Super Contra

Super Contra is a video game in the action genre developed by Konami Industry Co. Ltd. and published by Konami, Inc. originally released in 1990. It is currently playable on DOS.

The second, and unfortunately last, of Konami's acclaimed Contra series to be ported to the PC, Super C retains the addictive gameplay of the original while introducing more challenges and new surprises.

For those unfamiliar with the original, the Contra series is basically the Rambo incarnation: there's plenty of two-player side-scrolling action and plenty of opportunities to shoot everything in sight. You're only given three lives per player, and a handful of continues before you have to start the game from the beginning. Remember Red Hawk? You thought you'd destroyed his heart at the end of Contra, but he's back, and tougher than ever. Instead of landing on a crappy, remote island, he's decided to mount a full-fledged attack? right on the planet's military bases. The only commandos left are Lance and Scorpian, so let's get to work!

Super C looks a lot like its predecessor, with plenty of weapons to pick up, with the same point-and-jump controls. The game lacks the ability to aim diagonally while standing still, or good jumping control, but these drawbacks are minor. As the game progresses, it is evident how the motifs of each level change? at first human and militaristic, later horrifying and very alien.

Super C's best improvement is the elimination of those hidden, behind-the-back areas. In their place, there are two upper levels, much like those in Commando. This makes navigation much easier. The flamethrower has been made more powerful (it shoots fireballs that explode on contact with a surface). The best improvement is that the game as a whole seems much less frustrating. It's still difficult, but many of Contra's unfair deaths are no longer here. However, it's no cakewalk: the bosses are still difficult, and very big. The changes seem subtle, though,

Super C is a better game than the already solid original. A must-have game for all Contra fans, especially those who found Contra's final boss too easy to defeat. thumbs up!

Super Contra is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.