Contra Legacy of War Smoothly Blasts Away Nasty Alien Mutants

A decade after Contra debuted in arcades, the classic shoot-first-ask-questions-later adventure game has hit 32-bit platforms. In a sizzling rendition on Sony PlayStation, Konami’s Contra Legacy of War tracks soldiers of the Hard Corps special forces as they blast their way through armies of alien mutants.

That’s right: Not just aliens, not just mutants, but alien mutants.

That must be what makes them so mean. Even on the sissy levels, the nasties are as pesky as flies--and they pack some pretty mean heat. It helps that the rules are so simple: If it moves, shoot it; if it still moves, shoot it some more.

Control is smooth and responsive. Players of Konami’s Project Overkill will immediately notice that although the two games are almost identical in concept, they are miles apart in execution. It’s the difference between a masterpiece and a piece of junk.

Contra’s backgrounds roll seamlessly across the screen and richly detailed battlefields teem with enemies that lock on fast. Each of the four heroes comes equipped with a range of weapons. I preferred playing as Ray, a sushi-eating master of hand-to-hand combat who likes show tunes and long walks on the beach. Contra lives up to its boast of maximum firepower and maximum fun.

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A Tale of Two Shooters: Sometimes the difference between dreck and joy is in the details. Two first-person corridor shooters on Sony PlayStation make the case. Final Doom and Epidemic are identical games, but one stinks and the other rocks.

Final Doom offers level after bloody level of complicated mazes, intelligent enemies and plenty of big guns. Epidemic barely musters enough energy to slop up some lame mazes, annoying bad guys and a story line that is as derivative as it gets.

Epidemic mimics the early PlayStation title Kileak: The DNA Imperative in style and look. The mazes look identical. The same sort of mechanized suit serves as a not-so-subtle cover for a game engine that is slow and clunky. If as much effort went into the game as obviously went into the opening cinematics, which are beautiful, Epidemic might be more than just another half-baked, overweight challenger to Doom’s throne.

Avoid Epidemic like the plague.

Although not quite as quick and clean as on the PC, the game-machine version of Final Doom still tops most of its competition. The Doom engine remains a delight as it blazes through complicated levels with a fast, natural feel. This is the kind of play gamers should expect from their machines.

Staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Thursday. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send letters to The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Or send e-mail to:

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