by Russell Cohrs

Created on: October 08, 2009   Last Updated: October 09, 2009

This game is the sequel to Contra for the NES, and the second in a long series of games that is still being produced.

Story

Lance "Scorpion" and Bill "Mad Dog" have been leisurely spending their days on the beach with tropical hotties since defeating the vile Red Falcon in the original Contra. Unbeknownst to them, Red Falcon wasn't completely defeated, but has retreated to regroup his army. He has managed to recruit some of the fiercest alien menaces to ever destroy whole civilizations, such as Jagger Froid and the Babalu Destructoid Mechanism. To make matters worse, Red Falcon has also brainwashed the armies of Earth to fight for his cause. Can Lance and Bill recover from their vacation in time to battle the new threat?

Gameplay

This is an arcade action platformer, featuring the same run and gun style as the first. Two players can play simultaneously. The game mostly takes place in a combination of vertical and horizontal scrolling stages, as well a couple of stages that feature an overhead view. The main premise found in the first game is the same; run through the stage eliminating or avoiding a slew of lesser enemies, and fight against a giant boss at the end to advance.

Players can still choose from a variety of weapons along the way, as long as they find a power-up. The starting weapon is a pathetically weak rifle, although it can still be used effectively. Other power-ups include series regulars Machine Gun, Spread, Laser, and a revamped Fire weapon. Only one gun can be used at a time. Gaining a Rapid power-up will increase the speed and effectiveness of your weapon.

There are 8 stages of play in the game. Each stage has a unique setting, such as Military Bases, Jungles, Mountains, and the Alien Lair among others. As mentioned above, there are many different ways to advance through the stages, but the game is linear and focused on running and shooting. There are no saves or passwords and limited continues, so this one can be quite challenging. After you beat the game, you can play again in more challenging mode.

Graphics

The games graphics were quite nice for their time. The stages had unique backgrounds, and enemy sprites were rendered well. There was also a variety of enemies in the game, and some of the large bosses stood out, such as the tower of skulls on stage 7 and the scorpion boss of stage 8.

Sound

The game featured a nice and varied soundtrack, as was standard for Konami titles. Background music in the game provided an intense action soundtrack.

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