Developed by Konami/Backbone Entertainment
Published by Konami
Released for XBLA (7/25/2007)
Also on Arcade/Amiga/NES/PC
Backwards Compatible on Xbox One
Super Contra was released in arcades by Konami in 1988 and was the sequel to the popular Contra (1987). Super Contra takes the familiar run & gun formula and pumps up the excitement with 5 action-packed new levels and support for up to 2 players. Load up your firearms and prepare to shoot everything in sight as "the quest for freedom continues!" The XBLA port of Super Contra was released in late July 2007, around 7 months after the original was put up for download.
There are 5 levels in Super Contra and while the game is a bit shorter than Contra, the pacing is much quicker and the action more frenetic. The corridor sections that broke up the 2D platforming in the first game are gone, replaced with the new overhead shooter segments which play a bit like Capcom's Commando (1985). The game alternates between stage types, featuring a total of 3 side-scroller and 2 overhead-shooter stages. Regardless of how you feel about the overhead stages, the 3 side-scroller stages are top-notch and the bosses are menacing. The overhead levels can be fun once you become familiar with the layouts, but enemies love to quickly appear from the sides of the screen to wipe you out sometimes resulting in some cheap deaths. The biggest hurdle to clearing this game in a single credit are definitely going to be these overhead stages.
Super Contra made some changes when it comes to the weapons department. Where the first game would drop capsules with letters on them to clearly indicate which weapon they were, in Super Contra the weapon drops are represented by a graphic of the gun itself. This can make it quite difficult to discern which weapon just dropped and whether or not you want to pick it up. Another change to the weapons is the ability to upgrade your gun by collecting a 2nd pickup of the same gun. For example, the default spread shot will fire 3 shots at a time, but the upgraded version will fire 5 shots simultaneously. This adds some depth to the weapon system and is a welcome addition. There are a few other notable changes regarding the weapons: the flame shot being much easier than in the first game and there is a shell that can be used in the overhead levels, which basically acts like a bomb in a shmup and will destroy everything on-screen when used (except for bosses, but it will do massive damage to them).
Graphic-wise, Super Contra is a nice step-up from the first game. The backgrounds are more detailed, there's more variety to the enemies and more action on-screen at any given time. While the level design is more linear than the first game with less alternate platforms to take, the amount of enemies that will onslaught you has been ramped up considerably to the point you'll hardly have time to notice. If you're more of a platform guy, you might prefer the first game but the sequel definitely delivers more pure shooting carnage. Konami, especially around this era, always made some of the coolest-looking explosions and Super Contra delivers. The attract screen features a brief cutscene that shows our heroes preparing themselves for battle which looks very impressive. The soundtrack feels appropriate for the action and while not as memorable as the first game, it fits the on-screen action very well. The overall presentation in Super Contra was about as good as you could expect for an arcade game in 1988.
Super Contra is an excellent follow-up to Contra and there are valid arguments for both as to which is the better title. While Super Contra is an arcade classic, there are a few minor gripes I have with the game. Like the first game, the arcade monitor uses a vertical orientation, which is odd when the majority of the game scrolls from right to left but it actually makes sense for the overhead sections. The overhead segments are an improvement over the maze sections of the first game, but there are many who can't stand these and there are some questionable enemy spawns that can result in cheap, frustrating deaths. While for the most part I enjoyed the overhead levels, I would have preferred if the game went out on a side-scroller level, but instead the final level is of the overhead variety.
Super Contra didn't receive nearly as many ports as the original game, but still managed to make it onto the NES and home computers. There were 2 different ports for home computers, the first for MS-DOS and the other for the Commodore Amiga. Similar to the first game, the NES port is often cited as the superior version of the game, adding in several new stages and bosses. The preferred version of the second Contra game will come down to personal preference and if you're a fan of run & gun shooters I'd suggest trying both the arcade and the NES port out to see which one you like best.
Super Contra on the XBLA was ported by the folks at Backbone Entertainment, the same ones who brought us several other Konami classics. The menu layout will be familiar if you've played any of their games, featuring the same simple layout that's easy to navigate. There's an option to turn on enhanced graphics and music, though the differences are quite minor and you'll probably want to turn the enhanced graphics off due to the explosions making the bullets harder to see. The game offers co-op gameplay either local or online. Online multiplayer can be good fun but you'll likely have to coordinate a session, as I've never been able to find any randoms playing (even back in the day).
Super Contra was an awesome title when it hit arcades back in 1987 and if you don't mind the dated graphics and tough difficulty, is still a fun game to revisit these days. The XBLA port of the game is also available on disc via Konami Classics Vol. 1, which also includes the XBLA versions of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Frogger. This disc have been going up in price over the years and will probably continue to do so in the coming years, so unless you really like having physical media it'd be much cheaper to just buy the digital XBLA versions of these.
Super Contra would later receive a release for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch thanks to the Contra Anniversary Collection. This was an awesome collection, but there are actually a few advantages to this old XBLA release. First of all, the XBLA Super Contra supports online co-op, which for whatever reason was left out of the Contra Anniversary Collection. The anniversary collection also has some weird issues when the screen scrolls which are not present in this version of Super Contra. The collection beats this one out in display options and having save states (plus more games), so there are a few reasons that make either port worth picking up.
Final Verdict: Super Contra is an arcade-classic run & gun and an excellent follow-up to the original. Highly recommended if you're looking for a dose of old-school 2D action!
Purchase Links:
Buy Super Contra - Microsoft Store
Search Konami Classics Vol. 1 - eBay
Buy Contra Anniversary Collection - Microsoft Store
Related Reviews:
Contra (XBLA, 2007)
Konami Classics Vol. 1 (Xbox 360, 2009)
Related Links:
Run & Gun Games - Xbox Overview
Konami - Official Site
Super Contra - Metacritic
Super Contra - GameFAQs
Super Contra Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Super Contra - True Achievements
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