Contra

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Contra

Rate: 5 out of 5
Difficulty: 3 out of 5
Played: 9/26

Opinion: If you kept thinking of Predator while playing Contra, then you are right. Even the guy on the cover looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The other one must be Sonny Landham aka Billy.

No matter what, Contra is an all-time NES classic with just right amount of difficulty. Whenever you're feeling nostalgic, this is one of the fewest games to pick up first. It takes some practice getting used to the speed of the gameplay, especially the bullets floating in the air. You just have to time it right for each jump to avoid them.



Technical Notes


Cheat Code
Right away as the title screen loads, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, and Start to begin the game with 30 lives.

Basic Moves
♦B is shoot while A is jump.
♦To shoot directly down, press A first and then B.
♦To jump down from the crouch position, crouch first and then press A.

Significance of Symbols
♦Focus on collecting M or S before grabbing R although it's useless. They're the best guns available.
♦B is invincibility which lasts for 15 to 20 seconds.

Extra Life
♦Every 20,000 points collected which usually happens every two levels (there are 8 levels in all), you gain an extra life.



Stage 1



What To Do
Just keep moving to the right, no matter what, but take your time in certain parts.



Stage 2



What To Do
First: Just stay slightly to the left and control the situation by crouching and firing at the right time before taking out the center flasher.
Second: Go to the immediate right to take out the flashing turret before moving to the left for the flasher.
Third: Just stay in the center and crouch the entire time. Easy enough.
Fourth: Move slightly to the right of the center and crouch/stand when appropriate.
Fifth: This is the most difficult part where lives are constantly lost. Immediately take out the right flashing turret before moving to the left for the second flashing turret. Then, stay slightly to the left of the center and keep crouching/standing until you have the flasher. Whenever you do, don't kill the red guy which will give an F.
Boss: As soon as it starts, immediately move to the left and react to the bullets appropriately. Then, you can take out these two shooting turrets before working on the rest. Make sure to stand exactly in the center before the Boss appears, and just fire away without worrying about being hit.



Stage 3



What To Do
Whatever you do, don't rush it. Take your time, and never be too close to the right or left side because of the running soldiers. Always try to jump up higher whenever to clear what's happening below. When you meet the Boss, take your time and wait for the arms to stop moving for the golden opportunity. Then, just stand slightly to the left of the center to finish it off.