WATERFALL SCUBA DIVING - Contra (NES): Part 1
5Dear Konami,
You did make some awesome games, but we may still be a little pissed off about P.T.
Kind regards,
Octotiggy.
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Contra (魂斗羅 コントラ Kontora), distributed as Gryzor in Europe and Oceania, is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, along with ports for various computer formats, including the MSX2. The home versions were localized in the PAL region as Gryzor on the various computer formats and as Probotector on the NES, released later. Several Contra sequels were produced following the original game.
Contra employs a variety of playing perspectives, which include a standard side view, a pseudo-3D view (where the player proceeds by shooting and moving towards the background, in addition to left or right) and a fixed screen format (where the player has his gun aimed upwards by default). Up to two people can play simultaneously, with one player as Bill (the blond-haired commando with the white tank top and blue bandanna), and the other player as Lance (the shirtless dark-haired commando in the red bandanna). The controls consists of an eight way joystick and two action buttons for shooting and jumping. When the player jumps, he curls into a somersault instead of doing a conventional jump like in other games. The joystick controls not only the player's movement while walking and jumping, but also his aiming. During side view stages, the player can shoot leftward, rightward or upward while standing, as well as horizontally and diagonally while walking. The player can also shoot in any of eight directions, including downwards, while jumping. Pressing the joystick downwards while standing will cause the player to lie down on his stomach, allowing him to avoid enemy fire and shoot low targets. When the jump button is pressed while crouching on a higher platform, the player will drop down to a lower level.
Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America on February 1988. This version was produced in-house by Konami and features several differences from the arcade release in order to better suit the NES's hardware. The game can be played by up to two players, but due to the graphical limitations of the NES, Bill and Lance lost their individualized character designs. Instead, they are both depicted as shirtless commandos distinguished by the colors of their pants (blue pants for the first player and red pants for the second).
The NES version consists of eight stages, which are structured a bit differently from the arcade game. Stage 1 (the jungle) starts similarly to its arcade counterpart, but the level is longer and there's an added segment where the player must jump over a couple of bottomless pits just before reaching the gate. Stage 2 combines the first base stage and the subsequent battle in the core of the base into one level, whereas Stage 4 does the same for the second base and its core. Both base stages no longer have a time limit and feature a completely linear layout compared to the maze-like designs of their arcade counterparts. Stage 3 (the waterfall) is also longer and has a different boss at the end: instead of destroying a sensor, the player fights an alien statue that shoots fireballs from its mouth and limbs. Stages 5 through 8 are based on the various areas that composed the final stage of the arcade version (a snowfield, an energy zone, a hangar and the alien's lair). Each of these stages end with a showdown against an enemy boss.
Contra was one of the early NES games to feature the Konami Code. Inputting the code at the title screen starts the player with thirty lives instead of the usual three. The cheat will be in effect as well when the player runs out of lives and uses a continue to retry a stage.
Wikipedia contributors. Contra (video game). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. February 29, 2016, 21:38 UTC. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Contra_(video_game)&oldid=707619433.