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Contra (video game)

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Contra
Contra Arcade title screen
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Release1987
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade systemContra based hardware

Contra (魂斗羅, Kontora) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. The player controls a commando who battles waves of enemies including humans, machines, mutants and aliens to reach his ultimate goal. Much of the game's popularity came from its two-player simultaneous gameplay, which was an uncommon feature in video games at the time of Contra's release.

Gameplay

The player's character is equipped with a semi-automatic machine gun with an unlimited amount of ammunition. He can jump, move and fire in all eight cardinal directions using the d-pad. Coordination of the character's movement is essential, as a single hit from any enemy, bullet, or other hazard will instantly kill the player's character. It is not unusual for the screen to be filled with several enemies and dozens of bullets moving in different directions all at once in the game's five stages.

Contra also features simultaneous two-player cooperative gameplay. Both players occupy the same screen and must coordinate their actions. One player lagging behind could cause problems for his partner, as the screen will not scroll onward. For example, a slow player could be fatal to his partner's attempt to complete a jump.

The first stage of Contra

Special weapon power-ups can be collected to increase the speed, damage, or size of the player's shots. This can make for an easier time progressing through the game, but the caveat is that these power-ups are lost every time the player loses a life. Each power-up is represented by an icon. These are designated as flying lettered metallic boxes (exception: in the arcade version, the Machine Gun and Laser Gun are designed differently). The following is a list of Contra's power-ups as featured in the original game:

  • Machine Gun: Allows players to fire repeatedly (rather than repeatedly pressing the button, as the default weapon requires).
  • Spread Gun: Allows the player to fire five shots in an arc, which can be useful for dealing with large groups of enemies.
  • Laser Gun: Will shoot a long laser that can take out many enemies in a row. However, only one laser can be on the screen at a time - the first will disappear when a new one is fired.
  • Fire Ball: A gun which fires small fireballs in a corkscrew pattern.
  • Rapid Fire: Increases the firing rate of the player's currently equipped weapon.
  • Barrier: Will make the player invincible for a few seconds - though he can still lose a life by falling into a pit.

Ports

The original game was ported as Gryzor to the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 by Ocean Software in 1988.

It was also ported by Konami to the NES in 1988. This version is famed for its use of the Konami Code, and is sometimes wrongfully credited as being the first to use it (the NES version of Gradius was the actual originator of the code). The gameplay remained generally unchanged from the arcade game.

However, most fans consider the NES version to be superior due to its extended length by breaking the arcade's final level into five long seperate stages. It also benefited on a horizontal screen, which allowed a wider view of the playing field (the arcade game used a vertical screen instead). The NES version of Contra was filled with violence and gunfire.

Contra and its sucessors were heavily influenced by the action movies of the time - the cover for the North American version of Contra was almost a direct copy of the the cover for the movie Predator. In the game, the character Bill is also a slightly transformed copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Japanese releases

File:Contra j01.png
The complete game map, as presented in the Japanese version of Contra.

In Japan, third-party developers of Famicom games were allowed to use their own custom chips, in addition to the standard ones given by Nintendo. This was in contrast to the U.S., where only Nintendo's first-party mappers were used. Konami took advantage of this situation by developing the Video Resource Chip (VRC) series of mappers for the Famicom. Contra made use of the VRC2 chip; its added effects are quite noticeable in comparison to the American NES version, with the presence of animated backgrounds with palm trees and snowfalls. The Famicom version also included additional cut-scenes between stages; a map displaying the player's progress; and extended opening and ending scenes. These included a secret message after the closing credits, which served to narrate the game's storyline to the player. In contrast, the US version had no in-game narrative at all.

Konami also released an MSX2 version of the game in Japan. While this version included several new stages, it has been criticized by fans. People have derided this port for its watered-down gameplay, addition of a health bar, lack of scrolling, limited number of enemies displayed simultaneously on-screen, substandard graphics, and most commonly, the lack of a 2-Player mode. The level structure of this port is also different from the original. There are many additional levels that are not present in the other version: four 3D view levels instead of two; two vertical scrolling cavern levels; two volcano levels; an enemy base (also with vertical scrolling); and another alien lair. However, the hangar zone from the original is not present.

European and Australian releases

The early console versions of Contra (and sequels to the console versions) were released as Probotector in Europe and Australia. In this version the two main characters (and many enemies) were changed to robots - despite the fact the original arcade version was released uncensored under the Gryzor title in those territories. One reason may be that Konami was concerned about worry over violent games in Europe; another theory is that they feared Germany's so-called "Bundesprüfstelle", an institution that watches newly released media to possibly forbid the selling of a game. In the 1980s and 1990s, dozens of games in which people are killed in order to progress (i.e. Rambo III), were added to an index that meant they were not allowed to be advertised or displayed in stores, and they could be only bought on request by people over 18 years old. Relegation to this index would have meant commercial disaster.

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Legacy

The arcade version was followed by one sequel: Super Contra, in 1988.

The Wikibook [[wikibooks:|]] has a page on the topic of: NES & Famicom games

The NES port of Contra was the first of many console-based games, with the MSX version being released some time later. It was followed on the NES by Super Contra – also known as Super C – and Contra Force, including a Game Boy version titled Operation C. The Super NES-based Contra III: The Alien Wars was one of the most highly acclaimed titles for Nintendo's 16-bit console, due to revolutionary graphics including level bosses taking up large parts of the screen and Mode 7-effects never previously seen. Later the Sega Genesis got its fill of Contra with Contra: Hard Corps, which is widely considered as one of the best of the series. The Sony PlayStation installments Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure (developed by Hungarian company Appaloosa) are generally considered the most disappointing of the series, being completely in 3D and sporting awkward controls. (These games have since been retconned from the storyline.) However, the series saw a revival on the PlayStation 2 with the widely-praised Contra: Shattered Soldier and its follow-up Neo Contra which were both developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. These titles were much more true to the original Contra formula.

The first level theme in the NES port of Contra remains one of the most recognizable pieces of video game music ever created. In the early 2000s, several bands starting performing live and studio renditions of the song. Minibosses covers the song along with several other classic tunes such as the theme from Metroid. A band has recently formed and started touring called Contraband; two of the members of the band play the NES version of Contra in a speed run fashion, while the other members of the band perform a live rendition of the song. A projector screen showing the gameplay action is superimposed on stage. [1]

Konami Code

The famous Konami code that allows the player to receive 30 lives per continue goes as follows: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. It is a popular misconception that the code ends with either Start or Select, Start; but those buttons only start the game with one or two players after the code has been applied. The Select is optional and is used to have two players with thirty lives each.

This code has become part of gamer culture, and is featured on t-shirts and in various songs, including the bands 8-Bit and YTCracker. The NESkimos also did a song that involved shouting the Contra Code. As listed above, Contra was not the first game to feature this famous code; it was actually Gradius, despite popular belief.

Packaging artwork

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