This game is one of the most unique Contra games, but it takes time to get used to. A lot of people complain that the graphics are too dark and gloomy, but this game takes place in a wrecked war zone area, so I think it should look that way. The dark graphics set the dark mood well. The animations are good. The game is very stimulating with a lot of explosions and "screen quakes" when objects smash the ground, and there are several stages were you are rushing in/on top of a vehicle with enemies chasing behind. The music is a hard rock genesis style soundtrack, and it also helps to pump up the player. Each song seems to match the pace of the situation/level quite well. The shooting is hard to master, but the speed of the shots and unique power ups make it extremely fun as well as very hard. This game has a non-linear storyline, making it interesting for the player to find new possibilities.  The game has nice length, and it's nice to have different playable characters to make the game more unique. Enemies are almost always around you so you must keep rotating as you shoot and advance, while dodging other projectiles and hazards, that will kill you in one hit. The bosses require memorization, quick instincts, and some luck. This game is one of the hardest Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games I've ever played, but it's hard in a fun way. Give it a go, if you have a lot of practice time on your hands.

Eh this is a decent review. You gave us a decent amount of information. It was a little unorganized, I would recommend breaking it up into categories. Not a bad review, but not the best either.

Thanks, I'll try to improve on organization. I guess I typed what I was thinking at the time and didn't organize it the best.