Contra

"My 100th review is on a game that is famous for its 30 lives cheat code. However, I am one of the elite few that can conquer the aliens without it."

You have to love the Contra series. From the time that I first popped the original Contra into my NES, I was hooked. There is nothing more satisfying than basically being a commando in a one man army. You get to blast aliens; huge and small; grotesque and disgusting. When I was a kid, me and my father kept renting the game from a little mom and pop video game store in my town. You know the kind of stores I mean right? It's the type of store that had any game you wanted at anytime. Blockbuster can't say that in today's videogame age. Anyway, I always loved when I rented Contra, but I always wanted to own it. Finally, one year for Christmas, my dad bought me a copy. At last, I would own one of the best games ever made on the NES. What is funny is that my dad couldn't wait until Christmas to play it. He said he wanted to try out the game to make sure it worked, but I knew why he opened it, even at such a young age. Think about it. If a videogame can make my dad open up a videogame intended for me before Christmas, then you know that it is really a great game.

What was so great about it then? Well think about it. The story revolves around you, a one man army (or two man army if you play with two players). Your goal is to make your way threw jungles, waterfalls, snow capped mountains, and several enemy bases to reach the vile Red Falcon and destroy him. The game has really great graphics considering the graphical limitations of the NES at the time. The environments look great, but even the backgrounds look really cool. The jungle has nice looking ice capped mountains in the background, while the final stage has the coolest looking stage, with a disturbing blue background that really sets the mood as you make your way to the Red Falcon. As for the music, it's excellent. It ranks up there with the Mega Man, Zelda, Castlevania, and the Mario series. The very first stage has the best music of all. It is the most recognizable song in the Contra series. Heck, it was even used in Contra: Shattered Soldier for the PS2.

The gameplay is the most important aspect to any videogame. First of all, you have unlimited bullets for your gun which means you don't have to be sparing with your ammo. Your regular bullets are fairly weak, but they can be upgraded by shooting at the floating footballs on the screen to collect a badge. You can upgrade your gun using these badges to a flame whip, machine gun, laser, or the famous spread gun. There are platform elements included as well, but the game is still about blasting. Now for the twist. No matter what hits you, whether it's a stray bullet or an enemy, you will die, plain and simple. There is of course the famous cheat code that gives you 30 lives, but only the elite few can conquer the aliens without it. I'm proud to say that I am one of them.

So how about replay value? Well, as with any NES game, the ending isn't all that great, but there are only eight stages to go threw. You will replay this over and over. In all, this game is an epic masterpiece; from the first time you are dumped in the jungle; to the first fortress at the end of the first level (you know, with that one single annoying sniper on the top); to finally conquering the Red Falcon, who is really a nasty looking alien heart. Here is a perfect reason to realize that this game is so great. When the makers of Contra: Shattered Soldier were looking for a classic level to use for the alien base, they chose to remake the original level from Contra; from the music; to the fortress at the end of the jungle. The real reason the aliens were attacking the earth in this game was finally revealed in Contra: Shattered Soldier, but back in the NES days, gamers everywhere were simply looking to blow the aliens up. This game gave young kids everywhere just that chance.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/15/06