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 Contra is a very important game for the NES
and is one of the most popular games on the system. Let me say right away that I’m not a
huge fan of this game and my grade is partly based out of respect rather
than a love for it. You see, I am
not a fan of the shoot ‘em up genre and Contra is the definitive game of
this genre. A shoot ‘em up is a
game where you run around with a gun and destroy everyone on the screen
for a bunch of levels. For some
reason I’ve never really been into this type of game. Anyway, on to the review…
The main reason that Contra is so
revered for the NES is that it really brought to life two-player
simultaneous action for the system.
There had been a couple of games released prior to Contra (Ikari
Warriors comes to mind) but these games just weren’t that good and have clearly
not stood the test of time.
Contra, on the other hand, really took off and became THE game to
play at your friend’s house. This
was unfortunate for me as I would die rather quickly and be forced to
steal lives from my friends until they would tell me to quit. Contra is based off of an arcade game
that was pretty popular but nowhere near as popular as it would become
once it hit the home market.
In the game you control one of
two rifle-toting commandos who must run through the jungles of South America apparently gunning down tons of bad
guys who have ultimately been recruited by a band of aliens to take over
the world. If you get hit a single
time, you die. You get four lives
with three additional continues.
You will make your way through eight stages. Six of the stages are of the typical
side-scrolling variety where you start at one end of the level and slowly
make your way to the other end with no ability to revisit screens that
you have passed. Two stages are a
bit more unique. They take place
in underground bases where you must destroy a target in each room. Once you have, the room explodes and
you head to the next room. At the
end of all eight stages is, of course, a boss. The boss is always large and contains
multiple targets that must be destroyed before you can go for the k ill.
The game doesn’t sound very
unique but it was decently novel for 1988. The game is quite difficult but Konami
included a now famous code to make the game significantly easier. In what is often called the Contra code
(even though it was first used for Gradius on the NES) you can press a
series of directions at the start menu to start with 30 lives in reserve
instead of three. With the code
the game is very beatable and was an ingenious move on Konami’s part
because it allowed any two chuckleheads the opportunity to beat a game
together in one sitting, which is one of the ultimate highs in life (at
least for a hard-core gamer). I
have no doubt that the code alone made this game a lot more popular than
it would have been otherwise, even though it is a very good game without
it.
Life on the NES would never be
the same after Contra. Two-Player
simultaneous action games became a dime-a-dozen and would grow to include
two more Contra titles (Super C and Contra Force) in its fold. Interestingly, Contra never really
dominated the Nintendo Power Top 30 peaking at #4 and falling out of the
charts after only 12 issues. My
controversial theory to this is that Contra was much more popular among
cool kids than the kind of gamer who would actually spend the time to
vote in the poll.
Positives:
Obviously the two-player mode is
a major positive. The characters
in the game are rendered nice and large with huge end bosses. You can smoothly shoot your rifle in
eight different directions and can easily see all of the different
enemies on the screen. You can
also gain lots  of cool power-ups for your rifle along the
way. Power-Ups come in the form of
a red eagle icon that has a letter inside it. Walk over the power-up and it’s
yours. Among them are: a machine
gun, a laser shooting gun or by far the most popular the spread. With the spread you can shoot in
multiple directions at the same time, which is very important in this
game. It is wise to avoid other
items once you pick up the spread gun.
You can pick up “R”, though, which is rapid fire and enhances
whatever weapon you have. “B” is
also always safe to pick up as it gives you invincibility for a little
while. I really appreciate how
this game avoids the flicker problem since there are so many enemies and
would be a lot more difficult if there was a constant flicker. There is also a 2nd, harder
quest, if you can beat the game.
You start off with however many lives you ended the game with and
must make your way through the game again but this time there are more
enemies on every screen.
Glaring
Negatives:
The main negative for me is that
this game is a shoot ‘em up. I
just find this genre a bit boring.
Of course, most people like this genre so that really isn’t a
negative. There isn’t really much
negative to say about this game.
It is a tough one but the Konami Code gives you tons of lives to
practice playing the game so that eventually you will be able to beat it
like a man. One negative is that
it can be hard to avoid picking up power-ups after you have one you like.
Graphics
and Sound: Solid
The graphics in this game due the
game justice. There are no amazing
cut-scenes or really sweet looking areas but the whole game looks
nice. You can always tell what’s
going on as you run through each level and can see all of the bullets
heading straight for you. The
music is very catchy and is much loved by NES fans.
Gameplay
and Controls: Very Crisp
What separates Contra from the
typical shoot ‘em up is the crisp controls. You can shoot in eight different
directions and can even shoot while ducking, running and jumping. There are also lots of enemies on the
screen yet little slow-down is evident.
When you play the two-player mode it can be frustrating when your
partner is slowing you down and you have to wait for him while bullets
are flying all around you.
Features:
The Most Famous Code ever
Contra’s main feature, of course,
is the ability to have to players playing at the same time. You also receive three continues and
can type in Konami’s famous code to start each game out with 30
lives.
Fun?:
Yes
It’s hard to find a classic on
the NES that isn’t fun. I am not a
fan of shoot ‘em ups at all but I still can enjoy this game. This is mainly due to the crisp controls
and the ability to play  it two-players simultaneously.
Challenge:
Yes
There is a reason why this game
received Konami’s classic 30 extra lives code. You will need it at first. With some practice, this game’s
difficulty eases off a bit but it is still a hard title to beat without
the code. Of course, with the code
the game is very easy because you get 3 continues with 30 new lives each
time.
Replay:
For Some
Contra is a cult-classic. Some people just can’t get enough of
this game and will play it to the point where they never take any
damage. Most people will put this
one on the shelf once they have beaten it and bust it out every once in
awhile when a friend comes over to relive it in all its two-player glory.
2
Player: Yes
Contra is the game that really
brought two-player action games to life on the NES. After Contra you suddenly saw lots of
Contra rip-off games, which vary wildly in their appeal.
Online
Manual?: Yes at Nintendo Age
http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Element.View&egID=533&lgID=229
Bottom
Line: This is a must-own
Contra is one of the most popular
titles for the NES and the definitive two-player simultaneous game. If you like shoot ‘em ups then this
game is a no-brainer. Otherwise,
it is still worth owning but not a top 20 type of game.
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