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Konami just released Contra: Rebirth this past week on Japan's WiiWare, making it the twelfth game in the series. Rebirth delivers everything fans have come to expect from this iconic game series: gigantic bosses, hundred of baddies, thousands of bullets, and two shirtless commandos ready to kick ass. To celebrate the release of Contra: Rebirth lets take a trip down memory lane and look at all the great (and not so great) Contra games that we have enjoyed for the past twenty years.
 Contra was first released in arcades in 1987 but it wasn't until it was ported over to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 that most gamers got a taste of its trademark action. Since the NES was in 7 million households that year and because Konami handled the port so well (keeping intact much of the fast-paced action of the original) Contra turned into a mega-hit overnight. In the Japanese version of Contra, the instruction manual explains that players must take control of two commandos and infiltrate an island headquarters full of an alien army calling themselves Red Falcon. Americans, however, just wanted to start kicking butt. As soon as players hit start button in the U.S. version, they were dropped into the jungle, guns blazing. Contra was styled after a previous Konami game called Gradius, which was a side-scrolling game where players controlled a spaceship and had to dodge hundreds of enemy bullets while at the same time maneuvering through dangerous areas. In Contra, instead of a spaceship, you and a friend hit the ground running with several weapons at your disposal, like a machine gun, laser gun and the incredible spread gun. But, even though players had badass, futuristic weapons and a co-player to help out, the game was INCREDIBLY HARD – and you only had three lives. Thankfully, Konami had a solution.
Konami developers had created the now famous "Konami code" to help gamers out after the 1986 release of Gradius for the NES because they thought it was too difficult for the average player. The code worked for several Konami games, including Contra, in which the code increased the player's lives from three to 30. This was an absolute necessity to reach the later levels of the game and the fact that Konami developed a special code added to the mystique and challenge of the game series.
Contra also featured great music from composer Hidenori Maezawa, who also has worked on such Konami games as Castlevania III and Lifeforce. Amazingly, he did all the sound effects for the game as well. The music from the first game is so iconic that its been remixed several times since in newer Contra titles.
.jpg) By the end of 1988 fans were eager for a sequel, so later that year Komani released Super Contra in arcades. Super Contra was the first to introduce several mini-bosses throughout a level and the top-down perspective, both mechanics that showed up throughout later games. In 1990, Konami released the NES port Super C. Super C was another big hit on the NES and although the action is not as fast-paced and addictive as the first game fans still ate it up.
In 1991, Konami released Operation C for the Game Boy. Controls were still tight, the audio was still great and having it on the Game Boy meant you could take Contra on the road. However, it was in black and white and you couldn't have a friend help you. The next year, however, Contra fans were in for a treat with the next iteration in the series which is considered by many, the best Contra game ever made.
 When Contra III: The Alien Wars was release for the Super Nintendo in 1992, the increased processing power of the system finally allowed Konami to bring the graphics of the arcade editions to home gamers. The game featured detailed burned-out cities, nasty alien enemies, huge bosses, and more kick-ass weapons then ever before. In this game the machine gun became your standard-issue weapon and players could also hold two weapons at once and switch at will. The Super Bomb was also added to your arsenal to blow enemies off the screen. However, some of the the most fun was had with the new flamethrower. Torching mutant dragonflies while hanging over a lava flow is just one of the many great moments in the game. Contra III had it all. It was bigger, faster and harder than any Contra game before it and it set the bar for all future games in the series. After fans played this, they were itching to see what Konami had in store next.
 Unfortunately, that is where Konami's sucess streak ended. The next game, Contra Force, was rushed out to a dwindling NES audience later that year. Contra Force can hardly be called a Contra game because it deviates so far from the proven formula. For example, there are no aliens. Instead your mission is to rescue your Contra leader from...(wait for it).. drug dealers. The sluggish gameplay didn't help much. The weapons also changed to an upgrade system similar to Gradius, where guns get more powerful as you obtain more suitcases of the same type. The only contribution Contra Force gave to the series was selectable characters, which was used in the next game, Hard Corps for the Sega Genesis.
It took two more years for Contra to make the leap to the Sega Genesis but it was worth the wait. Released in 1994 Contra: Hard Corps featured the fast action gameplay and slick presentation that Contra III had while giving Genesis owners a chance to finally see what everyone was talking about.
 That same year Contra: Alien Wars was released for the Game Boy. This was Konami's attempt to port Contra III to the handheld but the limited hardware couldn't duplicate the game well enough to make Alien Wars noteworthy. Interestingly, Alien Wars was developed by Factor 5, the same team that would go on to create the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube.
At this point, the execs at Konami must of felt like the name "Contra" was enough to sell games because they handed the reigns over to Appaloosa Entertainment (Ecco The Dolphin) who proceeded to develop and release Contra: Legacy of War for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. Legacy of War played from an overhead perspective, much like some levels in Super C. Legacy also included 3D glasses, so that when the game was switched to a special mode you could see the game in 3D. The glasses didn't make up for clunky gameplay and lackluster bosses (a garbage boss throwing garbage in 3D), and the game received a mediocre response.
Even though fans were hoping Konami would take back the reigns, they let Appaloosa have another crack at the series with C: The Contra Adventure for the PlayStation in 1998. C was the first fully 3D Contra game (without some gimmicky glasses) but the transition from 2-D to 3D left the game blurry and brown with cheap AI, horrible controls and crappy level design. After two horrible games, fans worried that Contra may never return to its former glory.
 Thankfully, Konami took back control of the beloved series on the PlayStation 2 and released Contra: Shattered Soldier in 2002, a 2.5D action game that brought back the classic side-scrolling that action fans had missed. Shattered Soldier featured the return of the original Contra soldiers, Bill and Lance, and also added several new weapon types and a hardcore soundtrack. In 2004, to follow up, Konami released Neo Contra for the PlayStation 2. The game was fun, but very short and relatively easier than the previous game. However, fans were happy to see the Contra series heading back into the right direction.
In 2007 the eleventh original installment in the series, Contra 4, was released for the Nintendo DS. Produced by Konami Digital Entertainment in America and developed by WayForward Technologies, it was the first Contra game handled by a western team since the Appaloosa-developed C: The Contra Adventure in 1998. As the game's title indicates, Contra 4 was designed to be a direct sequel to the Contra games for the NES and SNES (Contra, Super C and Contra III: The Alien Wars), with a gameplay model similar to those games.
 With this year's release of Contra: Rebirth fans are treated again to another old school, action-packed, side-scrolling Contra game. With graphics, animations and music comparable to the SNES, Rebirth gives Wii owners a whole new adventure. Unfortunately, it is only available in Japan at the moment, but if last year's US release of Gradius: Rebirth is any indication, Americans should expect the new Contra game to come stateside later this year.
Contra is one of those games that every gamer knows. More likely than not they have played a Contra game at some point in time. That type of legacy is not easy to come by, and is an example of Konami's track record of producing great games. They have, with a few missteps, handled this series very well and continue to give the fans what they want with each new addition to the series. Contra is a game that you can pick up quickly and play for hours and it really introduced gamers to the co-op play that so many games include today. Contra will be forever at the top of the list for greatest game franchises of all time and it did it without fancy cut scenes, lengthy backstory, or cute anime chicks. It rules with its pure and awesome firepower. Isn't that what videogames are all about? Long live Contra!
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