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An Xbox Live Arcade version of the classic Konami game.

The Red Falcon organization is plotting to conquer the Earth and two commandos, Lance and Bill, must infiltrate their base. Travel through eight stages in the jungle armed with a machine gun and the ability to capture upgraded weapons including a Fireball, Laser, Rapid Fire gun and a Spread Gun. Lance and Bill are all that stand in the way of Red Falcon and their plans for global domination.

Genre: Action

Publisher: Konami

Developer/Co-Developer: Digital Eclipse Software / Konami

Online Play:

Local Play:

November 8, 2006 –
Editor’s Note: Konami contacted us to inform us that a patch is currently in the works to repair the online issues with Contra and that it will be released in the coming days.

Before Gears of War, there was Contra.

As one of the first great-co-op games, in both arcades and at home on a lengthier NES version, Contra holds a special place in the heart of any shooter fan old enough to remember the game.

I always called them red guy and blue guy, but Lance and Bill thrilled us all with their aerial antics and eight-direction firing abilities. Today, the dynamic duo makes a next-gen debut with the arcade version of Contra on Xbox Live Marketplace. Giddy with excitement, I cranked up the classic. Minutes later, I turned it off in anger.

Blood!Online multiplayer, simply, is broken. On the third Waterfall stage, our game became disconnected, but we were still playing. Basically, we both were seeing a different screen. My partner kept jumping at the bottom of the screen and I yelled at him to c’mon. And then he told me I had already died because I was jumping around like a crazy man and that he was fighting the boss. WTF? The happened every time we played. The tester should be canned.

Offline, the co-op played great until my partner wasn’t able to continue. For each co-op game, you get a few continues. After that, it’s game over. The strange thing is that you can’t simply hit the start button and jump back in. You have to wait for both players to lose all their lives and then a giant continue screen pops up, even though it constantly says “Press Start” at the top of the screen. When you do continue, only the first player respawns and the second player is then able to hit start and jump in. A few times, however, it wouldn’t even let my partner jump back in. Broken.

At least the Achievements are fun. Trying to beat the game on one life is a great challenge many stoners will remember from their college days while ditching classes. There’s even one for beating the game in 12 minutes. As for the other next-gen “upgrades,” there are “enhanced” graphics and sound. The graphics look the same except for new smoke effects, explosions and gunfire. The updated soundtrack is a nice electronic take on the old Contra tunes, and I personally enjoyed it.

Yes, Contra costs only 400 Microsoft points, or five bucks. And yes, going for the Achievements is fun and a great measure of your skill. The updated graphics are a bit annoying as the classic version still looks fine, but the updated soundtrack is kind of cool if you are looking for a change of pace. Single-player gameplay is great, but with online bugs and multiplayer bugs, you may want to buy a 12-pack of Keystone Light or five frosties from Wendy’s instead of throwing down on this unfinished game. Wait to buy this game until news of a patch hits. Or just wait.

IGN Ratings for Contra (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

1.0
Presentation
No option to change your button config and online multiplayer is broken. Bugs in offline multiplayer as well.

7.0
Graphics
A nice take on the arcade classic, although the enhanced option is a bit annoying.

7.0
Sound
A nice take on the arcade classic, and I find myself enjoying the enhanced option.

8.0
Gameplay
One of the greatest co-op games ever deserves praise.

2.0
Lasting Appeal
Since co-op is busted, finishing the game in 12 minutes is the only reason to keep playing this game. 12 minutes!

5.0
Meh
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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