by Russell Cohrs

Created on: October 07, 2009

This is a classic arcade game that was ported to many systems of the day, and the first in a long series of games.

Story

In the year 1957, a strange object from space crashed into the Amazon Basin. While it was overlooked at the time, thirty years later a menacing alien force has started to terrorize the local residents near the original crash site. In order to keep the event quiet, the US government has assigned you Lance "Scorpion" and your comrade Bill "Mad Dog" to end the alien menace caused by the vile Red Falcon. If you fail, the world and the Universe will succumb to a fate worse than death.

Gameplay

Contra is a run and gun action arcade game. There are two different views in the game, the regular side scrolling view found in most stages, and an over the shoulder first person perspective found in two bases. Your main task is to fight your through a horde of enemies and destroy a boss at the end of each stage. You start with only a basic rifle, but you can find weapon upgrades like a machine gun, laser, spread, and others. You are only allowed to carry one gun at a time however.

The game features a simultaneous two player mode. Each level is also linear, and there's 8 levels total. Levels are divided into various zones, such as the Jungle, Energy Zone, Hangar, and others. Besides the non-stop enemies in your path, there are also other threats like tricky jumps, spike traps, energy beams, and others.

If you make through all 8 levels, you'll be confronted by the literal heart of the alien invasion. While you may think your mission is over, there is another more challenging mode after you finish the game. The player starts with three lives and three continues, and there are no saves or passwords.

Graphics

Contra features distinct backgrounds for each stage. These range from the Jungle to the Ice Fields to the evil lair of Red Falcon. The sprites for the game are also well-done. This had to be one of the first games besides Ghosts 'n' Goblins where the main character ran around without a shirt, in true commando style of course. There was a wide variety of enemies and traps, and the bosses were large and colorful. The first person perspective of the 2 base stages was definitely a milestone, as this kind of view was eventually remodeled to be used in hundreds of modern games.

Sound

As can be expected of a Konami game during this time, the sound had an excellent quality. The theme of stage one is instantly recognizable even to people who have never played the

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