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.
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.
To me, it's just an inferior version of the NES original. Less content, and a visual presentation, which although is graphically improved, has more awkward animations and a somewhat bigger character, which also means a bigger hitbox that makes dodging things harder. If I was in an arcade back in the 80's and this was there, I'd pop in a quarter, but in the modern age, I'd rather just go back to the console version.
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.
What a quarter-munching bastard this thing must have been in the arcades...
Always harsh but never truly unfair, Contra encourages and rewards mastery in ways so much more satisfying than Ninja Gaiden or even Castlevania. It's fast-paced bare-knuckle action that might demoralize, but rarely ever frustrates. Even if the mountain before you does get the better of your confidence or you simply don't want to volunteer the time investment Contra asks of you, you have the accessibility option that is the infamous Konami code.
On top of it all, Contra packs one of the best early multiplayer experiences in gaming, provided you both have the incredible powers necessary for keeping track of the chaos onscreen.
Truly, a stunning achievement of its day, and yet still only a taste of the greatness toward which Konami was rocketing with full speed.
Edit: A small update here, the Arcade version is definitely less fair than the NES version, which I think might mark the first time in history that the home version of something is better than in the arcade.
Always harsh but never truly unfair, Contra encourages and rewards mastery in ways so much more satisfying than Ninja Gaiden or even Castlevania. It's fast-paced bare-knuckle action that might demoralize, but rarely ever frustrates. Even if the mountain before you does get the better of your confidence or you simply don't want to volunteer the time investment Contra asks of you, you have the accessibility option that is the infamous Konami code.
On top of it all, Contra packs one of the best early multiplayer experiences in gaming, provided you both have the incredible powers necessary for keeping track of the chaos onscreen.
Truly, a stunning achievement of its day, and yet still only a taste of the greatness toward which Konami was rocketing with full speed.
Edit: A small update here, the Arcade version is definitely less fair than the NES version, which I think might mark the first time in history that the home version of something is better than in the arcade.
You might think to yourself "Wow, for someone who doesn't really play retro games, you sure do love Contra" and yes, I very much do. I have managed to beat the game twice without using the Konami code when a lot of my friends can't make it past the first level inputting it. I love this game and being able to play it on an actual NES hooked up to a CRT for the very first game made me realize how much I truly love this game. It's absurdly difficult and I'm good at it and nothing beats that feeling yeah?
Rating: S
Genre(s): 2D platformer, run and gun
Rating: S
Genre(s): 2D platformer, run and gun