Contra is a run and gun, action video game shooter developed and published by Konami of Japan, originally released as an arcade game in 1987. The home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1988.
This was a real NES game favorite in the Philippines during the late 1980s and early 1990s played mostly through the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom).
The Story
The Earth faces total destruction at the hands of the evil alien warmonger, Red Falcon. Earth's only hope rests with you as one of the Special Forces elite commando squad.
The mission: Go into the Amazon jungle, where the Red Falcon and his alien brood have transformed ancient Mayan temples into structures weaponized for mass destruction. Cool and awesome weapons are at your disposal as you combat the aliens in their fortresses.
This is the best test for a commando warrior like you. And if you survive, the world survives!
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics are good and way above average for the NES. The sprites are small and they seem to be everything that can be fit onto the TV screen well, yet everything is kinda clear. The bosses are big and really alien-looking, which is kinda cool.
I dig the sound effects in the game. The noise of your weapons firing, the explosions, and the footsteps of your player character used in the 2nd and 4th levels are fantastic. The music is very memorable, and fits the the game well. It doe not sound irritating.
The Gameplay
The gameplay gets even better! You go through a total of 8 awesome levels. Each increasing the challenge quite well. You get cool powerups for your gun, like fire, laser beam, and spreadshot. The enemies are quick, and the action is furious! The levels are varied to stop the game from getting repetitive.
The challenge is above normal. Each player takes one hit to die, and they got only 3 lives. You only get 3 continues but you will find yourself wishing you had many lives quickly! The infamous Konami cheat code with 30 lives can remedy that quickly, so you have to Google it if necessary.
The replay value is damn high. This game is so fun to play again with a friend as the 2nd player. And it is still great fun to play again after you have beaten it.
My Verdict
Contra is a must have for your NES gaming collection. This is one of the great examples of Konami making the 8-bit NES version of their arcade hit a great player experience. Shooting those damn aliens never get to be tiring.
The NES console or desktop NES emulators are the best way to play this classic. Play Contra alone or with a friend. You will not regret playing this collectible piece of retro gaming history.