2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Konami. As part of the celebrations, Konami released three anniversary collections. The first one was based on their most popular arcade games and focused mainly on the shoot-’em-up genre. The second one packed many of the early Castlevania games in one neat package. The last collection features the Contra franchise.
Run and gun
Back in the 80s, Shoot-’em-up games were all the rage in the arcade. After seeing a dozen iterations of the same game, people were ready for something else. The run and gun genre, where a gunman travels on foot while shooting in all directions was born from the need for diversity. It took the industry about 10 years to perfect the genre and making it a fan favorite. Konami’s Rush’n’attack (or Green Beret) was one of the first memorial entry in the genre. All this lead up to the release of the original Contra which has become the blueprint for every run and gun game made. Combining side-scrolling, vertical scrolling and a form of early 3D gameplay, the game was revolutionary for the genre. Contra just had to be included in the anniversary collections.
Packed full of games
Contra Anniversary Collection comes packed full of games. The previous entries in the anniversary collection all had 8 games, the Contra Anniversary Collection has 10 games. Here’s a list of every game present in this collection:
- Contra (arcade)
- Super Contra (arcade)
- Contra (NES)
- Contra (Famicom)
- Super C (NES)
- Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
- Operation C (Gameboy)
- Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
- Super Probotector Alien Rebels (European SNES)
- Probotector (Megadrive)
The most famous game on here is obviously the North American version for the NES. Having the original arcade version which the NES game is based on, is a nice addition. The Japanese version might be the one fans outside Japan enjoy the most. Konami used an extra chip to make the Famicom version. This meant the Famicom version has cutscenes and more animation during the stages. The Famicom version also starts on a higher difficulty cycle.
Contra vs. Probotector
Contra is a name well known in the gaming community if your living in America. In Europe, laws prohibited to sell games in which you kill people. This meant Contra had to be reworked to get a European release. Konami changed the name of Contra to Probotector. Every sprite was replaced with a more robotic looking sprite to abide by the European laws. The two Probotector titles present on Contra Anniversary Collection are in essence just the same games with different sprites. It’s neat though, you can choose to play the games in the original 50hz version or go with the faster 60hz speed.
Many display options
Contra Anniversary Collection has some nice extra display features. There are many options to alter the way the games are displayed to fit your personal preference. Purists might be glad to hear the ability to toggle scanlines on or off is present. The arcade versions can be rotated 90 degrees for those who like to go for the original vertical display experience. Operation C can be played in standard grey colors but also has the option to go for the classic Gameboy green colors which I preferred. Every game can be displayed in full screen which stretches the image a bit. I personally went the original with an added border to fill out the screen.
Bonus book
The nicest thing about the anniversary collections, besides the awesome games, is the “bonus book”. Each anniversary collection comes with an included e-book packed full of extra information about the games. Getting to learn more about the history of these games and getting more backstory is something that sets these collections apart from others. The bonus book is fully integrated into the start menu and easily navigated.
Conclusion
Like the others, this Contra Anniversary Collection is a great deal. The ton of games you get and the bonus book make this a great compilation. Konami has already announced they will add some extra Japanese versions in a future update so you’re getting even more bang for your buck. Nothing is known about the addition of the Saturn and PlayStation versions and I strongly doubt they will ever be included. But one can only hope I guess…
