Analayzing Pre 1990 Games :Contra for the Nintendo Entertainment System

           

Most of my childhood was spent outdoors. Doing so called “manly man” things like hunting, farming, making guns out of old stick, chasing cats, sneaking off to the watering hole; really anything outside and/or sports related. Theses activities took most of my time because my dad was an advent believer in physical work was the best way to spend your time. Either you can make it fun and go things like fore mentioned or he would find some yard work to help fill your down time.  It was rough at time but thank goodness for my big brother. He is 12 years older than me and just happens to be a computer video game fanatic. He left for college before I got to know him but when he did return he would always have the latest and greatest that the video game world had to offer. One particular visit during the holidays he brought home some Nintendo games knowing that I was getting one for Christmas.
One of the games that he brought was Contra. This game changed my life and I was hooked on shooter games with a story mode. Now many years later I revisit the childhood favorite, this time not just to enjoy but to analyze the sound of the 1988 classic

Contra (魂斗羅 Kontora^?), also known as Probotector and sometimes Gryzor in parts of Europe and Oceania, is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987 A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988.

In Contra, the player controls one of two armed military commandos named Bill "Mad Dog" Rizer and Lance "Scorpion" Bean, who are sent on a mission to neutralize a terrorist group called the Red Falcon Organization that is planning to take over the Earth. The game is set in 2633 New Zealand.

When I first played this game I thought everything about it was great but now after playing with an adult brain my observations are a little different. The color of the game to this day is still vibrant, the controls are fluid, and the 3D gameplay was new at the time. The game gave new mazes and levels, which was visible from side and back view. Which again was a new occurrence. The game is just plain fun but, true, the sound could use some improvement.

The musical score of the game was fitting. The score was a war theme full of triumph and valor. It keep you want to fight for the cause. The sound of the music was very thin and and hollow. Something similar to a Russian march cadence. Not much depth at all. The sound effects present were few but the ones available were needed to tell the story. The sound of the guns, explosions, impact on the target, life and death or game over was nothing ground breaking, The sounds used were those of previous games like space invaders, Tempest, and Asteroid. The sound didn’t necessarily fit with what’s was happen but fit the game just fine. The sounds were thin, not synced at times, random and missing in some places. Sound like the splash of the water when entering and large bridges exploding seemed to get left out during the sound design process. Who needs the splash; we know what that sounds like. I guess in a world set in 2633, in New Zealand, being pushed through an 8-bit processor, it could sound like this, who knows.

The NES version of Contra was one of the earliest games to use the Konami Code, which originated with the NES version of Gradius. Inputting the code (entirely as the screen scrolls, or entirely after the screen is done scrolling) on the title screen before starting the game will grant each player thirty lives each time they start or continue:Up-down-up-down-b-a-b-a-select-start. Childhood is bliss.

Some more notable fun facts about my favorite game ever is as following;  Computer Gaming World called Contra on the Nintendo "a truly outstanding action epic" set on a "scrolling and beautifully drawn playfield".It was voted #1 by gaming website IGN.com as being the "Toughest Game to Beat". Nintendo Power ranked Contra the seventh best Nintendo Entertainment System video game, calling it one of the best multiplayer NES games. GamesRadar ranked it the 19th best NES game ever made despite its inferiority to the arcade version. Game Informer also included it in their list of best games ever at number 13. Great game indeed.

Game Link: http://www.freearcade.com/Contra.flash/Contra.html