GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Konami
	PUBLISHER
	Konami
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	WORTH PLAYING TODAY?
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

Host to the most famous and recited code in video game history (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and start), Konami’s original Contra was a breakthrough action game that pioneered subsequent two dimensional shooters. Alas, this original entry is still, perhaps, the very best of the lot.

visuals

Contra hosts some of the best and easily most pleasant visuals available on Nintendo’s original entertainment system. While naturally one cannot expect much variety, as history and/or military buffs would know by simply reading into the game’s title, the character and boss models are absolutely fantastic. The various particle effects for respective weaponry felt absolutely “next-gen”, as the term applied to industry hardware in the late eighties and early nineties.

audio

Catchy and fast paced, the music rolls right along with the non-stop action and gunfire. Even your own demise has a certain beat to it, mixing right in with gunshots and 8-bit melodies. When a character engages in a boss battle, the music -- much like the player --will become more frantic and on edge.

gameplay

In a linear 2-D format, you have to jump, crawl, and shoot your way to success while avoiding enemy fire along the way. Certain obstacles and foes must be shot at in precise spots in order to be defeated.

Numerous upgrades to your firearms are available; laser, machine gun, wave beam, and the almighty spreader.

While it does play as simple as it sounds, Contra achieves what feels like a deeper experience through virtually flawless level design. Oh yeah, it’s addictive too.

multiplayer

Everything you were able to do alone can also be done with one partner, who is free to nab one of your lives if you have a spare to share when they have used their last one up. Working cooperatively makes the experience easier, though if one player ventures too far ahead it can be harmful to the other player. Contra wasn’t programmed like later games, in which the screen will merely stop scrolling until each player is within a certain distance of the other. You have to be working in constant tandem, by default, which indirectly increases teamwork and the whole essence of the multiplayer mode right from the get go.

overall

One of the most solid packages for which a modern gamer could ask from Nintendo’s legendary machine. Contra is an excellent multiplayer title, an excellent steam releaser, and an excellent game overall. Go get it!

8.8/10