Remove Ad, Sign Up
Register to Remove Ad
Register to Remove Ad
Remove Ad, Sign Up
Register to Remove Ad
Register to Remove Ad
Signup for Free!
-More Features-
-Far Less Ads-
About   Users   Help
Users & Guests Online
On Page: 1
Directory: 4 & 592
Entire Site: 6 & 734
03-19-24 03:31 AM
Information
ⓘ  Info
Online Game Details
Views: 25,518
Today: 2
Users: 438 unique
Last User View
12-08-23
sarahkazu
Last Updated
01:11 AM
Staff
System:
Super Nintendo
Publisher:
Konami
Developer:
Konami Co.
UPC: 83717150039

Released: 4-01-92
Players: 1-2
Country Origin: US

Game Genre:
Shooter
Game Perspective:
Side-Scrolling, Top-Down
Genre Non-Sport:
Sci-Fi / Futuristic

Price Guide (USD):
Loose:  $48.50
Complete:  $109.99
New:  $319.50
Rarity:  3/10

External Websites:
Play.Rom.Online
Ebay Listings
Amazon Listings
PriceCharting Info

Play Contra III - The Alien Wars (SNES) - Game Characters | Super Nintendo

Play Contra III - The Alien Wars online with Super Nintendo browser emulation for free! Contra III - The Alien Wars (SNES) game rom is loaded with features in our flash, java and rgr plugin emulators. Nothing to configure, we've done it for you!

Contra III - The Alien Wars

Contra III - The Alien Wars Title ScreenContra III - The Alien Wars Screenshot 1
Contra III - The Alien Wars Box Art FrontContra III - The Alien Wars Box Art BackContra III - The Alien Wars Screenthot 2
Rating: 8.9
(212 votes)
Plays: 60,961
M:99%
F:1%
Filesize: 746kb

Game Characters in Contra III - The Alien Wars 



(# represents total number of times character was tagged in this Game)

Contra III - The Alien Wars (Super Nintendo) Screenshots

X X
This game doesn't have any screenshots

Joinable Netplay Multiplayer Sessions for Contra III - The Alien Wars 

There is currently no one playing this online

Contra III - The Alien Wars Featured Review

Contra III - The Alien Wars Review by: drlimple - 8.5/10

Challenging, Laughably OTT and Simply Awesome!!!
After countless hours spent trying to beat this game I've finally decided to write up a detailed review of everything that makes it great IMHO.

So basically everyone and their next door neighbour knows that this is the third entry in Konami's iconic Contra series which has been challenging gamers worldwide since the late 80's. It is hailed by many as the best in the series. While I won't go so far as to say that, I have to admit that it is a very, very well made game in its own right and deserves all the praise that has been showered upon it. The comparison with its older NES brethren, however seems a bit unfair, because I feel Contra III is a different beast altogether. While the older games focused more on classic run and gun game play interspersed with boss fights at the end of stages, Contra III deviates from that formula in at least three of its six stages. Its focus appears to be more on orchestrating thrilling, edge of the seat action set pieces, and the latter stages in particular are littered with what would normally be referred to as bosses and mini bosses.This is not necessarily a bad thing. You are pitted in insane scenarios like having to jump from missile to missile, evading fire from an enemy helicarrier while shooting at its turrets or like the time the game has you shooting at a giant skeleton head which is breathing fire at you while it's two minion robo-skeletons try to riddle your character full of bullets. The boss fights, or set pieces really, are designed to thrill and they don't disappoint. They also seem to be the most logical next step in the evolution of the series. Having said that, those who are looking for traditional run and gun game play, in the vein of earlier Contras, would best look elsewhere.

Graphics 8:
    The graphics of the game are great for the 16-Bit era. The characters are nicely detailed and the animations are fluid. Sh*t blows up real good and explosions bring the screen to life (especially in a couple of cut scenes early on). The backgrounds are also nicely drawn. Bear in mind that since this is one of the earlier released games for the SNES, the graphics may have been topped by later games, but at the time that it was released, it was definitely the best looking game on the market.
  Having said that I do have a gripe with some of the design choices like the color of the laser and the animation of the spread gun. The laser's colour is an ugly mix of white and blue for some reason. Which is really strange because even the generic red coloured laser would have been better IMHO. The spread gun "bullets" also seemed ridiculously over sized to me, but I guess the designers were going for "bigger is better" philosophy. In any case these are only minor gripes and both these things do fit into the overall universe of the game, so no harm done.

Sound 9:
    The sound is great as always with these Contra games. The standard gunfire and explosion effects are there as you would expect but there are also other nice little touches here and there like the faint poof sound every time an alien blows up. The weapon sound effects are overall pretty decent, the machine gun and the spread gun sounds being the best in my opinion.
   The music while not as catchy as the one in the first Contra, is still pretty great. Some of it seems to be heavily inspired by 80's Arnold Schwarzenneger action movies like Commando and Predator, which does makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it. All in all it is a good  package.

Addictiveness 10:
    On your first try the game appears to be almost impossible because there is always so much going on on the screen. Odds are on your first 20-30 attempts you'll just be seeing the dying animation over and over again because of the one hit die mechanic. It is definitely very frustrating at first. So how can I give it a perfect addictiveness score? It's simple. Even though you will die A LOT, you never feel that you are completely out of the game EVER. The game always gives you the feeling that you are very close to solving the problem and getting through. And here is where the pure genius of the game shines through. The game is essentially a succession of puzzles because of the nature of its boss fights. Since every boss has a readily visible "weak point", you just have to figure out how to avoid its attacks for long enough so that you can hit its weak point enough times. The first few tries you are pretty much clueless. But slowly you start to crack the puzzle. Until, when you have given it enough tries, you finally figure it out! No other game IMHO gives a comparable feeling of satisfaction on beating it than one that challenges you fairly, as is the case here. And its a beautiful feeling! To finally overcome the challenges the game throws at you. The temptation to just open up youtube and see how other people beat the game is always there, but I would sincerely advise you against it. The game is most fun when you beat it yourself. Of course if you are absolutely stuck at some point for a long time and there seems to be no way out, a little peek won't hurt. But even then I would suggest using the emulator's save feature and having a few cracks at the unsolvable section in rapid succession before giving up. The meat and bones of the game is the challenge it offers and taking that challenge head on is the best way to enjoy the game.

Story 5:
   The story, as expected from the genre, is really flimsy and threadbare. Something along the lines of Red Falcon launching another attack to take over the earth is shown in a very brief cutscene in the beginning. The characters have different names across different versions, in fact  the entire player model is changed in the European PAL version, as was the case with previous Contras. All of this is fine because this isn't really an RPG to indulge you with an extensive background story anyway.
  That's not to say, though, that the "story", or whatever little there is of it, doesn't add to the entertainment value. In line with the tradition of poorly translated Japanese games , there are a few lines here and there which will leave you chuckling. Of special note in this regard is Sully's line in the opening cutscene where he declares "Let's attack aggressively!!" (I agree it's always a bad idea to attack passively). That line is just pure comedy gold and has people laughing even to this day.

Depth 10:
    On the face of it the game is only six stages long and sounds like a really short ride. In fact it is anything but! The game is really challenging as detailed earlier and if you play it fairly (without save states and help from walkthroughs- the way it was meant to be played) it will take you a considerable amount of time to get through it on Easy or Normal mode. But, as the ending message tells you, that is only the beginning. The real game awaits you in Hard mode with quite a few surprises as well and that is the mode which you should look to beat if you want to truly "finish" the game. This is also where I feel the game has been unfairly judged over the ages. In every review online you will see people complaining  about the short length of the game. The fact is, the game's easier difficulty levels were designed as a sort of introduction the world of the game, in order to make the players familiar with it for the Hard mode. Something which wasn't available in other entries of the series. The hard difficulty setting of the game in my opinion has enough differences from the easier settings to merit a playthrough.
   Another thing people complain about are the two top down stages. Some people complain they are too easy,  others call the changed controls difficult to adjust to and call them too difficult. Some go so far as to ignore those stages completely when talking about  the length of the game.  All of this is really surprising to me, because personally I found them to be refreshing changes of pace and think they add a lot to the overall value of the game.

Difficulty 3:
     The game is pretty challenging as detailed earlier. But since this review sub section is concerned with whether its controls are hard to learn and irritating, I would have to go with a really low score. I think the game is very easy to get into and the controls are very responsive. The action is pretty fast paced but the controls never frustrate you, which is a point in its favour.

Special Mention: The game's box art is truly gorgeous and is some of the best box art I have ever seen on the SNES. I loved how they worked different enemies from almost every stage of the game into one nice action filled picture. If you haven't seen it before, be sure to check it out, using this site's magnificent 3d boxart feature!

All in all this is a pretty solid action game. A must play for fans of the series and of the genre. Even to casual gamers the game offers a lot and is certainly worth checking out!
 
  Graphics 8   Sound 9   Addictive 10   Depth 10   Story 5   Difficulty 3

Contra III - The Alien Wars Game Description

It's time for revenge...The hideous Red Falcon, thought to have been destroyed long ago by the Earth's greatest commandos, Mad Dog and Scorpian, has risen again, this time pissed off and thirsty for revenge. His armies are marching through the cities, across the lands, and with the intention of exterminating the human race like a bad case of fleas. Two new commandos, Jimbo and Sully, have come forth now to kick Red Falcon's ass and save what remains of the world from his hideous plans!The Alien Wars begin!!!

Contra III - The Alien Wars Reviews

Overall 8.9    Graphics 8.3    Sound 8.9    Addictive 8.9    Story 6.2    Depth 7.7    Difficulty 8.4


7.5
Contra 3: The Alien Wars - is it alien wars if they are the only aliens?   geeogree
Contra 3: The Alien Wars is a continuation of the NES series of Contra games and was released in 199...
  Graphics 8   Sound 8   Addictive 9   Story 4   Depth 6   Difficulty 10

      Review Rating: 5/5     Submitted: 04-22-16     Review Replies: 10

8.5
Challenging, Laughably OTT and Simply Awesome!!!   drlimple
After countless hours spent trying to beat this game I've finally decided to write up a detailed rev...
  Graphics 8   Sound 9   Addictive 10   Story 5   Depth 10   Difficulty 3

      Review Rating: 4.8/5     Submitted: 02-15-13     Updated: 11-17-15     Review Replies: 0

9
The hardest non-Hacked console game EVER!!!   kirbyluver4life
Contra III-The Alien Wars Hello everyone and welcome to my first ever review, Today I'll be reviewi...
  Graphics 7   Sound 9   Addictive 8   Story 7   Depth 6   Difficulty 10

      Review Rating: 3.9/5     Submitted: 12-09-11     Updated: 01-07-12     Review Replies: 13

9
Contra III Alien Wars review   mario166
Hello, and welcome to my third and probably last review! Contra III Alien Wars was not my favourite ...
  Graphics 8   Sound 7   Addictive 8   Story 7   Depth 9   Difficulty 8

      Review Rating: 3.4/5     Submitted: 03-17-12     Review Replies: 2

9
Contra 3   Mobouis1
Contra III is the first contra game for the snes. The creators decided to make this game harder and ...
  Graphics 10   Sound 10   Addictive 10   Story 7   Depth 10   Difficulty 10

      Review Rating: 3.4/5     Submitted: 09-15-12     Updated: 10-02-12     Review Replies: 3

3
Run and gun and die a cheap death!   Rayman85
Please send this post to the Trash Can....
      Review Rating: 3/5     Submitted: 08-20-19     Updated: 11-16-19     Review Replies: 0

Contra III - The Alien Wars Highscores

LeeEel
1. 9,999,999
TimeTrial: 00:00:00
02-24-17 04:00 AM
Contra III - The Alien Wars - Contra 3 Beaten - User Screenshot
Contra 3 Beaten
rcarter2
2. 9,177,769
TimeTrial: 05:46:46
02-01-12 04:50 AM
Contra III - The Alien Wars -  - User Screenshot
jerryaberry
3. 1,655,488
TimeTrial: 00:00:00
10-26-13 09:51 PM
Contra III - The Alien Wars -  - User Screenshot
iamman
4. 475,465
TimeTrial: 00:27:54
02-24-12 09:43 AM
Contra III - The Alien Wars -  - User Screenshot
drlimple
5. 236,466
TimeTrial: 00:14:44
02-09-13 04:12 AM
Contra III - The Alien Wars - Only got afa lvl 3 - User Screenshot
Only got afa lvl 3
>>
Click Here
to View All
Highscores
>>

Contra III - The Alien Wars Cheat Codes

Code notes:
The following codes are valid for the Japanese version of the game and must be done in a sliding motion. No codes exist for the North American version.

Level select:
Press Left, Down, Down/Left, Left, Start at the player selection screen. A hum will confirm correct code entry.

In the Japanese version, quickly press Down, Left, Down, Left, Start at the title screen to unlock the level select in single player mode. Quickly press Down, Down/Left, Left, Start at the title screen to unlock the level select in two player mode.

Thirty lives:
Press Up(2), Down(2), Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start before the music starts at the beginning of the game

In the Japanese version, move the pointer above "Options" at the main menu. Then, press Down, Right, Down, Right, Start at the title screen. The sound of life being lost will confirm correct code entry. Enter the options menu and "Player Lives 30" will appear.

All weapons:
Press Right, Down, Down/Right, Right, Start at the player selection screen. A death scream will confirm correct code entry.

Screen spin:
Briefly press L or R once, then hold the button in levels two or four. The screen will spin rapidly.

In-game reset:
Hold L + R + Start and press Select during game play to return to the title screen.

Sound test:
Rapidly tap X while quickly pressing Down, Right on the title screen.

In the Japanese version, quickly press Down, Right, Down, Right, X at the title screen.

Double weapon:
Note: This trick requires a controller with a auto-fire feature. Begin game play and assign X to have auto-fire. The weapon selection display on the top of the screen will rapidly change. Once two weapons are collected, both of them may be used simultaneously. Note: The flame-thrower is not effected by this trick.

Alternate ending sequence:
Successfully complete the game under the hard difficulty setting.

Hint: Extra lives:
There are two locations on level 1 where your character can remain motionless to collect extra points and lives. After starting level one, your character will find a futuristic car. Do not destroy it. Jump over it and use it as a shield against the attacks that originate from the left side of the screen. Keep firing towards the right side of the screen, instantly killing all opponents that appear from that direction to collect easy points and the occasional extra life.

Later in level one, your character will collect homing missiles. Take the missiles to the next higher platform, and out of the way of the ground activity. Use the missiles to destroy all enemies that come into range to accumulate more points and lives. Note: When playing under the highest difficulty setting, a maximum of twenty-nine lives may be accumulated.

Hint: Easy weapon change:
Press Start pause game play and press X to change weapons. You will notice that your weapons can change even while the game is paused.

Hint: Continue game play:
Play the game in two player mode. After losing all lives and having the other player still alive, press A or B (depending on which mode) to return to life.

Hint: Mini gun:
Select the Normal or Hard difficulty setting. Reach level 6 and the final Boss. Notice the different shapes moving around it. Shoot the one that resembles a spike and various guns and bombs will drop. Get under the Boss and wait until the gun marked with an "M" appears. Collect it to get the mini gun.

Contra III - The Alien Wars Threads

Threads
Creator
Date

Contra III - The Alien Wars Guides and Walkthroughs

There are no submitted Guides for this Game

Users who own Contra III - The Alien Wars

Game Owner Name
Completeness
Condition
B
T
S
Play Online
Loose
Good
Loose
Good
Loose
Very Good
Complete
Very Good
Complete
Very Good

Comments for Contra III - The Alien Wars

Sebrex 10-01-14 - 06:19 PM
 Super hard :o
jerryaberry 11-04-13 - 06:50 PM
 My video didn't upload correctly. Thank goodness someone took it down. I'll post it again soon.
jerryaberry 10-31-13 - 02:41 PM
 I'd try a different browser.
sloanstar1000 10-27-13 - 12:39 AM
 It keeps crashing when I try to compete for the high score :(
floobadoo 03-26-13 - 07:39 PM
 At least this isnt as hard as contra hard corps on the sega genesis! I still really like that one too!
jerryaberry 02-28-13 - 11:10 AM
 I answered drlimple on his profile when the chat area was down but I'll reply again here for everyone else. If you beat a game on easy it loops back to the beginning (on medium and then hard) without resetting the points back to zero.
drlimple 02-11-13 - 06:24 AM
 Impressive score jerryaberry!! how in the world did you get so many points? Not to mention manage a "run" clocking at more than hour. I thought the game takes fifteen minutes tops to complete, if you know the stage design beforehand.
jerryaberry 02-09-13 - 11:29 AM
 Last few runs my screenshots didn't take. Glad I finally updated my score.
drlimple 02-08-13 - 08:56 AM
 Very difficult game at first. But its all about pattern memorization. Once you get to know the patterns, through trial and error, then it becomes a walk in the park.
Jordanv78 12-22-12 - 11:34 AM
 This game isn't really that hard. No harder than the first two installments anyways. Besides at least this one has a difficulty setting for newbs
Deleted Account.. 09-19-12 - 10:02 PM
 This game is wonderful, just extremely difficult. :(
thugz629 07-29-12 - 01:36 PM
 .. its so damn hard.. whew, how can you make up to the controls...?
immortaldrako 07-07-12 - 07:49 PM
 so freaking hard not to mention when your using a keyboard to play might be easier on sness had trouble turning in time to kil someone on stage two
shaman hedgehog 06-25-12 - 08:25 PM
 (crap, i hit Enter again. i'm the biggest clutz on Earth...)
shaman hedgehog 06-25-12 - 08:24 PM
 Heart...JUST KILLLLLLL
shaman hedgehog 06-25-12 - 08:24 PM
 if you've watched SirRonLion
chaoszach 06-23-12 - 10:43 PM
 heres a tip:If you go to option on the title screen you can choose to have seven lives (for people who didnt know)
shaman hedgehog 06-22-12 - 11:53 PM
 (oops, tapped enter) SNES controller for PC, i could play those friggin' top-down levels! >.
shaman hedgehog 06-22-12 - 11:52 PM
 jesus, that's one HARD game! If only i had a
dumlink23 06-20-12 - 12:58 PM
 heres a boss fight...flying in outer space riding dolphin horses while fighting giant butt monkey sharks with robot guns and being sucking into a wormhole while fighting 80 spaceships! how about that?
chaoszach 06-15-12 - 09:17 PM
 Yay! Contra!
agustin 06-10-12 - 03:03 AM
 get the Homing (H) upgrade and keep firing up, problem solved, no more dogs
MetalGearPro 06-09-12 - 11:49 AM
 i keep getting killed by the dog in the first stage
SavatoX 06-03-12 - 01:16 PM
 Geez, where does Konami come up with all of this stuff!? Flying on missiles, while dodging bombs and shooting a warship's engines!? I dare you to tell me that this is not an awesome setup for a boss fight!
SavatoX 06-03-12 - 11:33 AM
 No Konami Code!?!? Oh, well. I guess I can do what I did for Contra and Super C and save and load a bunch.

Adblocker detected!

Vizzed.com is very expensive to keep alive! The Ads pay for the servers.

Vizzed has 3 TB worth of games and 1 TB worth of music.  This site is free to use but the ads barely pay for the monthly server fees.  If too many more people use ad block, the site cannot survive.

We prioritize the community over the site profits.  This is why we avoid using annoying (but high paying) ads like most other sites which include popups, obnoxious sounds and animations, malware, and other forms of intrusiveness.  We'll do our part to never resort to these types of ads, please do your part by helping support this site by adding Vizzed.com to your ad blocking whitelist.

×