In this corner, we have Contra III: The Alien Wars, the beloved Super NES action game that many consider to be the best Contra game ever made. In the other corner we have Gunstar Heroes, the wildly inventive Genesis shoot ‘em up that made Treasure a household name. These are two of the greatest run ‘n gun shooters of the 16-bit era, and an important part of the Genesis vs. Super NES console war. But what did the critics say thirty years ago? Was it this back-and-forth or was there a clear winner in this 16-bit showdown? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Mean Machines, GamePro, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed both of these run ‘n gun shooters. Today we're going to see where the critics landed and maybe even settle the Contra vs. Gunstar Heroes debate once and for all in this brand-new episode of Magazine Match-Up!


Let's go ahead and kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which is the one and only tie we're going to talk about today. EGM loved both shooters, giving Contra III and Gunstar Heroes average scores of 9 out of 10. Just straight-nines across the board. The editors loved the pure adrenaline-pumping action of Contra and the innovations of Gunstar Heroes, with the latter winning Best Action Game in 1993. Four years later, the magazine would break the tie with their list of the 100 Best Games of All Time, where Gunstar Heroes ranked at number 27 and Contra III found its way into the top ten at number 8. However, that was years later and with a different editorial staff, so we're just going to mark this one down as a tie and move on.

Much like EGM, GamePro also liked both games, though had a preference (at least when it came to the scores). I add that caveat because GamePro has this issue where their written reviews don't always line-up with the score they give the game. For example, they summed up Contra III like this: “With its dark, detailed backgrounds, sky-illuminating explosions and humongous boss monsters, Contra III shows exactly what your SNES can do with the graphics and animation when some talented programmers get a crack at it. When you get through this cart, you'll feel like you've been through a major miliary skirmish.” They gave Contra a 4 out of 5. Compare that to their review of Gunstar Heroes, where they gave it a 5 out of 5: “The cart doesn't blast open new territory, but it soups up a standard shoot-out game with murderous action, excellent controls and imaginative game design.” Again, that's a glowing review, but based on the two write-ups, I would have guessed GamePro preferred Contra. And I would have been wrong. Gunstar takes it.

Now, let's take a trip across the pond to see if maybe the British magazines had a different take on this Contra vs. Gunstar Heroes match-up. When Mean Machines reviewed The Alien Wars in issue 19, they gave it a 95% and noted that it “grabs you immediately with its ultra-violent gameplay. Literally thousands of enemy sprites bite the dust before the game is complete, and that's just in EASY mode!” They praised the graphics, music and sound effects (even though they thought they were too loud), and called it “a product that simply MUST be purchased.” Of course, Mean Machines also loved Gunstar Heroes, but with a score of 93%, it comes up just short. They recommended you “camp outside your local software palace until [Gunstar Heroes] is released and buy it immediately.” But, y'know, AFTER you buy Contra III. The Super NES game gets another point.

Speaking of close match-ups, you don't get much closer than Computer & Video Games. When they reviewed Contra III, they gave it a 91% and called it “unbelievable!” “Just when you think you've seen all the Super Nintendo can do, along come Konami with another gobtastically brilliant game which blows everything else away.” Blows everything away, you say? Apparently not Gunstar Heroes, which edges out Contra by just one point. Giving Gunstar Heroes a 92%, CVG's Paul Anglin proclaimed that it's a game that has everything. “Platforming action, fighting, shoot ‘em up stages and more special effects than a Spielberg movie. There's no way on Earth you could become bored of Gunstar.” It might be our closest result yet, but the Genesis game once again takes the win.

Before we leave the UK, I first want to look at one more magazine. Actually, two more – N-Force and Sega Force Mega. Both of these magazines were not only published by Impact, but they also were short-lived, with Sega Force Mega lasting only seven issues and N-Force sticking it out for 15 months before being relaunched as SNES Force. N-Force absolutely loved Contra, giving it a 92% and repeating a lot of what the rest of the critics have said up until now. But when it comes to the score, it's clear that Sega Force Mega preferred Gunstar Heroes. And yes, even they seem a little surprised: “Yes, you have read that right. It's definitely 94% for this outstanding game. If you thought the platform arena had become a little jaded and repetitive of late, this is the game that is going to give the genre a much-needed kick up the backside.” And with that, Gunstar Heroes picks up another point.

Unfortunately, there weren't any other English-language magazines that reviewed both Contra III and Gunstar Heroes, so instead we're going to kick this episode into high-gear and do a quick run through of German magazines from the 1990s. Let's start with the generically-named Video Games, who gave Gunstar Heroes an 85%, praising the innovation and two-player action. That's a good score, but they liked Contra III even more, giving it a 90%, saying that it set the benchmark for all action games. Contra is coming back with another point on the board.

Another German magazine that preferred Contra over Gunstar Heroes is Power Play, who argued that The Alien Wars was important because it proved nay-sayers wrong about the limitations of the Super NES hardware. They gave the Contra game a 90%, while Gunstar on the Genesis could only muster an 83%. And with that, we're tied.

Here to break the tie is Playtime, who gave Gunstar Heroes an 85% and said that it would be the game that put Treasure on the map. Unfortunately, they gave Contra a 79%, complaining that it was mindless action without much thought. And with that, Gunstar takes a one-point lead.

If you were hoping that the long-running Japanese magazine Famitsu would even this up, then prepared to be a little disappointed. But the good news is that it was close. I'm talking a razor-thin margin of victory, with a quarter of a point separating the two games. Famitsu ended up giving Contra III an average score of 7 out of 10, while Gunstar Heroes takes the victory with a 7.25 out of 10. Unfortunately, I was not able to translate the Japanese reviews, so that's all we have to go on. But maybe the scores speak louder than words, because these are two great games that should have similar scores. After all, most Contra fans agree that The Alien Wars was the peak of the franchise and Gunstar Heroes is often regarded as the single best action game on the Genesis, so I would argue that run ‘n gun shooter fans should love these games equally. But since there has to be a winner, we're giving it to Gunstar Heroes on the Genesis with a score of 6 – 4. Well deserved.