Contra (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Konami's 1988 run-and-gun action game for the NES, Contra.

In this video I play through three loops of the game. The second begins at 17:57, and the third at 34:58.

In the eighties, Konami had a seemingly supernatural knack for creating groundbreaking video games that defined their respective genres. Gradius set the bar for shoot 'em ups, Castlevania became the high-water mark for action-platformers, and Contra became the defacto gold standard for the run-and-gun shooter.

Contra was one of the most popular NES games ever released in the west. Every kid with an NES wanted to play it, and every kid who had played it raved about it to anyone who would listen. For years after its release, it was virtually impossible to find an available copy to rent for a weekend, and for a long while, stores sold out of copies so quickly that it was only by a sheer stroke of luck that you could snag a copy for yourself.

It was the first game I ever played of its type on the NES as a kid, and I couldn't possibly guess at the sheer number of hours I sank into it before I ever managed to beat it without the 30 extra lives code.

It was the ultimate symbol of what home gaming could be in the late 1980s - despite the limitations imposed by the hardware, the Nintendo Contra was *the* Contra to play. However lacking the graphics were compared to its coin-op counterpart, it offered a far more satisfying experience overall. The controls were more responsive, the stages were expanded, the difficulty curve was smoothed out to make it more fair and accessible to the average gamer without sacrificing the challenge that the hardcore fans loved, and the music was significantly improved. It was also one of the NES's first fast-paced action games to deliver an uncompromised two-player co-op experience.

And you can't forget about the Konami code, or the super satsfying sound the spread gun makes as it demolishes everything in its path!

Contra is a fantastic game that's just as fun to play now as it ever was, and it stands out as one of the best games in the NES library. If you're a fan of classic gaming and haven't yet played this one, what could you possibly waiting for?

(Friendly tip: if you aren't playing on an NES, do yourself a favor and get a controller with a good d-pad. The mushy diagonals on PlayStation and Xbox controllers will get in the way and you'll get killed all too often because you couldn't duck something in time.)
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

[mahendrap]

0:06 Most badass explosion sound in the universe.

[rjcupid]

This is one of those all time classic games where you remember exactly when and where you were the first time you played it. Masterpiece.

[bll]

I really love contra. ❤️ games back then were so simple. Less story, more ass kicking.

[Tonjit]

I remember beating this game while my dad was still alive. He died before I turned 6. I can't believe little me beat this game back then. I remember freaking out when I finally beat the alien lair.

[RetroGeek]

Very hard game, but also one of the best games on the NES for sure and fun to play.

[HenryvKeiper]

Man, so many good memories of the game. Every musical track, every sound effect, every animation. One thing I recall the most was it was the only video game my dad and I would play together. I'd put in the code for oodles of lives, and we'd both just spend an hour playing it.

[feiwong]

As a kid we played this non stop, one of my classics.

[Dorian_Scott]

I played the sequels (Super C, Contra 3 & Hard Corps) but not this one. Still, this series is classic. The fast-paced action combined with some of the greatest video game OSTs make for a truly unforgettable experience.

[kspice]

Me, my brother, and cousins played this game and ended it hundreds of times. This is the only game they had and we would end it go outside and come back inside and play it again. We played through game at least 5 times a day and we never got tired of playing this. I believe nintendo had the most replayable games of all time

[Harri]

Contra is one of my top five favorite NES games of all time and it's still a masterpiece on the NES.

[andresbravo]

It’s been 35 years since this game came out, and it’s quite brutal.

[BeastCake]

Props to him for not using the code. I could never.

[IskenderCaglarMB]

Still one of the best nes games ever made. This and super contra are lit.

Spread gun is the best video game weapon ever.

[charlesbhepin]

Huh. Seeing it again now with an eye spoiled by modern indie gaming, I had severely underestimated how much of a technical and graphical achievement this game was. The sounds were super clear always, with each stage being so different with new mechanics. It gives an amazing illusion of depth with only so few colors and pixels allowed on the screen at any one time. They ruthlessly made the most out of the NES' limited hardware and the cartridge's rom capacity. Contra fit everything and many many hours of fun into mere _128 kilobytes_. It's the perfectly condensed form of every 80s action movie. (Also, thank you for the longer repeating playthrough for this video. It's kinda soothing to have playing in the background.)

[LITTLE]

One of the most, if not the most popular 3rd-party NES title. Contra defines the '80s era of action hero in video games.

Hard as hell, though...

[jamesl.anderson]

I beat Contra before breakfast
- James D. Rolfe

[jaydagamer]

Man, I could never beat this game without the extra life code and of course a second player

[alexandruc.]

Used to finish this together with a friend when we were 5th grade, back in the 90s.

We played it on a Famiclone, we had no idea at that point that the NES existed and the console we had was a clone of it. We also didn't know about the Konami code, so yeah, I beat the game numerous times with 3-4 lives.

This game is like Tetris, it will absolutely never get old. It is so simple and adictive, and yet so complex to master.

[SonicTheHedgehog]

"Contra... those were the times..." as we say in Poland. Played this on my Pegasus so much I've tried to make runs without the usage of spread gun... and it went way slower than without it. Also, had some unfair deaths from stray bullets or those flamethrowers in Energy Zone, but it is still a fantastic classic. So glad I could replay it on PS4 with the Arcade Collection.

[defblinders]

Our living room- 1990.

Me- "I'm getting the Spread Gun."

Sister- "You ALWAYS get the Spread Gun! I want it!"

Me- "Every time you get it you die right after and lose it! Take the flamethrower!"

Sister- "No! It sucks!"

Me- "YOU suck!"

Sister- "MOM!!!"

Me- "Big baby! Take the Spread Gun!"