Platforms: Arcade, Amstrad, CPC Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, NES, PC, MS-DOS, MSX2, Pocket PC, Xbox 360
Developer: Konami
Genre: Sidescrolling Shooter/ Third Person Shooter
Release: 1987
Contra NES Boxart
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start.
Contra is the game that brought the above cheat code to fame. It unlocks 3 extra lives, and there is absolutely no way to win without it. I died well over 50 times, but I used a Game Genie for Unlimited lives.. To the Review:
This game is amazing. Definitvely one of the best looking and playing games for the NES. It looks like some SNES or Genesis Games, except for the people, though. The levels were, well, extremely challenging, but very fun to play, and designed very well. The enemies were advanced, and look decent. There are amazing backdrops; a clear competition to most SNES Games. All the weapons, and their projectiles, are extremely detailed for a 1980’s game. Most enemies are a 1-Hit kill, except for Sentries, Bosses, Turrets, Walls, and Power-Nodes. Most of the bosses are diffucult, ranging from Eyes, to 2 heads that spit into 4 heads, and even an Alien from the movie Alien. The gameplay is a simple run-and-gun sidescoller/ Third Person, but Contra is basically the game that defined the Genre.
The first game to include Third Person?
The third person, though, still needed some development, was very playable. The rolling “Tootsie Rolls”, as shown in the picture above, could only be jumped over randomly, due to the fact that Depth Perception was about as good as a Hedgehogs; (they have a poor depth perception; run into walls, etc.). The only problem in this game is Controls. A game system, that has 2 buttons, a Direction Pad, Start/ Select, should mean good and easy controls, but shooting downwards makes your move and shoot down at an angle. If one presses down, then you lay down; which is useful, but I’d rather have it so it shoots down. But, that’s my opinion, and everyone has a different one. The sound, although not the best quality, Works well, and unlike other NES games, sound files don’t overlap the music and/or other sounds. The game never lagged for me, even when there was 7 moving sprites on screen with a few explosions.
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And the best part about this game, It’s a super rarity. Luckily, I have a copy, mint condition. Buy this, rage hard a few times, but love it.
Oh, and it’s 2 Player.