Opposite it’s one of the few franchises completely synonymous with gaming; unless you really have a chance played In any Contra game, then you will at least i heard From them. Konami’s shoot-em-up behemoth may have lost a lot of its luster in recent years (it seems to be pretty much par for the course with Konami these days, aside from some excellent retro collectibles), but its previous iterations have become iconic in their brilliance. own right.
From the original Opposite Until 1988 Against: Rogue Corps In 2019, the series has rarely strayed from its relatively simple formula – run through a series of linear levels and shoot a bunch of bad guys – but that’s arguably its biggest appeal. In an age where gaming is more complex than ever, Contra is a fantastic reminder that you don’t need a lot of features to make a cracking game.
So, like our other reader-rated polls, we’ve asked the fine folks to rate your favorite Contra games on Nintendo platforms from the list below.
If you missed the voting round, don’t worry! The list below is automatically updated in real-time according to each game’s respective “User Rating” in the Nintendo Life game database. It means being able to influence the order nowif you want, by clicking on the star next to each game and submitting our account to it.
So arm yourself with Spread Shot and let’s review the best Contra games on Nintendo systems!
Note. Yes, we’ve included the Anniversary Collection for completeness – if you don’t want the collections to be included in our rankings, then just pretend they’re not there; the rest of the list will still be in the same order!
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
Contra’s high-profile return to modern platforms landed with more of a whimper than a thud. Against: Rogue Corps swaps side-scrolling shoot-em-up action for top-down twinstick gameplay; the problem is it’s just not very fun to play. The shooting mechanics are very imprecise and the muddy textures and low resolution make for an ugly experience on the Switch. There are some good ideas here, but Rogue Corps is far from the Contra rebirth we’ve been waiting for.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
Contra Advance: Alien Wars EX certainly seems like a neat idea in theory; one of the greatest shots of all time on a portable device? Neat! In practice, however, Contra Advance introduces a number of compromises to the experience that make it less than ideal: more blocky sprites; washed out visuals; low sound quality. All of this adds up and makes this a tough recommendation when the SNES version of Alien Wars is readily available.
Publisher: HAMSTER / Developer: Konami
Part of the ‘Arcade Archives’ line-up on Switch, Opposite is an original arcade title through and through, warts ‘n’ all. Its purity and simplicity are perhaps its greatest qualities in this day and age, but later Contra titles arguably surpass it in terms of quality and replayability. Still, it’s worth checking out on Switch, though we’d probably suggest a more rounded offering. Opposite Anniversary Collection.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Factor 5
A Game Boy version of the SNES original, this one was developed by Factor 5, the studio behind it Super Turrican Super Nintendo and its games Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series The levels and overall structure have been changed and a password system has been added, but it still manages to deliver a serviceable Contra game on a system with the processing power of a modern toaster.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
It is certainly a Opposite game (or probotector if you’re a robot-loving European) is more worthy of its name than, say, certain PlayStation entries. It hits on most of the aspects that make a good entry: challenging gameplay, tight controls, diverse enemies, killer arsenal, macho tunes, great bosses. In the two years of the mighty portable’s life, it’s managed an impressive amount of undercutting the beloved console/arcade series. Unfortunately, players are forced to go gung-ho solo, which frustrates multiplayer fans and kills some of its longevity, but it’s remarkable how well the game holds up on the humble Game Boy, and fans of NES games would be fooled. pass it on.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
Available as part of NSO Expansion Pack – and so on technically it is possible to play on Nintendo console outside Opposite Anniversary Collection — Against: Hard Corps represented the series’ SEGA console debut and featured a bit of a spin-off vibe in terms of setting and characters. While it may not be as easy to appreciate for those who only encountered it in the Contra Anniversary Collection, it made notable changes in its control scheme and gameplay mechanics from its predecessors.
A great entry, of course, it also stands out as an inspiration for some modern “neo-retro” run-and-gun games.
