What happened to Contra?

[Ghost Rider]

Contra was my favorite side scrolling action game for the NES. Its combination of intense action, great gameplay and superb multiplayer won me over immediately. But, after that version of Contra, I have never played another game in the series that could come close to the original. What do you think happened to Contra? Why didn't Konami try and revitalize the series?

 

[Wubwub]

I think it was just difficult to recapture the magic that the original was able to. If I recall correctly, the sequels just felt a bit far off from the original so I didn't even bother with them personally. The last version I played was Contra for the PS2 and I wasn't really too impressed by it, but to be fair, it might be just because I already moved on to other genres at that point.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Yep, Contra failed to evolve as a game. I guess Konami just made the wrong decisions far too often in this series which lead to its downfall.

I do hope that the would be a remake of the original. Of would be nice to see how the developers would make it appealing in next generation consoles.

 

[Wubwub]

@Ghost Rider I've tried many of the succeeding versions including a modern adaptation of the original on mobile and for some reason the old one still plays best in my opinion. It truly was magical and I'm glad I got to witness it.

 

[kaitheteen]

Not many people were interested in it after newer consoles were released, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[ray king]

I used loved playing Contra too, it had some really cool weapons and power ups. They should really make a 3D version of it like Duke Nukem.

 

[jbeavis100]

Contra never evolved into a 3D playstyle so the main stream let it die...

 

[Wubwub]

Contra never evolved into a 3D playstyle so the main stream let it die...

Yeah I think there were some games that just never made the transition onto the modern era. I remember seeing the Golden Axe 3d game and everyone hated that as well. The newer 2d coContra games didn't really appeal to me much either.

 

[jbeavis100]

Yeah I think there were some games that just never made the transition onto the modern era. I remember seeing the Golden Axe 3d game and everyone hated that as well. The newer 2d coContra games didn't really appeal to me much either.

I think it's less about the transition and more about how much easier games have gotten from the days of old. If a game is super challenging people just give up and say it's "too hard" and that's why alot of older more hardcore IP's have died off..

 

[Wubwub]

I think it's less about the transition and more about how much easier games have gotten from the days of old. If a game is super challenging people just give up and say it's "too hard" and that's why alot of older more hardcore IP's have died off..

Contra was pretty hardcore. Though, to be fair, I think majority played and finished it only with the use of the cheat code anyway, so maybe it just plainly wasn't able to carry over it's initial charm. Just my guess.

 

[jbeavis100]

Contra was pretty hardcore. Though, to be fair, I think majority played and finished it only with the use of the cheat code anyway, so maybe it just plainly wasn't able to carry over it's initial charm. Just my guess.

It was super hardcore and that's what made it awesome. You are right though, it lost it's charm with the later attempts at recreating the same magic..

 

[Wubwub]

It was super hardcore and that's what made it awesome. You are right though, it lost it's charm with the later attempts at recreating the same magic..

Yeah, and they were great we changing the pace up from time to time as well as I remember they were the first ones to introduce a sudden front view shooting in a side scrolling game. By the time the later versions came out gaming was a,ready pretty advanced so they had to do more to keep up.

 

[jbeavis100]

Yeah, and they were great we changing the pace up from time to time as well as I remember they were the first ones to introduce a sudden front view shooting in a side scrolling game. By the time the later versions came out gaming was a,ready pretty advanced so they had to do more to keep up.

Pretty much yeah, I hope that one day, a more modern sequel like the bionic commando game (which I absolutely loved) happens and the series can maybe get rolling again..

 

[Wubwub]

Pretty much yeah, I hope that one day, a more modern sequel like the bionic commando game (which I absolutely loved) happens and the series can maybe get rolling again..

Yup. I found the succeeding versions a bit generic for some reason, which I think is ironic because they practically started the genre. Still, I think other games found much better ways to improve it such as Metal Slug and Gunstar Heroes which totally had their own personalities and thus were able to set themselves apart.

 

[jbeavis100]

Yup. I found the succeeding versions a bit generic for some reason, which I think is ironic because they practically started the genre. Still, I think other games found much better ways to improve it such as Metal Slug and Gunstar Heroes which totally had their own personalities and thus were able to set themselves apart.

Yeah, I agree with that. Those 2 really did it well..

 

[teabwoi]

Just seeing the name of that game really brought back some memories to me. I remember the first time that I was able to play that game man at that time I really thought that that was the best thing that had ever happened to my life. I really wished that there was some other version of the game that could be released but like someone said I really do not think that they will be able to recapture the magic that was on that console.

 

[Kamarsun1]

Contra was my favorite side scrolling action game for the NES. Its combination of intense action, great gameplay and superb multiplayer won me over immediately. But, after that version of Contra, I have never played another game in the series that could come close to the original. What do you think happened to Contra? Why didn't Konami try and revitalize the series?

I don't know what happened. Contra was a childhood favorite. I could never beat that game. It was action packed. I would't be surprised it they remade this one.

 

[gats]

I think if kids played Contra today, they would get frustrated and quite. That game was a real challenge and so much fun.

 

[WAVWirmer]

The truth behind the disappearance of Contra is due to the horrible remakes and releases that have been released on the later consoles. The bad gameplay and all the let downs from the hype and expectations killed the series off. People bought into it based on name recognition alone, and publishers knew this so they didnt really push the devs hard in creating "Good" games with the franchise.

 

[wulfman]

That was a fun game for the Nintendo. My friend and I beat it not less than 50 x. And I also beat it alone not less than 20 x. Wow reading this thread brings back memories of that game.