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Game Shrine: Contra
By Kevin - 03.15.01
The entire Contra series is a masterpiece: for the sake of simplicity, this shrine will focus on the original Contra game for the NES
Info:
Developed by Konami
1987
Action
8 Stages
No Password/Save Feature
Also available for: MSX, Arcade
The idea is completely simple, the premise kind of obscure and the gameplay super frustrating, but Contra is an EXCELLENT game. The basic idea is that you and up to one other person (why the army doesn’t use MORE firepower is beyond me) are out to destroy the mysterious alien power known as Red Falcon. Problem is, the enemy outnumbers you 1000000 to 1, your thumbs begin to hurt a lot, and you only have four lives. Yes, that’s 4, as in, you get hit 4 times, you lose, sorry. That is why the infamous 30 life code is a MUST if you actually want to beat the game (that or Game Genie). I will now rate Contra on several levels so that we can see why its worth spending time on.
Graphics- Remember, this is Nintendo that we are talking about. The graphics are clearly not as good as the arcade version (but at that time, no home system had arcade capabilities), yet still manage to use the NES’ capabilities well. The colors are rich, the backgrounds fairly detailed, and the weapons decent. 4/5
Controls- This game is quite manic, and because of that, pin-point precision is needed. Contra’s controls are near perfect: after a few minutes of playing, one can effectively judge jumps, range and aiming. The only problem is the insane amount of times that you press “B” throughout the game (the fire button)- you are guaranteed to have a welt. 5/5
Gameplay- This is such a fun game, ask anyone who has played. There is some slowdown when several sprites are on the screen, but this is minimal and the speed is usually more than adequate. 4.5/5
Music- Ahhh the music…well, it’s a tad better than most NES games, and has some truly memorable tunes, but it’s not great. Download the NSF file to hear it all (or play the game). 3/5
Timelessness- Well, this game and genre are here to stay- and thank God! After a hard day at the office or school, what thing is there that is more fun than round up a friend, break open the Cheetos and BLAST THOSE FUCKING ALIENS! Come on folks, I will be playing this game in my retirement home. The Contra Legacy shall continue!
Download Game Here: You must have an NES emulator to play
Download NSF File Here: You must have an NSF plugin for WinAmp or an NSF player to listen (nsf file)
Download The Game Manual Here
Game Genie Codes: They are out there, find’em yourself!
In Game Cheat Codes: THE KONAMI CODE- As the splash screen is rolling, press up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right,B,A,[Select,]Start (select for 2 player mode).
 
Box Art:
For some STUPID reason, the dumb Europeans changed the main characters to Robots (pansies) and changed the title to Probtector. Fools…
Links:
Contra at Classic Gaming.com
Game FAQs.com
~~~Kevin
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