Contra is one of Konami's best NES cult classic games. It was not only addictive but it was super challenging. It went by the name Gryzor in the Japanese version and Probotector in the European release. The European version was forced to change the main characters and enemies into robots because apparently shooting people in war was taboo out there. They did the same thing with the Ninja Turtles games as the word ninja was taboo in Europe thus they were called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles both in the game and in the cartoon and even then the nunchucks were censored in the cartoon. The best version of all three was the Japanese version but I will cover all three bases here.
 
Before we begin, I'll explain something about the name Contra. It was based off of a mistranslation of three Japanese words put together. Kon To & Ra (Cone Toe Ra) which translates to Spirit Battle & Cloth respectively or move grammatically correct Cloth of the Battle Spirit.
 
OVERVIEW
 
In 2636, an alien being named Red Falcon came to Earth and started taking over the planet. It is up to our heroes Sargent Bill and Corporal Lance aka Mad Dog and Scorpion to stop him and the alien invasion at all costs as you go through eight levels of mayhem.
 
GRAPHICS - A+
 
Each stage's layout is done perfectly and has their own theme to fit it. Thanks to a special chip utilized by the Japanese version, the graphics are far superior and thus I'll base the graphics on that alone since it is a big improvement over the others. The trees in the Jungle (Stage 1) sway as you move through the stage. In the Snowfall stage (Stage 5) there is actually snow blowing in the foreground. In the final stage Alien's Lair (Stage 8), the background moves rapidly like the whole place is alive. Nothing special there to help or hinder you, it's done for graphical purposes only. Other great looking backgrounds are the Waterfall (Stage 3) and Energy Zone (Stage 6) where this time, the layout can actually kill you if you are not careful. You are also treated to cutscenes which the other regions don't have. The US and maybe European version does have an exclusive congratulatory message at the end.
 
CONTROLS - A
 
The controls are great but not perfect. There are times when you might make one wrong move and fall to your death. This applies mostly to stages where you can drop down to lower ground and you are concentrating on shooting enemies below from a higher platform but tried to avoid their shots and accidentally jumped down. Everything else is on you and whatever your reaction time is because the enemies are out in full force.
 
SOUND - A+
 
I totally dig the music to this game. It really gets your blood pumping when playing the levels. Snowfall (Stage 5) music has you feeling you are in a war zone trying to infiltrate an enemy base. Energy Zone (Stage 6) music was one of the songs I use to practice on my mother's guitar. Alien's Lair (Stage 8) had the it's all or nothing vibe to it. The ending theme had the feel of being saluted for all your hard work.
 
GAMEPLAY - A+
 
It is a rough one but the gameplay is super addictive because all you do is duck, dodge, and shoot. The game takes a lot of strategy and knowing what to do ahead of time. The extra weapons you get in this game are all great as long as you use them wisely. The Spread Gun is the beginners weapon of choice because of the range. Expert gamers will stick with the Laser because it is not all about just doing the most damage but knowing when to fire because the Laser will only work while if it is on the screen. Rapidly firing it will make it useless. Just wait for it to hit its target before firing again because it will disappear back into the gun and be reshot if the fire button is pressed. The other major weapon that can be used is the Fire Gun which fires in a spiraling motion. It is good for hitting enemies while you are crouched down avoiding bullets. The Machine Gun does rapid fire but I consider that a novice weapon since you don't have to release the button to rapidly fire. It does less damage though. The unmarked eagle will kill all foes on the screen. These are rare to come by. The Barrier protects you from all damage except pitfalls.
 
Each boss has easily exploitable weaknesses that can leave most of them helpless in the end. Stage 1, take out the guard and the guns and it is a sitting duck. Stage 3, take out the two arms and the shots are easily avoidable from his mouth. Stage 4 is a bit tougher due to the tricky bubbles and the boss must be merged with the other half to damage it. Stage 5 is a good boss for two players to exploit as one can fire up at it while the other one will shoot the ships coming down. Stage 7 can be beaten in a flash if you run up on it and rapidly fire your Spread Gun. Stage 8 miniboss is beaten the same way except you can have the other player shoot the shrimp aliens. The final boss is a little tricky. Take care of the bottom pods first then the upper left one. Nothing you can do about the upper right one. Proceed to defeat it like you did the previous 2 by running upon it and firing at it till it explodes. The  Stage 8 miniboss and final boss as well as the final boss of the sequel Super Contra aka Super C will make a return visit in Contra 3 and Red Falcon himself will take the form of the Level 6 boss Jagger from Super C in that same game.
 
REPLAYABILITY - A+
 
No matter how old this game is, it is always good to go back and play through it again even with a buddy because they can help or hinder your progress. It is best to use the 30 lives code for that occasion. 
 
OVERALL - A+
 
A+ all the way, I cannot find anything majorly wrong with this game. It is all about skill baby. Once you know what you are getting into then you are on a role. If you are playing for a high score then that is good because the game will reset back to stage 1 with your previous score intact.

Nice job on the review! You actually did a great job on each category that you are supposed to rate. Although in the future, I'd like to see you flesh out the shorter sections a bit more; like replayability, or difficulty, or the controls. I'd like to know a little more about those things from a review.

Anyways, you did a good job. I actually didn't know about the weird stuff Europe did to censor this game, and other games. And people today thought certain features being taken out of Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Fire Emblem Fates is bad...Yikes!

Hun? I thought that the "hero" turtle was the new US version for the aseptized generation...

Anyway, you wrote an excellent review, going into details as to why you loved the game. An advice: talking strategies like you did is a better fit for a guide than for a review. But good job overall!

Good review Azul. That is one of my favorite games of all time. As for the Europe bit,this game was translated into Protectorbot. Bill and Lance were swapped out for robots and the enemy soldiers were robots. And the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles was for Europe. The word Ninja had a bad connotation there. As with the series,the turtles could not use their weapons to harm anyone and Michelangelo's nunchaku (nunchucks) was replaced by a grappling hook.