Contra

"The beginning of another legendary Konami series..."

I don't quite understand what the title of this game means. Sure, it translates to ''versus'' in Spanish, but why not just release it in English like every other NES game in this country? Were they trying to be mysterious? I've checked throughout the entire game, and I haven't seen one Mexican flag or even a word of Spanish. I'm betting in Japan it's called ''Man Who Shoot Gun''.

The game itself, keeping in trend with the perplexing title, is wholly unoriginal. If you threw in an Austrian accent, this game would be Predator. Your main goal seems to be taking control of either a little red guy or a similar little blue guy and laying waste to the entire countryside in an effort to unearth the mysterious Red Falcon. This guy is apparently (you'll never guess this) an alien, and he's out to cause total destruction of the universe or some other catastrophy that would necessitate the government sending out two red and blue men by themselves.

Considering they're first- or second-generation eight bit graphics, they look good enough to pass for a Genesis game. Our fearless heroes, Mad Dog and Scorpion, look realistic enough (despite the trademark Konami lack of facial definition). The bad guys are all diverse and menacing, guaranteeing you'll never guess what lies in wait at the end of the stage. The levels and backgrounds have a similar quality, with much attention paid to detail, from the small explosion when you nail a bloodthirsty extraterrestrial to the gigantic James Cameron-type creature at the top of the waterfall.

If you've played any other Konami NES games, you'll know the sound effect palette from the start. Most sounds are recycled from the past or used extensively in future games, right down to the pause effect. Fortunately, Contra also sports one of the most unforgettable soundtracks in video game history. In fact, I'm humming the Alien's Lair theme right now.

As with nearly any action game by Big K, the control is spot-on. Shoot in eight directions. Flip between platforms with the greatest of ease. Weave between a hail of bullets from a nearby hilltop and use the Spread Gun to destroy them all. The control is so nice and the challenge is just right so that action veterans can beat this game without dying.

There's something that still bugs me, though. The game is fun as hell to play through, but when you actually find Red Falcon, uh... isn't it a bit easy to kill him? Don't you think he'd have a bit more going for him in the way of self-defense? Ah, never mind. Get ready to experience some of the most nostalgic fun to be had, as well as some of the slowest moving bullets you're likely to see in your life.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/00, Updated 02/22/01