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The Contra series (魂斗羅 in Japanese) is a line of run and gun video games created by Konami from 1987 through 2004. While originally arcade games, the series gained its immense popularity base from its console releases, especially the titles created for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES video game consoles. The Metal Slug series and Gunstar Heroes are well-known examples of games that directly base their gameplay on the original Contra titles. Image File history File links Contral_(logo). ...
A run and gun (also known as run n gun or for some variants, overhead shooter) is a sub-genre of video games that incorporates elements from shoot em up games and platform games. ...
Konami Corporation ) (TYO: 9766 NYSE: KNM SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines and video games. ...
1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ...
“NES†redirects here. ...
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES (pronounced either as a word or initials), is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ...
Four different video game consoles from different generations. ...
Metal Slug is a series of shoot em up video games first released on the Neo-Geo game console created by SNK. It was also ported to other consoles, such as the PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and more recently, the Game Boy Advance and Xbox. ...
Gunstar Heroes ) is a run and gun video game released in 1993 by Treasure Co. ...
Etymology
The most likely source of the name "Contra" is from the Iran-Contra affair, which occurred during the second term of President Ronald Reagan. Subsequently, when the controversy was reaching its apex, it likely resulted in the renaming of the console ports of Super Contra that became known in the west as Super C. Image File history File links Original_contra. ...
Image File history File links Original_contra. ...
Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ...
Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ...
The Iran-Contra Affair was the largest political scandal in the United States during the 1980s, considered by some to be one of the largest political scandals in history. ...
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981 – 1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967 – 1975). ...
Super Contra , lit. ...
The in-game use of the term "Contra" is explained within the game in both the Famicom port of Contra and Contra: Shattered Soldier as "a title awarded to a superior soldier possessing almost super human drive and ability, while excelling in guerrilla tactics". “NES†redirects here. ...
Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ...
Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Gameplay The Contra series essentially defined the run and gun computer and video game genre. The games, which are a combination of platform and shoot 'em up, consist of a player-controlled human protagonist who employs rapid-fire rifles to destroy enemies. While there is more emphasis put on shooting than jumping, the player must be able to use jump to gain the right angle to destroy certain enemies and avoid getting shot. Avoidance is essential, as it only takes one hit to kill the player. A run and gun (also known as run n gun or for some variants, overhead shooter) is a sub-genre of video games that incorporates elements from shoot em up games and platform games. ...
This is an alphabetized listing of computer and video game genres with a brief description and examples from each genre. ...
A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ...
It has been suggested that Scrolling shooter be merged into this article or section. ...
The majority of the games in the series are presented strictly in a side-view perspective, with some of the levels scrolling vertically; however, different titles have experimented with different replication of the same basic gameplay. Super Contra and Contra III: The Alien Wars had overhead levels, similar to titles like Commando; the player could not jump in this perspective but could strafe instead. The original Contra had two "shooting gallery" type levels, similar to NAM-1975; the player could still perform all the same dodging moves. The games created by Appaloosa Interactive, while not well-received, experimented with third-person shooter perspectives. The final game in the series, thus far, Neo Contra, uses a 3D rendered isometric perspective. Super Contra , lit. ...
Commando (æˆ¦å ´ã®ç‹¼/Senjou no Ookami [Battlefield Wolf]) is a vertically-scrolling shoot em up released in 1985. ...
NAM-1975 is an arcade game, released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo, and a nickname for Nami Liljefors. ...
Appaloosa Interactive is a Hungarian company that produced numerous console games during the 1980s and 90s. ...
Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
3D computer graphics are different from 2D computer graphics in that a three-dimensional representation of geometric data is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. ...
An isometric drawing of a cube. ...
Difficulty
Contra III: The Alien Wars The Contra series has a reputation for being exceptionally fast-paced and difficult. It is thought to take an extremely skilled player to progress through the game using only the three lives and continues provided. The Konami Code, made famous in the first NES version of Contra and featured in many of its sequels, increases the initial number of lives to 30. This allows players of average skill level to coast through the game. Contra III: The Alien Wars, by contrast, allows players to choose the number of lives with which they start the game, as well as difficulty (which modifies both the amount of enemies and hits they can endure). Image File history File links Contra3_1. ...
Image File history File links Contra3_1. ...
Logo of the Konami Code (plus trailing Start) sold on T-Shirts. ...
This series is well known for its frequent battles against large bosses, who often occupy most of the screen, and consist of multiple body parts and/or phases. Like most Konami games, the bosses have weak points that blink yellow or red when receiving damage. Flag Ship from the video game Gorf In video games, a boss is a particularly challenging computer-controlled character that must be defeated at the end of a segment of a game, whether it be for a level, an episode, or the very end of the game itself (final boss). ...
Common gameplay elements Two-player simultaneous play – One of the hallmarks of the Contra series (excluding Operation C and C: The Contra Adventure) has been the ability for two players to play cooperatively in a simultaneous fashion. Even the most recent title Neo Contra, despite many gameplay changes, keeps the two player simultaneous mode intact. Operation C (Japanese: コントラ Contra; Probotector in Europe) is an original shooter/platform game released in 1991 by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy. ...
Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
Bill Rizer – One of the recurring protagonists of the Contra series. Nicknamed Sergeant Bill Ko, Mad Dog, and Jimbo in early North American localizations of the series. In the early Contra games, he served as a hero of the Alien Wars, but is imprisoned for treason prior to the events of Shattered Soldier for causing an act of terrorism that resulted in the destruction of 80% of the Earth's population, as well as being charged for the apparent murder of his comrade, Lance Bean. In Neo Contra, he is revived to combat the corrupt Neo Contra task force.
Lance Bean – The other recurring protagonist of the Contra series. Nicknamed Corporal Lance, Scorpion, and Sully in early North American localizations of the series. In the early Contra games, he fought alongside Bill during the Alien Wars. But afterwards, he was apparently killed while trying to stop Bill from causing an act of terrorism. In reality, Lance was murdered under orders from the Triumvirate, but survived due to the Alien organism. In Shattered Soldier, he leads the Blood Falcon organization against the Federation.
Red Falcon – The terrorist organization that served as the antagonists of the first game. The alien entity that appears in each is erroneously referred as Red Falcon, when in reality they appeared only in the first game. The terrorist group in Shattered Soldier is known as Blood Falcon.
Spread Gun – The most famous weapon, and considered by many players the best overall, is the Spread Gun. This weapon fires five, usually red, bullets within a 90 degree arc. It allows for a dense concentration of firepower up close (a la shotgun), while having the ability to cover a large area when firing from a distance. Other weapons in the series have come and gone, but the Spread Gun has remained (almost) constant. A pump-action and two semi-automatic action Remington 1100 shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a clay trap, and three boxes of clay pigeons. ...
Powerup blimps – Most of the games, except Contra: Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra, have kept the process of acquisistioning additional weapons and powerups exclusive to shooting down powerup blimps that screech across the screen in an undulating fashion, and collecting the resulting falcon badge. Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
Contra games Here is the list of the Contra games that are part of the official (original) Contra continuity, and the years the game is set in: Image File history File links Contra_Hard_Corps. ...
Image File history File links Contra_Hard_Corps. ...
Here is the list of the Contra games that are retconned from the official Contra continuity: Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ...
Super Contra , lit. ...
Operation C (Japanese: コントラ Contra; Probotector in Europe) is an original shooter/platform game released in 1991 by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy. ...
Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Contra Force is a platform/scrolling shooter video game that was released in 1992 by Konami for the NES. The game is a spin-off of Konamis popular Contra. ...
Games and ports
Primary releases and ports 193.113.48.9 14:49, 25 April 2007 (UTC)===Other ports=== Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ...
Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ...
MSX2 may refer to: The second generation of the MSX home computers Homeo box homolog 2 Protein This article consisting of a 4-letter acronym or initialism is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...
The original Game Boys design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles. ...
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ...
The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ...
The Sega Saturn ) is a 32-bit video game console, first released on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America and July 8, 1995 in Europe. ...
The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ...
The Game Boy Color (also referred to as GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States. ...
The two versions of the PS2 with an Eye Toy camera The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Contra: Shattered Soldier Instructions on how to use the directory command. ...
Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ...
The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. ...
The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ...
The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
The original Amiga 1000 (1985) with various peripherals The Amiga is a family of home/personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation as an advanced home entertainment and productivity machine. ...
The GameKing is an 8-bit handheld game console produced by the Chinese company TimeTop since 2003. ...
The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ...
The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged...
Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners. ...
The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ...
A logo from Nintendos Virtual Console website Virtual Console ), sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a video game download service that is currently offered by Nintendo for its Wii gaming console. ...
“NDS†redirects here. ...
Image File history File links Contra_ss02. ...
Image File history File links Contra_ss02. ...
Storyline The original Contra was released at a time when video games were still lacking any in-depth storyline or actual narrative within them. As a result, the companies that localized the games in the US would often have a different interpretation of the game's plot than the original Japanese publishers. Konami's US branch was very notorious for this practice, writing their own versions of the games' story, sometimes in a humorous (and arguably condescending) fashion within their instruction manuals. ImageMetadata File history File links Neocontra_01. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links Neocontra_01. ...
Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
The original Japanese storyline was set in the 27th century, in which a mysterious meteorite falls into the fictional Galuga archipelago near New Zealand two years prior to the beginning of the game. The player (as Bill Rizer or Lance Bean, members of the elite "Contra" task force) must neutralize a terrorist group known as "Red Falcon" that is staging an alien invasion on the islands. The logo of "Red Falcon" was prominately featured on various shipping crates. Coincidently, the logo is very similar to shipping company APL's logo.
The premise is more or less the same in the US version of the story, but the setting has been changed from the 27th century to the present, with the location being moved from Galuga to the Mayan temples in Central America. The arrival of the meteorite also occurs during the 1950s, and the main characters are renamed Mad Dog and Scorpion. The change was presumably a result of the discrepancy between the game's modern guerilla warfare theme and actual setting according to the Japanese plot.
The change of setting caused trouble with the localization of later installments, which were clearly set in futuristic environments. To remedy this, Konami of America explained that the characters in The Alien Wars were actually Jimbo and Sully, the descendants of Mad Dog and Scorpion, respectively, from the previous games.
The European NES version of the game, Probotector, kept the original Japanese storyline, with the only differences being the replacement of Bill, Lance and some of the enemies with robotic counterparts.
Beginning with Contra: Shattered Soldier, the old North American continuity, along with the PlayStation games, Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure, was discarded and the Japanese continuity (from the original Contra to Contra: Hard Corps, including Operation C) was adapted for all subsequent North American releases.
Probotector and censoring
The box art for the European version of Contra III: The Alien Wars, modified as Super Probotector: Alien Rebels The early console versions of Contra (and sequels to the console versions) were released as Probotector in Europe and Australia. In this version the two main characters (and many humanoid looking enemies in the NES versions) were changed to robots - despite the fact the original arcade version was released uncensored under the Gryzor title in those territories. Image File history File links Alienrebels-front. ...
Image File history File links Alienrebels-front. ...
One reason may be that Konami was concerned about the worry over violent games in Europe; another factor could have been the German market, as Germany has relatively strict laws regarding protection of minors. Media which are considered not suitable for minors by the BPjM are not allowed to be advertised or displayed in stores, and they can only be bought on request by people older than 18 years of age. This article has been translated, and needs attention from someone approaching dual fluency. ...
Contra: Hard Corps for Mega Drive (known merely as Probotector) was the last Contra title to be released under the Probotector label, while the next one in the series, Contra: Legacy of War, became the first one to remain as a Contra game in these territories. Subsequent entries have all retained their original titles. Despite this, Super Probotector: Alien Rebels was still rereleased in Europe and Australia instead of Contra III: The Alien Wars upon its debut on the Virtual Console. A logo from Nintendos Virtual Console website Virtual Console ), sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a video game download service that is currently offered by Nintendo for its Wii gaming console. ...
References
External links | | | Contra • Super Contra • Operation C • Contra III: The Alien Wars • Contra Force • Contra: Hard Corps • Contra: Legacy of War • C: The Contra Adventure • Contra: Shattered Soldier • Neo Contra MobyGames is a website devoted to cataloging computer and video games, both past and present. ...
Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ...
Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ...
Super Contra , lit. ...
Operation C (Japanese: コントラ Contra; Probotector in Europe) is an original shooter/platform game released in 1991 by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy. ...
Contra Force is a platform/scrolling shooter video game that was released in 1992 by Konami for the NES. The game is a spin-off of Konamis popular Contra. ...
Neo Contra ) is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. ...
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