For about as long as video games have existed (or at least since the early 1980's when video game players really started asking questions about certain games), there have always been attempts to ask what certain video game companies were thinking when and why they made a video game the way they did, or why they simply didn't port a game that already existed to their video game system. Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, the "Contra" video game series was a very recognizable franchise, and was doing quite well in arcade systems and Nintendo's ported versions. So it really makes me wonder why Neo Geo, one of the arcade system heavy-weights in terms of making both quality and challenging arcade video games; chose to make their OWN attempt at a "Contra" game rather than simply port one of the already existing "Contra" games to their system, but with improved graphics! Whether it was lack of money or executive meddling, the result is that Neo Geo, decided to make their own video game attempt at a "Contra" game. Set in a more futuristic version of 2030, alien invaders have sabotaged a computer system, causing A.I. androids to go rogue. Either playing by yourself or with the help of a friend, you use various weapons at your disposal to run through various stages and take down both alien and android menaces. While the 16 bit graphics are of very high quality, with good music and sounds, and the story pretty good for early 1990 standards, the challenge of this game comes not from the high rate of enemy encounters. By itself, the enemy encounter rate would be "Tough, But Fair." The challenge of this game comes from the firing rate of the weapons your character uses. With the exception of your normal weapon which never loses any ammo, NONE of the other weapons have any rapid-fire capabilities; which means enemies that would normally not really BE a problem, take longer than they SHOULD to beat. And because the weapons don't fire fast, you're likely to suffer a lot of cheap deaths trying to take the bosses down. And while the game-play itself is pretty good, the game ends on a cliff-hanger, that mission control was actually an enemy alien USING the player characters to destroy Cyber-Lip (the computer they sabotaged), for good; so that there would be less resistance to their invasion. And the game ends on that cliff hanger! Thankfully, this game being available to play for a relatively low-price on the Nintendo Switch with adjustable difficulty levels and lives available at the start of the game, definitely makes this game more enticing for fans of run and gun games like "Contra" to play. Just don't expect to be able to fire most of your weapons fast. Enough said, true believers!
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