Contra. NES [No Damage Walkthrough] Famicom | Nintendo | Family Computer | Hyundai Comboy | Fantendo

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Contra[a] is a run and gun video game developed and published by Konami, originally developed as a coin-operated arcade video game in 1986 and released on February 20, 1987. A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, along with ports for various home computer formats, including the MSX2. The arcade and computer versions were localized as Gryzor in Europe, and the NES version as Probotector in PAL regions.

Nintendo Entertainment System:
Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in February 1988. This version was produced in-house by Konami, and features several differences from the arcade release in order to better suit the NES's hardware.

Plot:
Contra is set in the distant future of the year 2633 A.D., when the evil Red Falcon Organization have set a base on the fictional Galuga archipelago near New Zealand in a plot to wipe out humanity. Two commandos, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean of the Earth Marine Corp's Contra unit (an elite group of soldiers specializing in guerrilla warfare), are sent to the island to destroy the enemy forces and uncover the true nature of the alien entity controlling them.

Differences in the US release:
The promotional materials for the US arcade version downplays the futuristic setting of the game, with the manual for the later NES and home computer versions changing the game's setting from the future to the present day and the location from Galuga to the Amazon Jungle.

Graphics:
For example, sprites for effects (like explosions) are shown at 30fps instead of 60fps to work around the sprite limitations of the system. Another game to use this technique is Recca.

The game can be played by one or two players, but due to the graphical limitations of the NES, Bill and Lance lost their individualized character designs. Instead, they are both depicted as shirtless commandos distinguished by the colors of their pants (blue for Bill and red for Lance). When one player loses all of their lives, they are given the option to use the other player's stock to keep fighting.

Weapons:
The power-up icons for the Machine Gun and Laser Gun were also changed and are now represented by letter-based falcon symbols (M and L) used by the other weapons. The Rapid Bullets and Barrier power-ups are also more common in this version, since unlike the arcade game, the flying item capsules now appear regardless of which weapon the player character currently possesses. The NES version introduces a seventh item that clears the screen of all on-screen enemies when obtained.

Reworked Stages:
The NES version recomposes the seven stages of the arcade version into eight stages. Stages 2 and 3 were combined into one stage, resulting in the renumbering of the Waterfall level from Stage 4 to Stage 3, while Stages 5 and 6 were combined into the new Stage 4. The final four stages of the NES version (the Snowfield, Energy Zone, Hangar, and Alien Lair) are based on the different areas featured in the arcade version's final stage.

The level designs themselves are drastically different from the arcade version too. The two base stages for example (Stage 2 and 4), no longer have their mazelike structures, nor is there any time limit involved. The boss of the waterfall stage was also changed from a diamond-shaped sensor to an alien statue.

The Konami Code:
Contra was one of the early NES games to feature the Konami Code. Inputting the code at the title screen starts the player with thirty lives instead of the usual three. The cheat remains in effect when the player runs out of lives and uses a continue to retry a stage.

Famicom version:
Contra was released for the Famicom in Japan on February 9, 1988. While the gameplay remains identical to the NES version released around the same month, the Famicom version has a custom-made Multi-Memory Controller that Konami produced called the VRC2 (in contrast to the UNROM board used by its NES counterpart). This allowed for the inclusion of cutscenes and a few graphical effects that were not possible in the NES version. Additionally, the Famicom version contains cutscenes, an additional music track, and environment effects which are not included in the NES version.

The game begins with a prologue sequence explaining the game's backstory, followed by a map of the Galuga archipelago, which is shown at the start of every stage to indicate the player's progress. Cutscenes are also shown between stages, depicting Bill (or Lance) giving a status report of his current situation to headquarters, and, in later stages, shooting his gun towards the screen.

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