
	Platform NES Genre Action Developer/Publisher Konami Year released 1988
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Contra

contra,nes

Contra doesn’t offer any great advances in storyline: Defeat the alien invasion! There are innovations though, like the over the shoulder sections. The two-player action was terrific, especially when you actively worked together.

The graphics aren’t terrific but they do a good job moving the action along at a good clip. There is a lot of jumping and shooting to be done. The enemy troops never tire of running on-screen and getting blasted. The enemy AI isn’t anything to write home about. The boss characters are challenging, depending on what weapon you might be equipped with. There are a few weapon power-ups to be collected, the most useful being the spread shot, which sprays out three projectiles per shot. Also available are flame throwers, machine guns and lasers. Some situations can only be passed if you have the right weapon or there are two players pouring it on. Most of the levels require you to run left to right, but some have you run down a long

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hallway blasting open doors to the next room. It’s an attempt at 3D action and it’s a welcome departure. Both environments require careful aim and precise jumping. And speaking of aiming, you can shoot up, down, on angles and straight ahead. Being able to shoot on angles is very handy. There is just enough challenge, bordering on frustration in some cases, to keep you fighting until the end. It’s an okay single player game but a good two-player game.

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The music and sound effects are effectively techno and sci-fi. The science fiction element is reinstated during the last level. If you’ve ever seen an Alien movie you’ll be familiar with the face huggers. Contra lifted the design of the face huggers and inserted them in the game. For that reason the game loses a few points. I hate seeing other licenses getting ripped off.

- Omni