Super Contra 3? The hell?

[Dire 51]

Stumbled across this recently - some kind of pirate version of Contra III for the Famicom. It's similar in feel to Super Contra 7 (http://contra.classicgaming.gamespy.com/games/pirate/pirate.htm), but... well, take a look at the following pics. Has anyone else ever seen this before?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-1.png

actual full intro text that scrolls up as follows:

A.D. 2636 - WELCOME - THE WORLD OF GAME - A GAME - END

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-2.png

"Let's attack aggressively."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-3.png

Title screen. Sure looks like Contra Spirits to me. Note the "copyright" date.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-4.png

Hmmm... I've seen that explosion graphic before.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-5.png

First guard tower.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-6.png

There's the first of the flame jets from the broken underground pipe.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-7.png

That little plane is this version's "really cool Mode 7 plane".

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-8.png

Right after the plane drops the bombs.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-9.png

Yep, you can still cling to things and climb.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/dire51/sc3-10.png

Slave Beast Taka. Pretty skinny in this version, isn't he?

My take on it: it's not bad, for a pirate (I like Super Contra 7 better, though). It feels and plays like Contra, even if it doesn't sound like it. The music's pretty bad. Recognizable, but still bad.

[zerohero]

Intresting, I remember comming accross a pirated FFII (jap6) a while back. Sometimes they don't do a bad job at these things. I'd still prefer the snes version any day over it.

[jajaja]

Nice find :)
There are a few SNES -> NES/Famicom ports that are homemade. Some are even better than the originals, like Aladdin and Lion King. The originals are pretty horrible imo, but the pirates are really good to be NES :)

Street Fighter 2 is also descent (atleast some versions) and I still want to own a Super Mario Word copy.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hmm, that looks pretty damn good for the FC! Any chance you know where to get ahold of a program code image? :D

[Dire 51]

Check your inbox. :D

[rbudrick]

WTF? Is this a hack of something else to look like a Contra game (is it supposed to be the SNES game, right?), or is it coded from the ground up?

I thought I'd seen all the HK originals, but this is very interesting. Dumped yet?

-Rob

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah, it's dumped :D

[nik]

That's pretty neat, interesting seeing someone try to copy somthing on inferior hardware!

[InsaneDavid]

Yeah, it's dumped :D

May I procure a copy from you? :)

[Dire 51]

WTF? Is this a hack of something else to look like a Contra game (is it supposed to be the SNES game, right?), or is it coded from the ground up?

It appears to be coded from the ground up. Give it a few minutes of play, and you'll be able to judge for yourself.

[jajaja]

Can someone send me the ROM too? :)

[Ed Oscuro]

Aha! (http://contra.classicgaming.gamespy.com/super_contra_3_unl_p1.zip)

I had a second thought about it, nobody's gonna get on my case for putting up an original ROM that just thoroughly rips off the Contra games. It's not like this is gonna hurt Konami sales ;)

Check it out, it's pretty cool.

[InsaneDavid]

Thread is getting a little burried so I'm bumping it along with thanks since the dump is now available. :D

[The Manimal]

WTF? Is this a hack of something else to look like a Contra game (is it supposed to be the SNES game, right?), or is it coded from the ground up?

I thought I'd seen all the HK originals, but this is very interesting. Dumped yet?

-Rob

It's a hack of Contra: The Alien Wars on SNES

[Ed Oscuro]

It's a hack of Contra: The Alien Wars on SNES
Hacks aren't classified on the source art, but on the program they're based off of, as any boob can rip sprites and art. It takes skill to actually replicate a SNES game on the NES this well. It's not clear what the program is based off - if anything - thanks to the accurate level design. Whatever it is certainly has a lot of flicker, though.

Besides, the source art is Contra Spirits, the Japanese version.

[jajaja]

Thanks for the ROM link Ed Oscuro :)
This game is worse than I thought lol. Probly more fun to play it with a controller than using a keyboard and emulator tho. Also sux that you cant contunie. Pretty hard to beat this game with only 9 lives.

[Ed Oscuro]

Welll, it's better than I had thought - though the excessively durable gun turrets and the flickering make it less enjoyable than it could be.

Still pretty impressive to see essentially the whole game (well, thus far - didn't get far enough to see what's in place of the top-down/rotating levels) on the NES.

[InsaneDavid]

Alright, time to resurrect this thread as I've finally done what I said I would and had a chance to play the game for awhile. It works fine on the Dreamcast under NESterDC v7.1 and runs nearly flicker free there. It's a pretty damn impressive game for being a pirate.

[Ed Oscuro]

On FCE Ultra there's tons of flicker, even when you aren't firing. That said the gameplay is excellent; I must've been doing something wrong earlier. The gun turrets are a cinch to take out, and the guys with grenades as well - just shoot up for them. It even lets you change direction while crouched without needing to get up, something sorely lacking in other Contra games.

What I like about it the least is the annoying sound - but the good gameplay will let you ignore this.

I like their replacement for the famous napalm bomber, by the way. LOL

Thumbs up!

[Kitsune Sniper]

On FCE Ultra there's tons of flicker, even when you aren't firing. That said the gameplay is excellent; I must've been doing something wrong earlier. The gun turrets are a cinch to take out, and the guys with grenades as well - just shoot up for them. It even lets you change direction while crouched without needing to get up, something sorely lacking in other Contra games.

What I like about it the least is the annoying sound - but the good gameplay will let you ignore this.

I like their replacement for the famous napalm bomber, by the way. LOL

Thumbs up!

Enable "Allow more than 8 sprites per scanline" on the video option menu. That reduces flicker a lot.

[Dire 51]

Enable "Allow more than 8 sprites per scanline" on the video option menu. That reduces flicker a lot.

I didn't know that. Thanks!

[Predatorxs]

It looks like a regressive snes Contra hack, this also got me thinking when the 1st of April rolls round, do we get people here posting faked screen shots, you know, liked unreleased old games etc? to see if people fall for it? :P