1987 video recording game
Contra [ a ] is a run-and-gun shooter video bet on developed and published by Konami, primitively developed as a coin-operated arcade game in 1986 [ 5 ] [ 6 ] and released on February 20, 1987. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] A dwelling translation was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, along with ports for respective dwelling calculator formats, including the MSX2. The arcade and calculator versions were localized as Gryzor in Europe, and the NES interpretation as Probotector in PAL regions. [ clarification needed ] The arcade game was a commercial success cosmopolitan, becoming one of the top four highest-grossing dedicated arcade games of 1987 in the United States. The NES interpretation was besides a critical and commercial success, with Electronic Gaming Monthly awarding it for being the Best action Game of 1988. several Contra sequels were produced following the original plot.
Reading: Contra (video game)
Gameplay [edit ]
In-game screenshot, showing Bill and Lance attacking the game ‘s second base. Contra employs a assortment of playing perspectives, which include a standard side view, a pseudo-3D opinion ( in which the actor proceeds by shooting and moving towards the background, in addition to left or proper ) and a specify screen format ( in which the player has their grease-gun aimed upwards by default ). Up to two people can play simultaneously, with one player as Bill ( the blond-haired commando wearing a white tank acme and amobarbital sodium bandanna ), and the early player as Lance ( the shirtless dark-haired commando with a crimson bandanna ). The controls consists of an eight-way stick and two military action buttons for shooting ( left ) and jumping ( right ). When one of the protagonists jumps, he curls into a somersault rather of doing a ceremonious rise like in other games. The joystick controls not only the actor ‘s motion while running and leap out, but besides his calculate. During slope view stages, the actor can shoot leftward, rightward or up while standing, a well as horizontally and diagonally while running. The actor can besides shoot in any of eight directions, including downwards, while jumping. Pressing the joystick downwards while standing will cause the character to lie down on his stomach, allowing him to avoid enemy displace and dart low targets. When the leap push button is pressed while crouching on a higher platform, the character will drop down to a lower level. The actor ‘s default weapon is a rifle with unlimited ammunition that can be upgraded into one of four early guns. These can be obtained by destroying the pill box sensors and flying detail capsules containing them, or by defeating the red-clad guards in the enemy bases. These consist of a car gun that fires quickly when the fuel release is held down, a laser artillery that shoots a knock-down balance beam, a powerhouse gunman that shoots its rounds in a corkscrew radiation pattern, and a spread artillery that shoots five person bullets in individual directions. There are besides two auxiliary power-ups that lone appear in certain areas when the character is armed with his nonpayment gunman : a rapid-bullets upgrade that increases the firing speed of the gun ‘s shots and a barrier that makes the character invulnerable for a limited period. With the exception of the machine gunman and the laser gun, each item comes in the mannequin of a Falcon-shaped symbol marked with a letter representing its function ( F, S, R, and B ). The arcade translation of Contra consists of seven stages ( the number of stages and flat structures vary in late versions ). The beginning stage is a side-scrolling level where the musician character is dropped into the hobo camp and must fend off the enemy ‘s initial line of defense until he reaches the entrance of the first base, where he must destroy a big detector to enter the nucleotide. The game switches to a 3D view for the second gear stage, where the musician quality must fight his way through a series of passageways inside the basis before time runs out ( a display at the lead of the screen shows the map of the base and the time remaining ). The musician must destroy a generator at the other side of each passageway in order to deactivate the electric stream preventing access. The third stage is set in the effect of the base in a fixed screen, where the player must destroy the enemy ‘s defense system in order to expose the final examination aim, a giant eyeball that shoots fireballs. Stages 4 through 6 proceed similarly to the first three stages. degree 4 is a vertically-scrolling tied where the player must jump their way to the top of a waterfall until reaching the entrance of the second basal, where the player must destroy a bombastic diamond-shaped detector guarded by a defensive structure system in order to clear the stage. stage 5 is another 3D stagecoach set inside another base, while stage 6 is another bos battle, this time against a pair of heads that split into two images each. The heads can only be damaged when their disconnected images align together. The seventh and concluding stage returns to the side-scrolling format of the first stage, as the actor fights through the enemy ‘s final wrinkle of refutation ( which includes a hovercraft, armored trucks, and giant helmeted soldiers ) while proceeding through areas such as a snowfield, an energy plant and a airdock, to finally reach the foreigner ‘s lair, where the regular enemy soldiers are replaced with nonnatural creatures. The player must fight a giant foreigner head that spawns larva from its mouth before reaching the concluding target, a cardiac creature that must be destroyed in ordering to complete the mission. The musician loses a animation if their character ( Bill or Lance ) comes into contact with enemies or their missiles, fails to complete a base stage before the time terminus ad quem, or falls into a bottomless pit. When that happens, the quality will revert to his default option weapon on his next life. After losing all lives, the player can continue by inserting more coins ( if necessary ) and pressing START, but entirely up to three times. A second player can join in anytime, but if one actor loses all of their lives, they must wait until the other musician loses their lives arsenic well to continue together. The arcade game was released in three versions. [ 8 ] The japanese and american english versions are virtually identical, aside from the japanese version using kanji characters to spell the game ‘s style. however, the european version, titled Gryzor, alone allows two players to play the bet on alternating rather than simultaneously .
plot [edit ]
Contra is set in the distant future of the year 2633 A.D., when the malefic Red Falcon Organization have set a base on the fabricated Galuga archipelago near New Zealand in a plot to wipe out humanness. Two commando, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean [ 9 ] [ 8 ] of the Earth Marine Corp ‘s Contra whole ( an elite group of soldiers specializing in guerrilla war ), are sent to the island to destroy the enemy forces and uncover the true nature of the estrange entity controlling them. [ 9 ] The promotional materials for the US arcade version downplays the futuristic set of the game, with the manual for the late NES and home computer versions changing the game ‘s typeset from the future to the present sidereal day and the placement from Galuga to the Amazon Jungle .
exhaust [edit ]
home computers [edit ]
Under license from Konami, Ocean Software produced ports under the style of Gryzor ( the European arcade title ) for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC, which were released in Europe in 1988. [ 10 ] The Commodore 64 translation was released in North America under the Contra title. Ocean ‘s ports were patterned after the original arcade version of the game. An IBM personal computer interpretation was developed by Banana Development Inc and released in North America. This interpretation was released in Europe under the Gryzor name. [ 11 ] The binding exemplification of Ocean ‘s Gryzor ports by Bob Wakelin was inspired by different poses of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger from the film Predator. [ 12 ] The illustration was late used for the packaging of the NES translation. The japanese MSX2 translation had an single photograph cover ; despite that, the Wakelin ‘s example was used in the rear screen .
Nintendo Entertainment System [edit ]
The boss of Stage 3 in the NES version Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in February 1988. This adaptation was produced in-house by Konami and features respective differences from the arcade dismissal in order to better courtship the NES ‘s hardware. For example, sprites for effects ( like explosions ) are shown at 30fps rather of 60fps to work around the fairy limitations of the system. Another game to use this technique is Recca. [ 13 ] The Famicom version contains cutscenes, an extra music track, and environment effects which were removed from the NES version. [ 14 ] The game can be played by one or two players, but due to the graphic limitations of the NES, Bill and Lance lost their individualize character designs. rather, they are both depicted as shirtless commando distinguished by the colors of their pants ( blue for Bill and loss for Lance ). When one actor loses all of their lives, they are given the choice to use the other player ‘s stock to keep active. The power-up icons for the Machine Gun and Laser Gun were besides changed and are now represented by letter-based falcon symbols ( M and L ) used by the other weapons. The rapid Bullets and Barrier power-ups are besides more common in this interpretation, since unlike the arcade game, the flying detail capsules now appear careless of which weapon the player character presently possesses. The NES version introduces a seventh item that clears the screen of all on-screen enemies when obtained. The NES translation recomposes the seven stages of the arcade version into eight stages. Stages 2 and 3 were combined into one stage, resulting in the renumbering of the Waterfall level from Stage 4 to Stage 3, while Stages 5 and 6 were combined into the new Stage 4. The final examination four stages of the NES interpretation ( the Snowfield, Energy Zone, Hangar and Alien Lair ) are based on the different areas featured in the arcade interpretation ‘s final stage. The level designs themselves are drastically different from the arcade version besides. The two free-base stages for example ( Stage 2 and 4 ), nobelium longer have their mazelike structures nor is there any clock time specify involved. The boss of the waterfall stage was besides changed from a diamond-shaped detector to an extraterrestrial being statue. Contra was one of the early NES games to feature the Konami Code. Inputting the code at the style screen starts the musician with thirty lives rather of the usual three. The cheat will be in effect deoxyadenosine monophosphate well when the player runs out of lives and uses a proceed to retry a stage .
Famicom [edit ]
Contra was released for the Famicom in Japan on February 9, 1988. While the gameplay remains identical to the NES interpretation released around the same month, the Famicom version has a custom-made Multi-Memory Controller that Konami produced called the VRC2 ( in line to the UNROM display panel used by its NES counterpart ). This allowed for the inclusion of cutscenes and a few graphic effects that were not possible in the NES adaptation. [ 14 ] The game begins with a prologue sequence explaining the game ‘s backstory, followed by a map of the Galuga archipelago, which is shown at the begin of every degree to indicate the player ‘s build up. Cutscenes are besides shown between stages, depicting Bill ( or Lance ) giving a status report of his current situation to headquarters, and in subsequently stages, shooting his gun towards the screen. The ending sequence is besides slenderly different and if the musician holds the blue-ribbon and start buttons during the credits sequence, a secret message will be displayed after the Konami logo. other differences include the addition of a voice test mode, added background animations in sealed stages ( such as windblown palm leaves in Stage 1 and a blizzard in Stage 5 ), a unlike stage clear jingle when the musician clears the final phase, and a level choice deceiver code.
PAL version [edit ]
Probotector is a modify interpretation of the NES Contra that was released for the PAL region [ clarification needed ] on December 28, 1990. This interpretation redesigns the human protagonists and some of the enemy characters to give them a automatic appearance. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 15 ] This was done to circumvent the BPjM ‘s censoring laws in Germany, which prohibits the sales of crimson video games to minors. subsequent Contra games for home consoles followed suit, all being released in the PAL region under the Probotector claim and featuring like modifications. Beginning with Contra: Legacy of War, Konami abandoned the Probotector claim and localized most of the far games with minimal changes .
MSX2 [edit ]
An MSX2 translation of Contra was released by Konami entirely in Japan on May 26, 1989. The MSX2 adaptation greatly differs from the arcade and NES versions. Due to hardware limitations of the MSX2, the game does not scroll but alternatively uses flip-screens like other MSX2 games such as Metal Gear and Vampire Killer. The game uses the SCC sound chip. [ 16 ] quite than one-hit kills, there is an energy gauge, which allows Bill Rizer to take more than one inject or hit before losing a life. There are two main power-ups in the MSX2 translation, a Falcon-shaped power-up that increases the musician ‘s run and shooting speed, adenine well as a gun-shaped power-up which allows the player to change their current weapon. After picking up the weapon power-up, the player can choose between the nonpayment Normal Gun or four other weapons. The Spread Gun is not featured in this adaptation, replaced by the Rear Gun like to the tailgun in Gradius II, which fires in two directions at the lapp time. The MSX2 translation Contra is composed of 19 stages. Stages 1 through 6 are drawn directly from the arcade interpretation, whereas Stages 7 through 9 are based on the unlike areas featured in the concluding stagecoach of the arcade translation in a matter similar to the final four stages of the NES interpretation. Stages 10 through 19 are new to this version and take place chiefly in an underground facility underneath the Galuga Archipelago. Unlike the arcade and NES versions, the MSX2 version is single-player entirely ( lance Bean does not appear in any form ), and has no lengthiness feature ; if a musician loses all lives, the game will end immediately. however, the Game Master II utility cartridge can be used to save progress via its S-RAM backup feature of speech .
later releases [edit ]
reception [edit ]
In Japan, the arcade bet on topped the Game Machine chart for table arcade cabinets in April 1987. [ 34 ] In the United Kingdom, Gryzor was a blockbuster hit in the arcades and the home computer versions topped the Gallup charts. [ 35 ] In the United States, Contra became one of the top four highest-grossing dedicated arcade games of 1987, [ 36 ] [ 37 ] and then the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System port became and remained widely popular and remembered. a lot of the game ‘s popularity came from its two-player coincident cooperative gameplay. The arcade game received broadly golden reviews from critics upon let go of. Peter Shaw of Your Sinclair called Gryzor one of his “ darling ” games at the meter. [ 30 ] Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games said “ Lots of shooting and no time for a snorkel makes Gryzor one hell of a exhausting game to play. ” [ 1 ] The NES version received a positive reception from critics. Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel and Joyce Worley of Computer Gaming World called Contra on the NES “ a sincerely outstanding action epic ” set on a “ scroll and beautifully drawn playfield ”. [ 28 ] japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the Famicom ( NES ) version of the game a score of 27 out of 40. [ 29 ] Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it for being the Best action Game of 1988. [ 33 ] AllGame editor Skyler Miller praised Contra, touting that the crippled “ became the standard by which future platform shooters would be judged ”. [ 27 ] The MS-DOS adaptation of the crippled received a negative review in Dragon No. 142 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in “ The Role of Computers ” column in 1989 ; they criticized Konami ‘s copy protection which prevented the game from booting up on their calculator. [ 38 ] In 2004, the NES adaptation of Contra was inducted into GameSpot ‘s tilt of the greatest games of all time. [ 39 ] Contra was voted No. 1 by gaming web site IGN as being the “ Toughest Game to Beat ”. [ 40 ] Nintendo Power ranked it as the seventh best NES plot, calling it one of the best multiplayer NES games. [ 41 ] Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the NES translation as the 45th best console television crippled of all clock time, similarly saying that it “ set the standard for all two-player coincident action games to follow. ” [ 42 ] GamesRadar ranked it the tenth best northeast game ever made, considering it possibly superior to the arcade version. [ 43 ] Game Informer besides included it in their number of best games ever at number 13. The staff noted that while not revolutionary, it was fun. [ 44 ] In 2017, Contra ranked 82nd in “ The Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time ”, a statistical meta-analysis compiled by Warp Zoned of 44 “ top games ” lists published between 1995 and 2016. [ 45 ]
bequest [edit ]
Contra was followed by Super Contra subsequently the like year. It is the only Contra sequel for the arcades developed in-house by Konami. Following the success of the NES adaptations of both the original and its sequel ( which was retitled Super C in its american publish ), subsequent sequels were produced specifically for the family console market such as Contra III: The Alien Wars for the Super NES and Contra: Hard Corps for the Genesis, becoming one of Konami ‘s landmark series. As of 2020, the series has 12 installments. The music from the arcade version of Contra is one of the soundtracks included in the video recording crippled album Konami Game Music Vol.4: A Jax, which was released by Alfa Records on May 10, 1988, in CD ( catalogue no. 28XA-201 ), cassette ( ALC-22922 ), and vinyl ( ALR-22922 ). In April 2017, Beijing Starlit Movie and TV Culture announced they were producing a live-action movie version of Contra in China. Wei Nan is listed as the screenwriter. The stick out was scheduled for exhaust on June 6, 2018, but it did not meet that release date. [ 46 ] While the Konami code was first introduced with the home versions of Gradius, larger awareness of the code ‘s universe in Konami ‘s games grew importantly with its inclusion in the home versions of Contra ( where it gave the musician 30 extra lives to help complete the difficult plot ). [ 47 ] A board bet on adaptation is in development by Blacklist Games and Kess Co. and will be released in 2021. [ 48 ]
See besides [edit ]
Notes [edit ]
- ^Japanese: 魂斗羅 ( コントラ ), Hepburn: Kontora
References [edit ]
- Contra at MobyGames