Jump to content

Super Contra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sirmont (talk | contribs) at 18:33, 26 November 2009 (→‎Gameplay). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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)
Composer(s)Kazuki Muraoka
Motoaki Furukawa
Platform(s)Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, Commodore Amiga,IBM PC, PC Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 (XBLA), Virtual Console
ReleaseJanuary 8, 1988
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player, Cooperative

Super Contra (スーパー魂斗羅) is the 1988 arcade sequel to Konami's Contra, released during the previous year. Unlike the original Contra, the arcade version of Super Contra was distributed in Europe with its original title and cooperative 2-player feature intact. A home version of Super Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, which was localized as Super C in North America and Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces in the PAL region.

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

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 skin 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 comrades-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.

Gameplay

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

The arcade version of Super Contra plays essentially the same as its predecessor. The main difference was in its versatility. While the original Contra had two versions of gameplay (a side-view and a 3D view), Super Contra replaces the 3D stages with top-view 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 6 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 rifle, and a Bomb launcher. 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 icons (the NES version reverted back to letter-based 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.

Ports

Nintendo Entertainment System

A home version of Super Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System on February 2, 1990 in Japan and on April 1990 in North America, where it was retitled Super C. A PAL version of the NES game, titled Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces, was released in Template:Vgy.

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 new bosses featured in this version (including a new final boss). The NES version uses the same power-ups as the original 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 the NES versions. Like in the Famicom version of Contra, the Japanese Super Contra has a stage select code that was removed from its NES counterparts. All three versions contain a sound test mode. Like the first NES game, Probotector II (the PAL version), replaced the main characters and some of the enemies with robots.

Other platforms

A pair of computer versions of Super C developed by Distinctive Software were released in North America for the Commodore Amiga and IBM PC by Konami in 1990. Despite bearing the NES version's title of Super C, the computer ports are based on the original arcade game. A direct emulation of the arcade Super Contra was released on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on July 25, 2007,[1] and features enhanced graphics, remixed music and cooperative gameplay via Xbox Live.

The NES version also saw several rereleases. The 2002 Windows PC compilation Konami Collectors' Series: Castlevania and Contra features Super C along with the NES version of the original game, as well as the first three Castlevania games for the system. Super C was later released as a Virtual Console title in North America in 2007.[2]. A corresponding release for Probotector 2: Return of the Evil Forces was made for the European and Australian Virtual Console.[3] The Famicom Super Contra was released for the Japanese Virtual Console on February 12, 2008.[4] Both, 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 release of Contra: Dual Spirits (the Japanese localization of Contra 4). This version features the stages from the NES version, but with graphics similar to the arcade game (including the opening intro).[5]

Notes

  1. ^ "Xbox.com". Retrieved 2007-12-23. {{cite web}}: Text "Super Contra - Game Detail Page" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Wii.Nintendo.com - Wii Virtual Console games - Super C".
  3. ^ "Nintendo Wii: Info".
  4. ^ "VC スーパー魂斗羅" (in Japanese).
  5. ^ "【コナミネットDX】スーパー魂斗羅" (in Japanese).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Super_Contra&oldid=328078096"