The manliest game on the NES.

User Rating: 9.5 | Contra NES
By gamefreak197 | Review Date:
When you first look at the cover art for this game, you instantly think of the classic action movies of the late 70s and 1980s, like "Commando", "Rambo", "Alien", etc. I wouldn't be surprised if this game was inspired by those movies. The plot in a nutshell is that you're two soldiers going out fighting a full-scale war against aliens, no armor or even shirts necessary. If you just have a gun, pants and bandanna, you're ready to kick some ass. This game is about as manly as you can get. You don't care about the plot. The only thing you really need to know is that you have guns and you need to shoot anything and everything on sight.

The game is presented as a side-scroller, run-and-gun game. Some of the stages are presented in a 3rd person sort of view, which is actually pretty effective. You'll be going through eight of some of the most difficult levels you have ever played. While a few of the enemy placements can be a little cheap, the difficulty is all pure challenge. Bullets are flying all over the place and enemies are coming from all sides, so you'll need to keep on your toes. Thankfully the control is pretty solid, allowing for quick reactions. You only have three lives and a few continues, but thanks to the famous Contra code, you can have 30 lives and four continues. The best feature to be found in the game is the option to play 2-Player Co-op. Contra is just more fun with a second player.

There's nothing more satisfying than shooting wave after wave of enemies with great weapons. Your weapons have unlimited ammo, but you lose your upgraded weapon when you die (by the way, one hit you are dead). Your weapons range from a standard machine gun, to an upgraded gun where you can simply hold the button, and of course the spread gun which completely owns enemies. The least recommended weapon is the lazer. To use it effectively you can only fire about a shot at a time.

As an early game for the NES, it has really great graphics. The character designs and environments are excellently detailed and contain hardly any screw-ups at all. The levels themselves are well designed and offer variety. The music and sound effects are even better. The weapons sound incredibly satisfying and the music just enhances the action. So I really only have one complaint: It's pretty short. If manage to play well enough you can beat the game in about 30-45 minutes. But the replay value is incredibly high for this game. It's one of those games you can keep going back to and not get bored with it.

To sum things up:

PROS:
-Excellent graphics
-Kick ass sound and music
-Solid control
-Tireless gameplay
-Good weapons

CONS:
-Pretty short
-The lazer upgrade

Simply put, this is a must own for your NES library. Hardcore gamers will feel right at home with this game. If you're into shooting things and up for a good challenge, then I highly recommend you get this.

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