| C: The Contra Adventure | |
| Developer: | Appaloosa Interactive |
| Publisher: | Konami |
| Genre: | Third-person shooter |
| Modes: | Single player |
| Ratings: | ESRB Teen |
| Platforms: | PlayStation |
| Media: | CD-ROM |
| Input: | Game controller |
C: The Contra Adventure is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. It was released for the Sony PlayStation in 1998. The Contra Adventure is the second Contra game developed by Appaloosa Interactive for Konami of America, following in 1996. The game is the second title in the series that sported three-dimensional graphics and gameplay. The game was not released in Japan and thus, not mentioned in the Japanese continuity,[1] nor was it released in the PAL region like Legacy of War was.
A small meteorite falls near a Mayan temple somewhere in South America. Shortly afterwards, the temple becomes occupied by an alien life form staging an invasion, as the natives began disappearing and the local wildlife is being devastated. Tanya, a member of the elite Contra Force, is sent to infiltrate the occupied temple, but goes missing during the operation. Ray Poward (having previously retired from the Hard Corps after the events of ), is brought back into action to re-establish contact with the missing Tanya and neutralize the alien invaders.
There are a total of ten levels in the game, which are shown through multiple perspectives, depending on the level: 2-D sidescrolling (referred to as "Classic Contra" in the game manual), third person (free-roaming and linear), overhead (360 degree movement), and a special "Weightless Elevator" view, which alternates between multi-directional and 3D shooting on a single screen. One of the third person sequences, the "Hunting" level, plays almost exactly the same as the interior missions in the original Contra. All the innovations that were introduced in are maintained in this game: memory card saving, hit-points, three-dimensional fire fights. However, the gameplay varies depending on the level and perspective used. Three difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard) are available at the outset of the game, though the game ends after the Pyramid 1 stage if playing on Easy.
C: The Contra Adventure received several negative reviews during its release. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot gave the game an overall score of 3.6/10.0, stating that "It's hard to believe that Konami would release yet another sorry game with the Contra name on it".[2] Randy Nelson of IGN gave it a 1.0, saying "Definitely not the game Contra fans have been clamoring for".[3] Jeremy Parish and Sam Kennedy, in their Contra retrospective for 1up.com, wrote "[''C: The Contra Adventure''] managed to be even worse than Legacy of War, giving [it] the distinction of being the worst game in the series".[4]
GamePro's review of the game was more positive, stating "although flawed, C: The Contra Adventure caries on the franchise with style, picking up bonus points for the variety of its gameplay modes".[5]
This game is credited with "special thanks" to Stephen J. Friedman, who pioneered the production of independent films in Hollwood.[6]