Contra - The 25th Anniversary Thread!

[Spark Of Spirit]

From the early arcades to the modern consoles...

Does anyone here remember arcade games? Simple tests of reflexes that tested your reaction time and memory and rewarded your dedication with more game play time? In the 80s, there were several up and comers in the arcade area, the mighty Sega, the black sheep Capcom, and the constantly surprising Konami. You see, in the mid-80s there were a few things more popular than Schwarzenegger-style action blockbusters, arcade shmups like R-Type or Gradius, and the Super Mario style of platformer. Konami had a brilliant idea to combine them all, and the result was Contra! The formula was an obvious success, as here we are 25 years from the very first release!

Contra might not have started the run and gun genre, but it was the first to perfect it. It is in fact one of the most important series in video game history, and without it, who knows where the industry would be now?

Over the years, the series has had peaks, but surprisingly enough for a series over 25 years old, it has very few lows. however, despite it, the series was staunchly traditional and often suffered for it. Not in quality but in audience reception and in reviews, depending on the climate of the industry Contra was either received with open arms like a long lost sibling or shunned like that unwanted memory of a bad party you had back in college. Despite the often fickle industry's opinion, everyone loves Contra. Contra might not love them sometimes, but anyone who has ever touched a pre-analog stick gamepad is a Contra fan.

Now how about we look over this series' vast history to remind ourselves of its greatness?


Contra - 1987




As I said before, the formula for Contra was clear. Think Rambo meets Super Mario Bros. meets Gradius and you have Contra. You have enemies coming in from everywhere, stage hazards that have to be dodged, shot, or hurdled, and bullets everywhere. While there are mainly sidescrolling stages, there are a few "over the shoulder" segments that Konami themselves have used in games like Devastators, where you shoot into the screen. So yeah, third person shooting. Contra was remarkable in how hard the game was in that it never feels overwhelming, cheap, or just plain awkward. You always had plenty of time to shoot, move, and dodge everything if you didn't rush it. A rarity in the arcade world that usually punishes lingering (though there is a time limit in Contra's arcade version, you will rarely run out of it) and quarter munching.

Sure enough, Contra was a big hit, and then came the home ports. Most of the home ports had different gimmicks (MSX had a screen flip, and the Commodore version is pretty much what you'd expect), but you know what the real standout was. Yes, the NES/Famicom version of Contra was not only the best port, but it was the best version of the game. Whereas Contra Arcade had a weird art-style that sometimes masked bullets, the NES Contra simplified the art style enough that bullets pop and all hazards are much easier to see. Also improved is the control. The jump is fully controllable and tight and the 8-way aiming is far smoother than it is the arcade leading to this also being the smoothest version to control. Stages are also slightly longer than the arcade version and boss patterns are a lot easier to discern.

Basically, the original Contra was a huge success and was met with much acclaim.


Super Contra - 1988




Before anyone says it, yes Super Contra (Or Super C as the NES version is called) is not as good as the original. Everyone knows that. But no one actively seems to hate it (the NES version, anyway) due to it still being a fun run and gun game. But the issues are undeniable. The level design is not as good as the original, it has far less platforming, the difficulty is massively unbalanced, and the overhead stages (taking over from the third person stages of the original) are not smooth to control at all. Basically, everything is a step down from the original. However, this is also why some people prefer Super C. It is basically a pure shooter where levels mostly feature little to do other than fire at everything, and in that aspect it is still a great game. All things considered, it's a worthy sequel that could have been better, but is still a great game when all is said and done.

However, despite Super Contra not being as good as the first, it did not hurt the series' reputation. The two Contra games were mainstays in arcades, and in every kid's NES, it was THE go to co-op game, rivaled only by Double Dragon (and at home, Double Dragon II), the series was still red hot.

Yet it would still be 4 years until another major game in the series was released.


Operation C - 1991




Here we have the very first portable Contra game, unfortunately only allowing for a single player. Basically a side-story where you play as Lance Bean instead of Bill Rizer, but who really cares about that? At the end of the day, this is still the smooth Contra action you all crave. This was actually more of a step back toward the well balanced action of Contra, and less straightforward than Super C was. It's a bit shorter in stage length and overall length, but being that it was made for the portable Game Boy and made for quick bursts of action, it is a great game.

Operation C did little but whet the appetites of those waiting for a follow up to Super C even more. Even though this was technically Contra 3, that would be changed a year later when the world saw:


Contra Force - 1992



Oh wait.

Sorry about that, but this game deserves mention. This is not a real Contra game in that it was merely a run n gun game that Konami slapped the Contra name on to sell it. The game is not particularly great despite having some great ideas and some original mechanics, the controls are sloppy and the game has way too much slowdown for its own good. That said, it was called Arc Hound in Japan when it came out in 1991 and has nothing to do with Contra, but people wanted a new Contra badly enough that they were given this to tide them over.

All that said, it's not the worst NES game out there and is a pretty decent shooter. But not much more than that. Now back to the main feature:


Contra III: The Alien Wars - 1992




This was a pretty big deal when it came out. Titling itself as the true sequel to Contra and Super C (bypassing Operation C and Contra Force), Contra III added cinematic flair to the shooting and platforming action, making it a real show-piece not only the series or the SNES, but for what games were capable of at the time. The game was a huge seller, critically acclaimed, and was one of the top 10 reasons for owning a SNES back in the day. This game was important for being the first directed by Nobuya Nakazato who would go on to basically run the Contra series (for the most part) for a long time after this.

Contra III added Mode 7 levels (again taking over from the third person shooter and top down shooter levels from the first two and Operation C), a weapon swap, a screen clearing grenade, and vehicles. Basically, it was truly a fully fleshed out follow up to the original and exactly what fans were hoping for at the time. It was actually fodder in the console wars too, if you can believe it, until Konami decided to try something new:


Contra: Hard Corps. - 1994




Nakazato decided to try something new here. That cinematic approach worked great for Contra III, but how about trying a TV serial for ideas? This Contra (which would later be spun off into it's own sub-series) featuring a health bar (controversially removed for the NA release), a slide move, and branching paths leading to very different experiences every time you played through. The main difference was that this was basically the first Contra that was almost a pure boss rush experience (making the removal of the life bar that much more aggravating) which featured boss after boss throughout the level. What this all lead to was a new spin on the old, making Hard Corps. not only one of the best games in the series, but one of the best in the genesis library. Finally Contra was no longer a player in the console war, as both consoles featured one of the best games on their respective systems.

At this point Contra fever was at its peak. Fans had their pick of some of the best shooters available, Konami itself was smoking hot featuring licensed fare as diverse as Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and original console and arcade fare like Sunset Riders. As we headed into the 32-bit generation, Konami could do no wrong.


Contra: Legacy Of War - 1996




The 32-bit generation of gaming was a very important one, no doubt. It featured many expansions of classic franchises into the third dimension for the first time, and a lot of fresh new ideas in a very experimental time in the game industry. The problem? What this meant for games like Contra. The 32-bit generation was not that kind to classic series from the 8 and 16-bit eras with few exceptions. Contra, unfortunately, was not an exception. Legacy Of War is not only a bad Contra game, but one of the worst on the PlayStation and it probably lead the charge for the death of the series. The problem is, what else could Contra have done?

The N64 couldn't handle fast games- Contra was one of the fastest. Sony detested (and still does) 2D games. The Saturn was... well, you know, a mess. The point is, a 2D classic like Contra had nowhere to go. So we were stuck with this. A bad 3D game that completely misses the point of Contra, because 3D cannot contain fast paced action like Contra. Unfortunately, it would take around a decade for Konami to learn that 3D Contra was never going to work.


C: The Contra Adventure - 1998




So Konami tried and failed again. This time they tried and added a variety of game-play styles (Even 2.5D!), the only problem being that the levels were all poorly designed and horrible to control. By this point Contra was all but faded from the public consciousness, Contra 64 was never made and canceled when the team disbanded (who knows what that might have ended up as), and the last game totally destroyed the reputation Contra had as being one of the best around. This game merely took it down another peg.

As the 32-bit era came to a close, Castlevania received Symphony Of The Night which revived the similarly dying series into new heights while Contra was given no such reprieve and the series seemed to die with the 32-bit era.


Contra: Shattered Solider - 2002




Out of nowhere, and four years of deafening silence came Contra: Shattered Soldier. A fast-paced sidescroller, that brought the series back to the forefront, if only momentarily. You see, Shattered Soldier was headed up by Nakazato who had not touched the series since Hard Corps., so fans were ecstatic. And the game delivered in many ways from that promise. It was hard, it was fun, and it was classic Contra. But not all was perfect. The game followed on from Hard Corps in the boss gauntlet style of gameplay (which not all fans loved) only without the health bar of Hard Corps, leading to a lot more memorization that Contra usually had. The game was also remarkably short, featuring less stages than the original games. It also had a "Hit-Rate" meter which gauges the amount of enemies you kill in a level giving you a higher rank to view another ending. This addition was very controversial with fans (locking out content by skill instead of choice), and made the game less loose in how players could approach it. Also removed were weapon power-ups, instead given to Gunstar Heroes-style weapon selection which feels considerably more limiting than the original style.

Critics were remarkably harsh to Shattered Soldier. Dogging on the story (This is the era when Konami went wild with dumb stories, after all), the unforgiving aspect of the game (locking out content, less weapons and stages), and for just plain being a hard game. The game was similarly rejected by many mainstream players who felt the game was just plain unforgiving.

Nonetheless, it was a good step back towards where the series needed to be.


Neo Contra - 2004




More of a spin-off like Hard Corps, this basically takes Contra and combines it with Ikari Warriors by putting the action in an overhead perspective. Many mistake this for being another 3D attempt at the series, but it is merely only 3D in graphics. The game is much more forgiving than Shattered Soldier and is no longer boss-rush style. It continues the overbearing plot nonsense of Shattered Soldier- only much sillier, and the weapon choice style, but as a whole it feels a lot closer to the older Contra style than Shattered Soldier did, despite it not being 2D.

Reception was lukewarm, not as divisive as Shattered Soldier, most found it to be a pleasant enough game and a fine enough spin off to be a worthy addition to the series. But it was still not the kick in the rear the series needed.


Contra 4 - 2007




The 20th Anniversary of Contra rolls around and what better way to celebrate than a full on sequel to The Alien Wars? Made by WayForward, who were consciously looking to make another game follow in the Contra, Super C, Contra III, and Operation C style of hard levels and simple but devastating bosses. Because of this, they made the best game in the series since the 16-bit generation, by bringing the series back to its roots and giving the series a new start. Contra 4 is 9 levels long, featuring tons of platforming (the most since the original), power ups (again, the most since the original featuring upgrades to make them stronger), challenges to improve your skills, unlockable art and comics, and unlockables featuring the NES versions of Contra and Super C (no multiplayer, unfortunately) portable for the first time.

Contra 4 was possibly the most important game in the series since the 16-bit days, it remembered why so many connected with the series in the first place. The combination of Rambo, Super Mario Bros., and Gradius was the strongest it's been in a long time, the levels were less cinematic than III, but were more like full fledged obstacles courses like the original. There were no boss rush type levels, however the bosses were also simplified to be closer in style to the ones from the first games in their straightforward patterns and movements. Basically, the game is a tribute to the classic-Contra style and one of the best games in the series.

Unfortunately, the game was not a good seller, nor was it released in Europe, effectively cutting it off from anyone who knew it existed. Despite how bad it was treated, few Anniversary games are this well put together.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Contra ReBirth - 2009




While Contra 4 was more of a tribute to classic Contra, this was closer to a tribute to the Contra 3 and Hard Corps. style of cinematics and boss rush style. For instance stage 1 features you fighting a crashing space ship from within, while stage 2 has you fighting a boss who chases you through the level, and the rest are more platforming oriented with occasional set-pieces like III and the last stage is merely a tough final boss. So the game is much shorter than 4, and is pretty short as a whole, but again, like 4, it is one of the most enjoyable games in the series for it.

Still featuring the dopey story from Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra, but even more nonsensical, that is about the only carry-over from the non-classic games, and while a simple "Bill and Lance Vs. Red Falcon" story would have been good enough, it doesn't really impact anything. While it is not the best game in the series, it is nowhere near the worst, or even mediocre. While being on WiiWare limits availability, anyone with a Wii should give it a shot as easy is actually pretty freaking easy.


Hard Corps.: Uprising - 2011




The revival of classic Contra returns. This is a peculiar game to mention as it is a sequel (or prequel) to Contra Hard Corps, featuring carry-overs like setting, health bar, and huge bosses. The difference is that the levels themselves are actually very long and platforming intensive unlike the original Hard Corps, it also no longer features the branching path system from the original, and weapons follow from Contra 4 in having stack-able upgrades, and a new feature includes upgradable characters as well as an Uprising mode for them with classic arcade mode which has rock hard difficulty.

It's weird that the sequel to a spin off is actually more like the older games than the game with "Contra" in the title, but hey... This series has not always made the most obvious choices.

In the end, this game was pleasant surprise coming from Arc System Works, being their first run and gun, and they totally nailed it. Three games in a row and Contra totally still has it and is once again at the peak of its game. As we approach the 25th Anniversary, one can only wonder at what E3 will give us. A new 3DS Contra as rumored? A sequel to Hard Corps.: Uprising?

So all in all, let's aggressively celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Contra! Does anyone else have any Contra memories to share? Favorite games or moments? Maybe some hopes for the future?

Either way, let's rock!

[Lord Dalek]

I remember the first time I rented NES Contra. I was horrible at it. Couldn't get past the first stage. Didn't know how to jump properly, etc. etc. Eventually I rediscovered the series when I got into emulation for the first time. Contra III just blew my mind with its audacious scope.

[Avaitor]

Typically great post, Desen.

How many of the games are up on the VC? I've been craving to play some Contra for a while.

[Spark Of Spirit]

My cousin was a rich kid who was spoiled rotten, and from visiting him as a kid I was exposed to classics like Mega Man 2, Contra, Super C, Jackal, and even weird stuff like Bayou Billy and the Famicom Lost Levels, while I might not otherwise had given them a chance.

Contra was a big favorite of mine, though. So much so that I sought it out before any of the above and became a fan. So I was similarly blown away by Contra 3, mystified by Hard Corps, disenchanted with LoW and TCA, shaky with the PS2 games, and brought back with 4.

Typically great post, Desen.

How many of the games are up on the VC? I've been craving to play some Contra for a while.

Thanks!

Super C (NES), Contra III, and Contra ReBirth. I'm not certain why they skipped Contra, but it's not on there.

Contra 4 would be the best deal for including Contra and Super C as unlockables. And they're portable!

[Avaitor]

Contra 1 isn't up? da fuq

I'll have to hit up Contra III then.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yep, Konami is slacking on the VC. No Contra, Hard Corps, or even stuff like Jackal or Castlevania Bloodlines.

Either way, I recommend all the 8-bit and 16-bit Contra games. The 3 most recent ones are great, too.

[Foggle]

Wow, super hardcore mega post(s)! Great thread, man.

Unfortunately, the game was not a good seller, nor was it released in Europe, effectively cutting it off from anyone who knew it existed.

WTF!

[Spark Of Spirit]

The game was really not advertised at all, unfortunately. Considering the extreme popularity of the Ds, I thought it would have found an audience, but alas... Uh, anyway, Contra 4 is a fantastic game, and one of my favorites. If you have a DS, you really should have it.

And thanks! 

[gunswordfist]

LOCKED AND LOADED!

Contra Hard Corps was the first Contra game I've ever played and the first and only one I ever owned so besides the side note for this half of the sentence about me not giving Contra III enough of a chance because I felt like I was spoiled by Hard Corps (and hmmm, maybe because I played it on a computer, meaning no co-op) this is the only game I'll discuss.

Of course everyone here knows the game is my favorite shoot em up of all time, 2nd favorite 2D game. I'm obviously American and the NA version of the game is a pain-in-the-ass hard but I'm such a persistent gaming, which is why 12 year old me and my brother didn't mind having to take a year to finally beat the game. It all started at our old babysitters house. She also had a NES and was a big cartoon fan. Just perfect. I loved playing Zelda and Mega Man 2 there (I think that was my first exposure to Mega Man, certainly my first memory of the series. Don't ask why the hell it took me until I was freaking 12 to play a Mega Man game   ) My oldest little brother and me played the hell out that game. I remember it took us like a month to get past the first street. But then it became like a reflex passing that part. He was always Brownie (and got to have the advantages of the jet pack and being too short for many bullets to hit him) and I picked Fang because he looked cool but his set of guns was probably easily the worst in the game. I almost never picked the other two characters until like the end of the year of trying to beat the game. Anyway, it was a lot of fun playing co-op with him, once I think about it, it's probably my favorite co-op experience to date. Loved taking on all of those bosses. It took us for fucking ever to get past that virtual reality boss gauntlet. Jeez, that was just fucking cruel. The first ending we got was the "Castlevania" secret ending. We actually thought we had to climb up that wall until either our babysitter or her boyfriend told us we were supposed to shoot that bar shaped barrier or whatever. We played the game so much that they let us keep it. We continued trying to beat it at home. We tried different paths here and there until we pretty much stuck with the easiest one. Once we beat the game, soon after we saw that there were paths we didn't go to due to being so hard to reach. I believe it had something to do with choosing to go after and kill Dead Eye Joe and/or making a decision after the (creepy ass) Doctor boss fight. I like how the game has paths/endings based on who you decide to go after and kill. That's pretty badass. On the harder paths, we decided to let the best player go solo so the other player won't suck up their lives since you can come back before the continue by taking one of the other players lives (a neat little thing I just remembered). The best was him. My oldest little brother is currently by far the best gamer I know. It's not even close when it comes to comparing our skill level. He destroys me. So he'd get to the end of harder paths and I'd just watch and then I believe I jumped in on the parts I've never been on before or really fun parts. I forget which, it may have just been for unfamiliar territory. I'm pretty sure Big Magnum was the very last one we got to...yeah, I remember being surprised about the part with the big screen and the exploding level. It had to be last. And the fucking nasty missile boss was likely the one we beat before that.

I really loved all the content in that game: the multiple characters, all the bosses, pathes, all 6 endings (including the one where you join Bahamut's side), weapon switching, the bombs... We also had a laugh about the game's cussing. The first game I've ever seen with that. I still want to see a 4 player off/online remake with a health bar. That would be the perfect game.

[Spark Of Spirit]

No new Contra at E3.  So much for that teaser.

Anyway, I've been on a Contra spree lately, and I have to say that After the 16-bit games the music got really awful. It wasn't until Arc System Works and WayForward did 4 and Uprising (Rebirth was remixes) that they remembered what made the music so good. Especially Shattered Soldier. That's probably the worst Contra soundtrack by far. Bland speed metal is so generic and completely contradictory to how upbeat and explosive the music is supposed to sound. Contra music isn't aggressive, it's supposed to be like an anthem.

Check out these tracks from 4 and Uprising to prove my point. The music is supposed to pump you up like Rocky taking on Apollo, not like that whiner with the Slipknot hoodie in high school who whines all the time and listens to "hardcore" music to show everyone how "extreme" he is.

[gunswordfist]

i plan on playing as much of certain series as i can and contra is one of them. i'll try to start contra nes soon.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Contra is an awesome series. Just avoid the PS1 games and you'll be okay.

[gunswordfist]

will do!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Now this is neat!