I am proud to say I still have this game and played it again today. Tough game, but fun and addictive.
Story:
Bill Razor was in prison, because it was said he was the one responsible for setting off a powerful weapon that destroyed the lives of many. A new threat known as the Blood Falcon plans to use its military might to take over the world with aliens and their technology. Bill, a former war hero, was released in order to defeat the Blood Falcon organization. Bill also gained his freedom by taking up arms again. Bill's new partner is Lucia. Lucia is a female cybernetic super soldier. Her mission is to help Bill and keep an eye on him during the battle.
Graphics:
The graphics was impressive. The explosions look incredible and the aliens in the game are gross as heck.
Sound:
The music is hardcore. The music will hype you up every level. The sound effects is excellent. Playing this game with surround sound makes it feel like you are in a war zone.
Gameplay:
This Contra game does provide power ups. In the beginning I found that odd and disturbing, but it grew on me. You have three weapons. A machine gun, flame thrower, and grenade launcher. Each weapon also has a secondary charge attack. The machine gun creates a ball that spins and fires bullets all over the area. The flamethrower fires a powerful, armor piercing blast. And the grenade launcher fires homing missiles. To progress through the game it is important to use the proper weapon for each situation. Some enemies are weak against a certain type and using the right weapons will allow you to increase your hit ratio by destroying everything that is destructible.
The key to positive progress is to ensure your ranking is an A or higher. You do this by dying less, using less continues, and getting a 100 percent hit ratio.
Here is how the hit ratio works. There are certain enemies and objects you can destroy throughout every level. The bosses also have destructible objects on them. In order to reach 100 percent, you have to destroy everything by using weapons that will increase your chances of success quickly and effectively. For example, on one stage you have to destroy incoming missiles. These missiles usually come at you in different directions and numbers, therefore the weapon of choice should be the charged version of the grenade launcher.
Final Thoughts:
This game is a great addition to the contra series. The difficulty level is still a challenge, the aliens are ugly, the robots are cool as heck, and the music will always get your pumped.
I will give this game a well deserved 8 out of 10