game on DFRetro, I'd like to see a multiplatform release. Something that was ported to multiple consoles. But I gvuess you did that with Pitfall The Mayan Adventure, which was a good video too.
Yep, that was me too. I once did the whole run Easy>Normal>Hard on just over an hour (1 think) in the early morning before going to school. Good times.
The lead designer on Hard Corps is Nobuya Nakazato, who was also the lead designer on Contra III, Shattered Soldier, Neo Contra and Contra Rebirth. He took over the Contra series at Konami with the third game and onwards.
He was also the main game designer on the original Rocket Knight Adventures for the Genesis/ Mega Drive as well. There are many moments in Rocket Knight Adventures that straight up reminds me of Contra III. Some levels are very run and gun like, and there are sprites/ tiles that look like they belong in a Contra game. Also, almost everyone that worked on the audio/ music for Rocket Knight was part of the Contra III audio team.
It's possible that he wanted to out-do the team at Treasure. But also at that point in time Konami was also new to being a third party on a Sega console, and they wanted to put some of their biggest NES/ SNES on Sega's console.
Whenever a discussion about the best Contra game pops up, it's always between 3 and Hard Corps. Shattered Soldier is also amazing, and I frankly don't know which one I'd pick out of the three, I love all of them so much.
The best part about Contra Spirits is the soundtrack. Pretty much the only time a game ever got a big Jerry Goldsmith style 80s action movie soundtrack. And Contra is Rambo+Dutch vs geiger Aliens so it's perfect.
Shame the next game was on Mega Drive so they had to do the IMO ugly crunch techno thing instead.
IMO the actual best Contra game is either Contra or Super Contra (Famicom versions) though. Contra GB/Operation C is also solid. They're just perfect original Contra formula. Contra Spirits upped the intensity and insanity with the helicopter/missiles etc but has the kind of dud overhead stages, and is a bit too boss-rushy at the end. Hard Corps I don't like, too fiddly controls, dull stages which are just filler between boss rushes, techno crunch soundtrack instead of Goldsmith action movie (and a dog as a character and a stage with a stuipid dinosaur that looks at you is not Contra). And Shattered Soldier also misses the mark with the set weapons, edgy teen attitude and nu-metal soundtrack.
Edit - oh and Contra 4/Dual Spirits was the actual MVP of all post Spirits games. Proper return to the original formula.
Shame the next game was on Mega Drive so they had to do the IMO ugly crunch techno thing instead.
IMO the actual best Contra game is either Contra or Super Contra (Famicom versions) though. Contra GB/Operation C is also solid. They're just perfect original Contra formula. Contra Spirits upped the intensity and insanity with the helicopter/missiles etc but has the kind of dud overhead stages, and is a bit too boss-rushy at the end. Hard Corps I don't like, too fiddly controls, dull stages which are just filler between boss rushes, techno crunch soundtrack instead of Goldsmith action movie (and a dog as a character and a stage with a stuipid dinosaur that looks at you is not Contra). And Shattered Soldier also misses the mark with the set weapons, edgy teen attitude and nu-metal soundtrack.
Edit - oh and Contra 4/Dual Spirits was the actual MVP of all post Spirits games. Proper return to the original formula.
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Clearly the developers of Uprising agreed with you. Since it was a sequel to Hard Corps, but they didn't call it Contra.I liked Contra Hard Corps for what it was, but I agree it was weird and different from the rest of them for it's time. It still had the elements of the Contra games, but it had a wacky story. Which is saying something for this franchise. The game felt fine to me, even though it is mostly a boss rush.
As for the soundtrack, I agree with the Jerry Goldsmith comment. Contra III did try to have it's own cinematic score on the SNES, which worked pretty well for the SPC700's sampling. This track here is one of my favorites:
I like Hard Corps soundtrack, but it does lack the quasi-cinematic style of the third game. Which goes back to what I said about Rocket Knight Adventures. That game has almost the exact same sound team as Contra III, and kinda retains that cinematic style too, but on the Genesis sound system. Though in Rocket Knight's case it is a bit more like a kid's adventure movie.
2005 edgelord badass?
Totally agree.
To be fair it wasn't really fully branded Contra either, it's a spinoff, just like Contra Force was, with even the same basic structure too, choosing a team member etc. But both of those games would have been better as new IPs IMO, beause they're so different in gameplay and tone and look.
Arc Hound: Hard Corps maybe ;)
Oh yeah, that is a good point. Even Castlevania Bloodlines (New Generation, or whatever) was classified as a spin-off because it didn't have any playable Belmont characters.
This was such a great video. As a game dev it makes me appreciate the art of game design so damn much, absolutely fantastic work John!
nah
nah
Back in HS, I don't remember this game being that hard. Then I played it a decade later, and could barely make it to the third stage. Probably couldn't even make it through the first stage anymore without dying a few times. LOL Classic game with terrible in-between level character art!
DFRetro is still one of the best things on Youtube, and Contra 3 will always be a favorite, so I had great fun watching this.
But I swear, if you don't stop phonetically pronouncing "SNES", I might have to come to your home at night and see you.
But I swear, if you don't stop phonetically pronouncing "SNES", I might have to come to your home at night and see you.
Finally watched the video. Great stuff as always! The way they seemed to recreate the idea of the top-down stuff in the transition to the Game Boy version is impressive. The GBA version on the other hand... Yikes.
And is that Doom 64 I saw in the N64 in one of those shots? I'll never forgive my "friend" for making me watch him play it when I visited his house. Wouldn't even let me play. Closest I came to playing it was years later with one of the PC conversions. I know it's not the same but damn was it fun to finally play it.
And is that Doom 64 I saw in the N64 in one of those shots? I'll never forgive my "friend" for making me watch him play it when I visited his house. Wouldn't even let me play. Closest I came to playing it was years later with one of the PC conversions. I know it's not the same but damn was it fun to finally play it.
Glad I'm not the only one who gets annoyed hahaha. I grew up saying Super Nintendo.
A worthy cause and definitely the right idea. Probotector is amazing.
Great video, too
Dark1x Handheld consoles are consoles dude ;) Contra Spirits is not a console exclusive.
Probo is certainly a censorship that was well done so the overall product didn't suffer though. It helps that Probotector 1 has SUPERB box art. Probotector II and Super Probotector have decent box art but not quite as good, the less said about Probotector Mega Drive's 'drawn by the nearest 12 year old' cover the better though.
It was a really nice touch that in Contra 4 the Probotectors have pommy accents too.
I like both. Contra is Rambo+Dutch vs Commie Aliens. It is the 'dream 80s action movie' in the same way Castlevania is Conan vs the classic monster movie characters (Drac, Frank, Medusa, Wolfman etc).
Probo is certainly a censorship that was well done so the overall product didn't suffer though. It helps that Probotector 1 has SUPERB box art. Probotector II and Super Probotector have decent box art but not quite as good, the less said about Probotector Mega Drive's 'drawn by the nearest 12 year old' cover the better though.
It was a really nice touch that in Contra 4 the Probotectors have pommy accents too.
Metal Gear series (especially 2) also has music in that style. Really Konami's entire output during the 80s was just raw riffing on 80s movie (and golden age Hollywood for Castlevania) pop culture. It's cool to a point but I'm glad they eventually settled on more distinct identities for their properties. I love the goofy tongue-in-cheek cyberpunk that Hard Corps settled on.
I honestly think the Game Boy port of Alien Wars/Super Probotector is outright crap. It looks and sounds a lot worse than Contra GB/Operation C. It's slow, is full of sprite flicker, has some badly drawn sprites, and very poor background shading. The overhead stages survive a lot better.
I don't think it's much on an achievement when Contra GB/Operation C is just so much better in every possible way. Alien Wars GB is just a mediocre piece of GB software. And as a personal pet peeve is uses that horrible C64 style euro-warble effect in the music, bleugh!
I mean, apart from the obvious Rambo influence, Contra Spirits is pretty much a straight riff on this:
Metal Gear 2 was stuck on the MSX so couldn't have the orchestral grandeur of Contra Spirits in the same way the Famicom Contra games didn't either (though Super Contra had an orchestral hit sample as part of its soundtrack to achieve some of it). Contra Spirits was the one that finally fulfilled the original aural vision IMO.
I don't think it's much on an achievement when Contra GB/Operation C is just so much better in every possible way. Alien Wars GB is just a mediocre piece of GB software. And as a personal pet peeve is uses that horrible C64 style euro-warble effect in the music, bleugh!
Metal Gear is a good example, Metal Gear Solid had a cinematic soundtrack, but I think more 90s than big 80s Goldsmith. Spirits is fully Rambo+Total Recall.
I mean, apart from the obvious Rambo influence, Contra Spirits is pretty much a straight riff on this:
Metal Gear 2 was stuck on the MSX so couldn't have the orchestral grandeur of Contra Spirits in the same way the Famicom Contra games didn't either (though Super Contra had an orchestral hit sample as part of its soundtrack to achieve some of it). Contra Spirits was the one that finally fulfilled the original aural vision IMO.
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Another awesome DF Retro video. Contra 3 is a great game to look back at, very interesting to see all the portable versions.
Ha, yeah, I believe Nakazato even specifically mentions that they wanted to achieve that Jerry Goldsmith sound. I'd say they succeeded.
The only Genesis games to surpass their SNES counterparts are Batman and Robin and Contra Hard Corps (suck it alladin).
Which is amazing, since both games on the SNES are also amazing (Contra III and Konami's Batman and Robin for the SNES)
So, while this video was great, I too vote for one for Hard Corps, even if it has no real ports. Just to talk about those infinite neat effects.
Which is amazing, since both games on the SNES are also amazing (Contra III and Konami's Batman and Robin for the SNES)
So, while this video was great, I too vote for one for Hard Corps, even if it has no real ports. Just to talk about those infinite neat effects.
One of the GOAT side-scrolling shooters. The first level music is so fucking epic, you know shits about to get real. I've lost count of how many times I've played this game over the years.
Why won't Konami release this( and Hard Corps) as a package or individual releases? Day zero buys for me...
Why won't Konami release this( and Hard Corps) as a package or individual releases? Day zero buys for me...
One of the best Run-n-Guns out there. Watched the video last night. Great job John. I was wondering how you could make a video so long on Contra 3 but then as I watched it I realized how. The video opened my eyes to a lot of things I didn't know. I didn't even know about the Famicon's enhanced version of Contra. When I saw those leaves moving I was like "wooooaaaaaaaaah"
In Europe (Portugal at least) we had Probotector!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjYm5WH7rPgAhVCWBoKHWL2ANAQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http://game-oldies.com/play-online/probotector-sega-genesis&psig=AOvVaw2zrQoYk3xLYDT5GjctANgS&ust=1549980656989172
What an amazing game that was!
Edit: Just saw it was already mentioned lol
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjYm5WH7rPgAhVCWBoKHWL2ANAQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http://game-oldies.com/play-online/probotector-sega-genesis&psig=AOvVaw2zrQoYk3xLYDT5GjctANgS&ust=1549980656989172
What an amazing game that was!
Edit: Just saw it was already mentioned lol
It's more like the NES edition is a cut down version, as the Famicom version was clearly the original.
I still got my original SNES game and at that time it was like the arcade in my living room. I was blown away.Love Contra and will watch asap when home.
I agree that Operation C is far more attractive. The GB game really doesn't look great but, again, it's not an easy thing to port due to nature of the game design. Contra 3 was clearly built for hardware that could hold a lot more in memory enabling a level of variety that you didn't really see on older consoles. The NES Contra games are quite different as a result. It's kind of a question of whether they should have done it (probably not) but it is fascinating.
Never played this one but I played the hell out of the original on the NES. Knew the game like the back of my hand.
very cool video, even if its always been inferior to Hard Corps, much like Bloodlines > Super Castlevania IV
The more I play, I dunno...Hard Corps is really good but it's just too 'boss rush' for me. I appreciate that Contra 3 has proper stage design in a way that Hard Corps kinda doesn't. Love them both, though.
Contra 3 was absolutely mind-blowing. Sucks that the true ending (which includes many art screens) is locked behind the impossible Hard mode. Most people have never even seen those ending screens, since you absolutely have to use cheats/savestates. I don't know of a single person who legitimately beat Hard mode without cheats.