Contra (MSX2) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
417A playthrough of Konami's 1989 run-and-gun shooter for the MSX2, Contra (魂斗羅).
This video was recorded from the Wii Virtual Console release of the game.
Konami heavily invested themselves in the MSX line of computers through the latter half of the 1980s, and many of their classic hits are represented on the MSX platforms in one form or another.
Contra was released as a cartridge in Japan only, and only for MSX2 computers. It might initially appear to be a port of the Famicom game, but it's not long before major differences start becoming apparent. While it doesn't diverge as widely from the console version as Castlevania's MSX2 game does (https://youtu.be/cXcC_HntlYo ), it is quite a different game.
The first set of stages is loosely adapted from those in the original game. The jungle, the waterfall, the bases - all of the basic locales have been retained - but, as was probably necessitated by the removal of any screen scrolling, the stage layouts have been radically altered, and they tend to be much shorter. To compensate for this, the game now has many more stages. The second half of the game is brand new, and the new levels put up a very decent challenge.
The gameplay has also seen some tweaking. There are longer any continues, but getting hit isn't an instant kill thanks to the introduction of a life gauge. The weapon loadout has been revised, too. You can now freely select from any of the available guns when you pick up a weapon icon, and most likely due to the platform's onscreen sprite limitations, the shotgun has been replaced by the "rear gun" that allows you to shoot both ahead and behind simultaneously. A few new bosses have been tossed into the mix, as well.
This version is a slower game than the NES and arcade games were, it requires you to be much more deliberate with your weapon choices and your character placement (especially in the new stages!), and it's a fair amount harder to finish without continues, despite having a lifebar and 1ups awarded at certain score thresholds.
Taking hardware differences into account, Contra's MSX2 entry is very respectable. The sprites are big, the animation is amazingly smooth, and the soundtrack still sounds excellent. It's impressive just how much of an "NES-like" experience it provides. And while the NES version is clearly the better of the two, this adaptation is makes for a good, unique challenge for anyone that sweats the Nintendo port.
You can find my video of the NES version here: https://youtu.be/vzyRNjHGGpo
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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