Contra

135 - Contra

Year: 1987
Platform(s): Nintendo Entertainment System
Designer(s): Koji Hiroshita, Shigeharu Umezaki & Shinji Kitamoto
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami

"Perhaps the best example of the NES's capability at adapting and even improving on arcade games of its era, Contra offers the best shooting action on the NES and is also the console's definitive multiplayer experience. Contra deftly captures the spirit of the testosterone-fueled '80s summer blockbusters, with obvious nods to the Alien and Rambo series. Alternating both horizontal and vertical scrolling levels with cool 3D-imitating third-person view stages, Contra was designed with short attention spans in mind. Although the game offers a fairly decent challenge, the experience of kicking serious alien ass can be had by less talented players, thanks to the legendary Konami Code, which, in its most famous implementation, gives you 30 lives to burn through as you please. And if you somehow run out of those, you can always steal one from your unsuspecting partner." - Stephen Ng, IGN

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