Super Contra

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Super Contra
North American poster/flyer
European poster for Super Contra. Lance's pose (left) mimics that of Sylvester Stallone in a promotional poster of Rambo: First Blood Part II.
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Designer(s) Arcade version
H. Tsujimoto (director)
Koji Hiroshita (producer)
NES version
Shigeharu Umezaki (director)
Platform(s) Arcade
NES
Commodore Amiga
PC MS-DOS
PlayChoice-10
PC Microsoft Windows
Xbox 360
Wii Virtual Console
Release date Arcade version
JPN NA EU January 8, 1988
NES version
JPN February 2, 1990
NA April, 1990
EU 1992
Amiga version
NA 1990
PC MS-DOS version
NA 1990
Xbox Live Arcade version
NA EU July 25, 2007
Virtual Console
NA August 27, 2007
PAL October 12, 2007
Genre(s) Run and gun
Mode(s) Single player, Cooperative
Input methods 8-way joystick, 2 buttons
Cabinet Upright
Display Raster, 224 x 280, vertical orientation

Super Contra (スーパー魂斗羅 Sūpā Kontora?) is the 1988 arcade sequel to Konami's Contra, released during the previous year. Like the original Contra before it, a version of Super Contra was later released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 under the shortened title of Super C in North America and as Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces in the PAL region, while the corresponding Japanese Famicom version retained the original title. The Japanese title of the arcade version also bore the subtitle/tagline of Alien no Gyakushū (エリアンの逆襲 Erian no Gyakushū?, "The Alien's Counterattack" or "The Aliens Strikes Back"), which was omitted in the western versions of the arcade game, as well as the later Famicom port. Unlike the original Contra, the arcade version of Super Contra was distributed in Europe with its original title and cooperatively 2-player gameplay intact.

In Super Contra, the alien forces from the original game have taken over a base in an undisclosed region of South America and the player(s) once again assume the roles of protagonists Bill Rizer and Lance Bean to counter the invasion.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story takes place in December of 2634, a year after the events of the original Contra. A disturbing distress signal from General Hal is received, who was on his way to South America in preparation for the GX Army's 7th military maneuvers, reporting that the GX Army has suddenly revolted. The top branch of the federation forces calls forth Bill and Lance to investigate the situation. They arrive at the base ruins, only to be attacked by the GX Army's troops. Noticing that the troops' discolored blue skins and angry eyes, Bill and Lance return fire at their enemy and discover familiar-looking creatures inside their bodies. The alien creatures they fought at Galuga have somehow survived and mutated into their forms. The situation becomes grimmer at the fact that not only Bill and Lance are killing their former comrade-in-arms, but a new evolved race of alien invaders as well.

As in the original Contra, the North American localization of the NES version changed the game's futuristic setting to a contemporary one, although the premise of Bill and Lance fighting against their former comrades-in-arms remained more or less the same.

[edit] Gameplay

The first level in Super Contra. Inclined surfaces, as shown here, were not present in the original Contra.
The first level in Super Contra. Inclined surfaces, as shown here, were not present in the original Contra.

The original arcade version of Super Contra played essentially the same as its forebearer. The main difference was in its versatility. While the original Contra had two versions of gameplay (a side-view and a pseudo-3D view), Super Contra replaces the pseudo-3D stages with overhead stages similar to other overhead shooters at the time such as Commando and Ikari Warriors. Additionally, the side-view stages of Super Contra featured inclined surfaces, which were not in the original Contra. In the arcade version, the player can now control the height of their jump; by holding the joystick up and pressing the jump button will allow for a higher jump. The arcade version is composed of five stages which spans a military base, a jungle and an alien lair. Stage 2 and 5 are overhead stages.

Like in the original Contra, the player can upgrade their default gun into one of the following four special weapons: the Machine Gun, the Spread Gun, a Laser and a Bomb gun. Unlike the other games in the series, the power-up icons are now represented by the actual weapons wielded by the character instead of the traditional letter-based falcon capsules (the NES version reverted back to the old icons). Picking the same power-up twice in a row will upgrade to an even more powerful version of the same weapon. In the overhead stages, the player can also pick up a mega shell, which they can activate by pressing the jump button to kill all on-screen enemies.

[edit] Ports

[edit] Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES version had its title shortened to Super C for its North American release.
The NES version had its title shortened to Super C for its North American release.

An NES version of Super Contra was released in Japan and North America (as Super C) in 1990 , in the PAL region in 1992. It is revealed in the museum section of Contra 4 that the title was shortened to avoid any accidental reference to the Iran-Contra scandal. The PAL version (Probotector II) has the main characters and the humanoid enemies replaced with robotic counterparts, much like the original Probotector.

The gameplay and graphics of Super C are similar to the first NES game, but replaces the pseudo-3D stages with overhead stages much like its arcade counterpart. There are three stages unique to the NES version: a high-tech base, a mountain and an alien nest, all vertical-scrolling stages. The order of the later stages and bosses are also slightly different, with a new final boss added to this version as well (the "Fearsome Beast Kimkoh"). The NES version uses the same power-ups as the first NES game, but changes the function of the "fire gun" power-up from a gun that fires small fireballs that travels corkscrew pattern to a large projectile that spreads fire after hitting its target. The player can charge this gun by holding down the B button and then releasing it, shooting an even larger projectile that passes through most fodder enemies and causes an even bigger explosion when it hits a large target. The Rapid Bullets, Barrier and Special power-ups from the first NES game are also included in this game.

The Konami Code from the original Contra was not included in this game. A different code was added which gives out thirty lives in the Famicom version and ten lives in its NES counterparts. Like in the Famicom version of Contra, the Japanese Super Contra has a stage select code removed in its overseas counterparts. Other than that, the Famicom version has no additional cut-scenes or graphical features as it was programmed on the same Nintendo-manufactured MMC3 mapper used for its NES counterparts, compared to the Famicom version of Contra (which uses the Konami-made VRC2 chip). All three versions contain a sound test mode.

[edit] Other platforms

  • A pair of computer ports based on the arcade version were released in North America for the Commodore Amiga and PC MS-DOS by Konami in 1990. Both ports were developed by Distinctive Software. Both versions bore the title Super C like the NES version, instead of the arcade version's title, Super Contra.
  • Super C, along with the NES version of the original Contra, were available for the PlayChoice-10 arcade machine.
  • The NES versions of Contra and Super C are also included as unlockable bonuses in the Nintendo DS game Contra 4, also released in 2007.
  • A mobile phone version of Super Contra was released in Japan on March 5, 2008, coinciding with the Japanese release of Contra: Dual Spirits. This version features the stages from the NES version, but with graphics similar to the arcade game (including the same opening intro).[5]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Xbox.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ Wii.Nintendo.com - Wii Virtual Console games - Super C.
  3. ^ Nintendo Wii: Info.
  4. ^ VC スーパー魂斗羅 (Japanese).
  5. ^ 【コナミネットDX】スーパー魂斗羅 (Japanese).

[edit] External links

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Contra video games