Jeremy Parish

NES Works #074: Contra (Patreon)

Published:

2020-11-25 14:00:01

Imported:

2024-04

Tags:

contra konami nes nes works

Content

So, I'm going a little bit out of order with this one here. This week's episode should be Final Fantasy Legend II, so that the public release of the episode will coincide with the Switch collection's release... but that's a big game! I'm still capturing footage! Contra, on the other hand, I could clear and record in 30 minutes and still have time to capture footage of Probotector and 魂斗羅. So I'm posting this episode here three weeks ahead of its public release, and Final Fantasy Legend II will show up here a week before its public post. I think. I'm not good at math, just talking about old video games. Happy Thanksgiving?

Anyway, Contra! I can't believe this episode ended up being half as long as a full playthrough of the game. I guess there's just a lot to say, huh?

Files

Contra retrospective: Alien Predator vs. Commandos | NES Works #074

Konami knocks it out of the park yet again with one of the greatest arcade conversions ever to hit the NES: Cooperative platform shooter Contra. It's a rare example of a coin-op title being ported faithfully to NES and somehow improving on the source material. With its tight level design, inventive bosses, impressive weapons, and slightly combative gameplay, Contra is a true NES classic that continues to be a great time more than 30 years later. Special thanks to Steve Lin of the Video Game History Foundation for letting me photograph his very shiny Contra box! Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! And be sure to check out the Retronauts podcast (http://www.retronauts.com), where I (and many others!) tackle a much wider array of classic gaming topics each week.