Difference between revisions of "Contra (NES)"

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[[Image:Contra - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
 
[[Image:Contra - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
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'''''Contra''''' is a run-and-gun action shooter from [[Konami]]. The game was originally released in the arcade and then ported to various platforms. My favorite is the NES release.
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'''''Contra''''' is a run-and-gun action shooter developed and published by [[Konami]] for the [[NES]] on 1988-02-09. It is a port of the original [[Contra|arcade game]], the first in the [[Contra (universe)|''Contra'' series]]. While the game has several similarities to the arcade game, Konami made enough changes to it to warrant calling it a different game.
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The game has three different releases, one for Japan, the USA, and Europe. The Japanese release is the best featuring more polish than the USA release with added cut-scenes, background animation, and an in-game story line. Despite having more work put into it, the Japanese release came out before the US release. I presume Konami sent a mostly-complete version to their US offices and, while they were localizing it, the Japanese developers continued to polish their version. The European release was based on the American version, but has heavily altered artwork, all the humans have been replaced by robots, to placate European censors.
 +
 
 +
My earliest memory of Contra for the NES was playing it or watching it being played with my step-brother. He always referred to the flame thrower as "freaky" and purposely avoided it, which, at the time, I thought was odd, but now, I completely understand. I was so bad at gaming in the 1980s that, even the Konami Code which granted 30 lives, I wasn't able to beat the game without needing to continue. I've since become a more seasoned player and can now beat it with the stock lives.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
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==Review==
 
==Review==
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Overall: 5/10
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{{Video Game Review|6|7|5|6|5|58%|Windows}}
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 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
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* Each stage is pretty unique with new enemies, scenery, and music.
 
* Each stage is pretty unique with new enemies, scenery, and music.
 
* The game is challenging enough that even after playing for years, you'll still have difficulty beating it.
 
* The game is challenging enough that even after playing for years, you'll still have difficulty beating it.
−
* The graphics are pretty good, and using Giger's art style as adapted to Alien was a great idea.
+
* Even with a weaker GPU, the graphics manage to be better than the washed-out ones from the arcade.
 +
* [[Hidenori Maezawa]] and [[Kyouhei Sada]] did a great job at arranging [[Kazuki Muraoka]]'s soundtrack. I even prefer the NES version because the melodies are more noticeable.
 +
* Allowing a player who has lost all their lives to steal a life from the remaining player to join in was a great way to keep the fun going for both players (although, it more frequently leads to a lot of ire when you don't want to give up your hard-earned lives),
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
−
* The game is painfully difficult. Had I encountered this game later in life, I wouldn't have the patience for it. Thankfully there is a 30-lives cheat code which makes victory more possible for an amateur.
 
 
* Only the spray gun, machine gun, and rapid fire are worth getting. Laser and flame thrower are essentially downgrades from the default weapon since they are so difficult to work with.
 
* Only the spray gun, machine gun, and rapid fire are worth getting. Laser and flame thrower are essentially downgrades from the default weapon since they are so difficult to work with.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
−
* Nothing.
+
* The game is painfully difficult. Survival comes less from skill, and more from level memorization. Had I encountered this game later in life, I wouldn't have the patience for it. Thankfully there is a 30-lives cheat code which makes victory more possible for an amateur.
 +
 
 +
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Contra - NES - Japan.jpg|Contra's original Japanese box art is done in a manga style, with a very Giger-esque background, but for some reason has a magenta backdrop. Also, the guns look more like ray guns that rifles.
 +
Contra - NES - USA.jpg|I prefer the North American box art which is clearly a rip off Schwarzenegger from [[Predator]] and Stallone from [[Rambo]]. It also has a Geiger-inspired background, though more insect and less phallus.
 +
Contra - NES - Europe.jpg|The European PC market kept the soldier theme and used the name Gryzor, but the NES platform switched to a robot theme. While I don't care for the censorship, I really like the mecha art.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Documentation===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Contra - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
 +
Contra - NES - Manual (Japan).pdf|Game manual (Japan).
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 074-075.jpg|[[Nintendo Power]], July 1988.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 076-077.jpg|Nintendo Power, maps.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 058-059.jpg|Nintendo Power, 30 lives code.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 157-158.jpg|Coming soon in [[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]].
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Maps===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 1 - Jungle.png|1 - Jungle.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 2 - Base 1.png|2 - Base 1.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 3 - Waterfall.png|3 - Waterfall.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 4 - Base 2.png|4 - Base 2.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 5 - Snowfield.png|5 - Snowfield.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 6 - Energy Zone.png|6 - Energy Zone.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 7 - Hangar.png|7 - Hangar.
 +
Contra - NES - Map - 8 - Alien's Lair.png|8 - Alien's Lair.
 +
</gallery>
  
−
==Box Art==
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===Graphics===
−
Contra's original Japanese box art is done in a manga style, with a very Giger-esque background, but for some reason has a magenta backdrop. I prefer the North American box art which is clearly a rip off Schwarzenegger from Predator and Stalone. It also has a Giger-inspired background, though more insect and less phallus. Although the PC market kept the soldier theme and used the name Gryzor, the NES market used a robot theme for European audiences. While I don't care for the censorship, I really like the mecha bot art.
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* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/contra spriters-resource.com/nes/contra] - Graphic sheets.
  
 +
===Fan Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
Contra - NES - Japan.jpg|Japan (魂斗羅).
+
Contra - NES - Konami Code Tattoo.jpg|A tattoo of the Konami Code in Contra.
−
Contra - NES - USA.jpg|North America.
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Honest Video Game Titles - Contra.jpg|Honest title.
−
Contra - NES - Europe.jpg|Europe (Probotector).
+
Contra - NES - Cover Art Inspiration.gif|Animated GIF showing the inspiration of the US NES Contra box art.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Video===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXcVojj2GXk youtube.com/watch?v=qXcVojj2GXk] - American version longplay.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-FPkw3zGiM youtube.com/watch?v=A-FPkw3zGiM] - Japanese version longplay.
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UypHR9l7EU youtube.com/watch?v=9UypHR9l7EU] - European version longplay.
 +
 +
==Credits==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Role !! Staff
 +
|-
 +
| Directors || [[Shigeharu Umezaki]] (Umechan), [[Shinji Kitamoto]]
 +
|-
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| Programmers || [[Shigeharu Umezaki]], [[Satoshi Kishiwada]], [[Kouki Yamashita]], [[T. Danjyo]], [[Mitsuaki Ogawa]]
 +
|-
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| Graphic Designers || [[T. Ueyama]], [[Setsu Muraki]], [[M. Fujiwara]], [[T. Nishikawa]], [[C. Ozawa]]
 +
|-
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| Sound Composer || [[Kazuki Muraoka]]
 +
|-
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| Sound Arrangers || [[Hidenori Maezawa]], [[Kyouhei Sada]]
 +
|-
 +
| Special Thanks To || [[Kenji Shimoide]], [[Naoki Sato]], AC Contra Team
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English (America) || Contra || ||
 +
|-
 +
| English (Europe) || Probotector || ||
 +
|-
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| Japanese || 魂斗羅 || Kontora || Contra
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
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* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/contra mobygames.com/game/contra] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/contra_}}
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_(video_game) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_(video_game)] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_(video_game)}}
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* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563399-contra gamefaqs.com/nes/563399-contra] - GameFAQs.
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{{Link|GameFAQs|http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563399-contra}}
 +
{{Link|VGMPF|http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Contra_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|NESHacker|http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php/Contra}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Contra_(NES)}}
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/Contra/Index.html thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/Contra/Index.html] - My old Contra site.
 +
* [http://www.nintendoplayer.com/prototype/contra nintendoplayer.com/prototype/contra] - Nintendo Player - Prototype.
  
  
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[[Category: Game]]
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[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
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[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Run and Gun]]
 
[[Category: Run and Gun]]
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[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 +
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 +
[[Category: Science Fiction]]

Revision as of 09:35, 3 July 2019

North American box art.

Contra is a run-and-gun action shooter developed and published by Konami for the NES on 1988-02-09. It is a port of the original arcade game, the first in the Contra series. While the game has several similarities to the arcade game, Konami made enough changes to it to warrant calling it a different game.

The game has three different releases, one for Japan, the USA, and Europe. The Japanese release is the best featuring more polish than the USA release with added cut-scenes, background animation, and an in-game story line. Despite having more work put into it, the Japanese release came out before the US release. I presume Konami sent a mostly-complete version to their US offices and, while they were localizing it, the Japanese developers continued to polish their version. The European release was based on the American version, but has heavily altered artwork, all the humans have been replaced by robots, to placate European censors.

My earliest memory of Contra for the NES was playing it or watching it being played with my step-brother. He always referred to the flame thrower as "freaky" and purposely avoided it, which, at the time, I thought was odd, but now, I completely understand. I was so bad at gaming in the 1980s that, even the Konami Code which granted 30 lives, I wasn't able to beat the game without needing to continue. I've since become a more seasoned player and can now beat it with the stock lives.

Status

I have beat the American and Japanese NES ports several times without needing to continue.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
6 7 5 6 5

Best Version: 58%

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The controls are really responsive and intuitive. You have good control over your jumps.
  • Each stage is pretty unique with new enemies, scenery, and music.
  • The game is challenging enough that even after playing for years, you'll still have difficulty beating it.
  • Even with a weaker GPU, the graphics manage to be better than the washed-out ones from the arcade.
  • Hidenori Maezawa and Kyouhei Sada did a great job at arranging Kazuki Muraoka's soundtrack. I even prefer the NES version because the melodies are more noticeable.
  • Allowing a player who has lost all their lives to steal a life from the remaining player to join in was a great way to keep the fun going for both players (although, it more frequently leads to a lot of ire when you don't want to give up your hard-earned lives),

Bad

  • Only the spray gun, machine gun, and rapid fire are worth getting. Laser and flame thrower are essentially downgrades from the default weapon since they are so difficult to work with.

Ugly

  • The game is painfully difficult. Survival comes less from skill, and more from level memorization. Had I encountered this game later in life, I wouldn't have the patience for it. Thankfully there is a 30-lives cheat code which makes victory more possible for an amateur.

Media

Box Art

  • Contra's original Japanese box art is done in a manga style, with a very Giger-esque background, but for some reason has a magenta backdrop. Also, the guns look more like ray guns that rifles.

  • I prefer the North American box art which is clearly a rip off Schwarzenegger from Predator and Stallone from Rambo. It also has a Geiger-inspired background, though more insect and less phallus.

  • The European PC market kept the soldier theme and used the name Gryzor, but the NES platform switched to a robot theme. While I don't care for the censorship, I really like the mecha art.

Documentation

Maps

  • 1 - Jungle.

  • 2 - Base 1.

  • 3 - Waterfall.

  • 4 - Base 2.

  • 5 - Snowfield.

  • 6 - Energy Zone.

  • 7 - Hangar.

  • 8 - Alien's Lair.

Graphics

Fan Art

  • A tattoo of the Konami Code in Contra.

  • Honest title.

  • Animated GIF showing the inspiration of the US NES Contra box art.

Video

Credits

Role Staff
Directors Shigeharu Umezaki (Umechan), Shinji Kitamoto
Programmers Shigeharu Umezaki, Satoshi Kishiwada, Kouki Yamashita, T. Danjyo, Mitsuaki Ogawa
Graphic Designers T. Ueyama, Setsu Muraki, M. Fujiwara, T. Nishikawa, C. Ozawa
Sound Composer Kazuki Muraoka
Sound Arrangers Hidenori Maezawa, Kyouhei Sada
Special Thanks To Kenji Shimoide, Naoki Sato, AC Contra Team

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English (America) Contra
English (Europe) Probotector
Japanese 魂斗羅 Kontora Contra

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-VGMPF.png  64x64px  Link-TCRF.png 

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