Contra
Posted November 8, 2006
Originally released back in 1987 at the local arcade and on the NES in 1988, Contra quickly became a fan favorite due to its addictive gameplay and wonderful co-op mode. For the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360, Konami / Digital Eclipse decided to spruce up the title visually and incorporate online support for their co-op mode. The menu presentation is a bit drab, but jumping into a game couldn't be simpler. Since this is a port of the arcade machine version rather than the NES version, the brief story elements are not found within the game. Contra never needed much of a story, so it doesn't hurt the quality of the title. 
Gameplay:
For those unfamiliar with the game mechanics, Contra is an action shooter based in a variety of jungle & army base environments. The screen scrolls, per character movement, from left to right and vertical ascension is possible via the jump button. The main character can shoot in eight directions via the thumb stick or the directional pad. Enemies include roving soldiers, hidden commandos, jetpack soldiers, and stationary turrets. Bosses include much larger moving machinery with advanced firing capabilities. Weapon power-ups can also be found on the levels in power packs. Upgrades to weaponry include laser beams, spread fire, rapid fire, and swirl fire. The game doesn't have a health system, which means one shot equals death. There are eight levels in the Xbox 360 version. The last three are split from the final mission of the arcade classic since it's so long.
Beyond the single player game, Konami also included online Co-op over Xbox Live. You can jump into a random quick match or create a public / private match. There is an indicator bar for the latency of your partner. While there was little to no lag in the matches I played, the game does experience slight slowdown in the 2 player mode. It's actually a bit of an advantage at times as enemy fire is easier to dodge. Co-op mode is a blast to run though and makes the game much simpler with an Xbox Live bud. Also, the game allows for a real life partner which can join in at any time.
The control scheme is very simple to pick up. Beyond the directional buttons mentioned earlier, the red button fires your gun and the green button makes you jump. There is a short help guide in the menu along with a few options to modify the game. Changing options such as number of lives or the difficulty will null your leader board score and any achievements. Also, achievements will be nullified by the infamous 30 lives code.
The achievements are broken in 12 tasks for the typical arcade total of 200 points. Most of the achievements can be earned in single player or co-op. Several of the tasks can be knocked out in the first few run-throughs, but a few will be very troublesome. For instance, most gamers will have a very tough time finishing the entire game in 12 minutes or completing everything with only one credit. Konami did a decent job creating an achievement structure that offers a challenge to even the veteran players.
Graphics:
Visually, Konami has subtly improved on the graphics engine in a variety of areas without changing the core elements. Weapon fire is the most noticeable change in the enhanced version. Fire trails, explosion effects, and smoke effects are much more beautiful in action. The environment in each level seems to be using an anti-aliasing effect to take the hard sharpness off the old visuals. Every object blends more into the surrounding area. Gunfire shadow effects within each base are more defined in the new version. It's much simpler to avoid fire dependent on height by checking out the shadows. Overall, Konami paid homage to the past by not changing the general appearance of Contra, yet the slight enhancements really improve on the gameplay. Also, they provided an option to alternate the graphics engine back to the older version for arcade purists.
Audio:
As for the auditory quality, Konami tweaked the pitch of the older music and brought it back to normal levels. The squeals of the older version have been quelled in favor of a more natural sound. It's also more of a background noise rather than at the forefront of the title. The sound effects are also more accurate to the guns they represent. Similar to the visuals, Konami included an option in the menu to crank back the audio to the old version.
Conclusion:
Is the game worth 400 Marketplace points? The online Co-op mode alone is worth the price of admission. Nostalgia aside, the game is still quite enjoyable to play after years and years. With the co-op mode, this is an excellent arcade title for Dad to introduce the kids into what gaming was like when he was younger. I highly recommend purchasing Contra without even touching the demo. The twitch shooter style of gameplay is overly addictive and will stay active in 360 owners arcade collection for months to come.
Gameplay:
For those unfamiliar with the game mechanics, Contra is an action shooter based in a variety of jungle & army base environments. The screen scrolls, per character movement, from left to right and vertical ascension is possible via the jump button. The main character can shoot in eight directions via the thumb stick or the directional pad. Enemies include roving soldiers, hidden commandos, jetpack soldiers, and stationary turrets. Bosses include much larger moving machinery with advanced firing capabilities. Weapon power-ups can also be found on the levels in power packs. Upgrades to weaponry include laser beams, spread fire, rapid fire, and swirl fire. The game doesn't have a health system, which means one shot equals death. There are eight levels in the Xbox 360 version. The last three are split from the final mission of the arcade classic since it's so long.
Beyond the single player game, Konami also included online Co-op over Xbox Live. You can jump into a random quick match or create a public / private match. There is an indicator bar for the latency of your partner. While there was little to no lag in the matches I played, the game does experience slight slowdown in the 2 player mode. It's actually a bit of an advantage at times as enemy fire is easier to dodge. Co-op mode is a blast to run though and makes the game much simpler with an Xbox Live bud. Also, the game allows for a real life partner which can join in at any time.
The control scheme is very simple to pick up. Beyond the directional buttons mentioned earlier, the red button fires your gun and the green button makes you jump. There is a short help guide in the menu along with a few options to modify the game. Changing options such as number of lives or the difficulty will null your leader board score and any achievements. Also, achievements will be nullified by the infamous 30 lives code.
The achievements are broken in 12 tasks for the typical arcade total of 200 points. Most of the achievements can be earned in single player or co-op. Several of the tasks can be knocked out in the first few run-throughs, but a few will be very troublesome. For instance, most gamers will have a very tough time finishing the entire game in 12 minutes or completing everything with only one credit. Konami did a decent job creating an achievement structure that offers a challenge to even the veteran players.
Graphics:
Visually, Konami has subtly improved on the graphics engine in a variety of areas without changing the core elements. Weapon fire is the most noticeable change in the enhanced version. Fire trails, explosion effects, and smoke effects are much more beautiful in action. The environment in each level seems to be using an anti-aliasing effect to take the hard sharpness off the old visuals. Every object blends more into the surrounding area. Gunfire shadow effects within each base are more defined in the new version. It's much simpler to avoid fire dependent on height by checking out the shadows. Overall, Konami paid homage to the past by not changing the general appearance of Contra, yet the slight enhancements really improve on the gameplay. Also, they provided an option to alternate the graphics engine back to the older version for arcade purists.
Audio:
As for the auditory quality, Konami tweaked the pitch of the older music and brought it back to normal levels. The squeals of the older version have been quelled in favor of a more natural sound. It's also more of a background noise rather than at the forefront of the title. The sound effects are also more accurate to the guns they represent. Similar to the visuals, Konami included an option in the menu to crank back the audio to the old version.
Conclusion:
Is the game worth 400 Marketplace points? The online Co-op mode alone is worth the price of admission. Nostalgia aside, the game is still quite enjoyable to play after years and years. With the co-op mode, this is an excellent arcade title for Dad to introduce the kids into what gaming was like when he was younger. I highly recommend purchasing Contra without even touching the demo. The twitch shooter style of gameplay is overly addictive and will stay active in 360 owners arcade collection for months to come.