Reviews from

in the past


Those freedom fighters deserved that arms money!

The amount of differences between this version of the game and the later NES upgrade is just too large to get deep into. This game isn't bad, but the way shooting upwards works here is too different from the NES - there it was instantaneous, but here, your shot doesn't go in a diagonal immediately, it kinda has a... leadup? It's hard to explain. The jumping is also weird, and the hitbox while jumping is wacky. Stuff that you think will hit you doesn't, and viceversa. It was challenging, but beatable on one credit.

Also did anyone else notice that the PC version is missing the voices from the attract screen? The subtitles are still there.

13th game cleared in 2024 (Contra: Anniversary Collection.) Time to clear: About 2 hours. A single achievement for clearing it. Oliver North sightings: None.

Contra redefined the run and gunner by turning the action up to Michael Bay levels and just keep it there. While it's difficult, it rarely feels unfair, and being able to walk that knife's edge made you want to go back and try again every time you did die. The third person segments are a little weaker than the main stages, but no less demanding.