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Niche story, silly
names
The story is about as interesting as
stories go for this type of game. The aliens are ravaging the earth,
yada, yada, yada. It’s up to you, the descendants of Mad Dog and
Scorpion (the two mofos from the original Contra…yes they had
names), to destroy Red Falcon (the aliens) and save the entire
planet. Although this is not a problem with the game, I just thought
I would mention it…. The names of the new guys are Jimbo and Scully;
two names I wouldn’t expect for these two bad-asses. I would expect
something like Cheryl and Ashley ;). And oh ya, according to the
instruction manual, the game takes place on February 14, 2636… great
day for some killing.
Gameplay
Fast paced run ‘n gun shooting is what
this game is all about. It must first be noted that this game is
HARD. If you tend to get angry at games easily, you might want to
forget about this one. You will get your butt handed to you on a
platter in the first thirty seconds. Enemies and gunfire come from
all directions, but soon you will learn enemy placement and their
movements, and which weapons work best on each level. I did find the
enemies to be a lot less predictable than in the previous
installments. Infinite ammo and power ups galore keep the strategy
element of the game to a minimum and the action element to a
maximum. Actually, the only strategy is deciding what weapon works
most effectively in a certain area.
Some useful controls and features have
been added which really change the game a bit. You can now hold two
different guns and switch between these by pressing X. You can also
use nukes, which kills all of the enemies on the screen. Pressing L
or R will stop you in your tracks to allow you to fire in any
direction, and pressing L and R while jumping you will fire both
guns in all directions.
Also added for this installment is a
variable difficulty and number of lives. You can now play on easy,
normal or hard, with 1-7 lives per continue. This is good to have in
case the normal game is too much for you, or if it is not enough. If
it is not enough, you are hardcore. These options make the game a
little more replayable.
The two-player simultaneous play is
back. Some areas of the game are a lot easier with two people while
some are probably easier by yourself. You can steal lives from your
partner if you’ve lost all of yours, which can be frustrating for
the better player. There is nothing more frustrating than someone
stealing your life and then getting gatted as soon as they appear on
the screen. There are two options for 2 players in the overhead
level; one uses split screen and the other uses one screen for both
players. While it is nice to have the option, the one screen choice
will get each other killed real quick, as you can’t see too far
ahead of yourself.
The levels in the game are of similar
structure to the original Contra. Levels one, three, and six are
side-scrolling, and two and five are overhead. The overhead levels
are really silly. You start off by choosing a location on a map and
the goal is to take out certain enemies. Not bad, but the trouble is
in the controls. You constantly face in one direction and use the L
and R buttons to rotate the screen. Pressing the L and R buttons to
turn gets pretty tedious and you will take it in the pooper numerous
times because of this. Level four is intense. First you have a
jet-bike and then you jump onto a helicopter and hang on to a
missile, but then the missile is fired while you are hanging on. You
have to take out some contraption while jumping from missile to
missile before they explode. It’s rough.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are good for
an early Super Nintendo game. The characters and environments are
very detailed. In between each level there is a graphic showing one
or both of the mofos that serve no real purpose, but I guess it is a
cool close up look at the Rambo wannabes. The explosion effects were
pretty good for the time. One problem with all the action on the
screen, though, is slooooooow down. It can come at the worst moments
and throw your timing off.
Sound
This is one area that the game is
lacking. The guns sound like toys and the explosions sound like
something an eight year old could do. The music is not that bad, but
sometimes it sounds like it would be better suited for Mario Kart
than a game like this. The sound doesn’t really detract from the
game though.
The Bottom Line
If you are a fan of the original Contra
you should definitely head down to your local used game shop and
pick this one up. If not, maybe you should try this one. The added
features of two guns, nukes, and variable difficulties really make
this installment better than the games before it. Be sure to leave
this one be if you have anger management problems.
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