Contra Force
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Release date(s)	NA September, 1992
Genre(s)	Run and gun
Mode(s)	Single player, cooperative
Platform(s)	NES
Media	Cartridge

Contra Force is a platform/scrolling shooter video game that was released in 1992 by Konami for the NES. The game is a spin-off of Konami's popular Contra. Unlike the first two Contra titles for the NES, Contra Force was not an arcade port, but an original game. Originally planned as an unrelated Famicom game titled Arc Hound (アークハウンド, Ākuhaundo), Konami opted to skip a Japanese release and market the game in North America as a Contra title. In contrast to the rest of the series, Contra Force is set in a contemporary environment, in which the player controls a counter-terrorist task force known as the Blue Group (the "Untouchables" in the proposed Japanese storyline). The game is not related to the main storyline involving futuristic setting and alien invasions.

Storyline

The game takes place during 1992 where the mayor of Neo City has been kidnapped by terrorists. His recovery is a task for the Blue Group, an elite unit of weapons specialists. The team is composed of Burns, Smith, Iron and Beans. Burns is the group's leader.

Gameplay

The first enemy of the game.

Contra Force departs from many of the Contra gameplay conventions. The game is still a combination of over-head and side-scrolling shooting, but many changes have been made. There are four characters to choose from, each with his own arsenal of weapons. Characters can be changed during gameplay by hitting the select button, and each one has his own amount of spare lives (the game ends if one of them runs out). The player can play the game alone, with a friend or with a CPU-controlled partner.

The weapon system has been drastically changed from the other games in the series. Instead of picking up individual power-up items from flying boxes, the player has a 'power/selection bar' similar to the Gradius games. The player(s) find briefcases hidden in various boxes and walls that move up the power meter. If the player dies, not only is the current weapon lost, but also the amount built up in the power meter. The initial weapon, the pistol, does not even shoot bullets the length of the screen. Overall, the game plays much slower than other Contra titles.

There are a total of five stages in the game: three side-scrolling (odd-numbered stages) and two overhead (even-numbered stages). The levels also include a good amount of destructible terrain, sometimes yielding power-up brief cases, other times just needless destruction.

Characters and weapons

There are four playable characters in the game, which the player switch forth during gameplay. Each character has their own set of weapons and abilities. All characters start the game with the Pistol as their default weapon, but can upgrade to their own specialized weapons as they move up their selection bar.

• Burns - The leader of the Blue Group. Has the highest jumping ability of the four.
  • Hand Grenades (HG) - Useful against enemies hiding behind obstructions.
  • Machine Gun (MG) - Consecutive firing power and longer range than the pistol.

• Iron - A heavy weapon specialist.
  • Flame Thrower (FT) - A short range weapon which fires whip-like burst of flames.
  • Bazooka (B) - A powerful armor-piercing weapon. Useful against bosses.

• Smith - The Blue Group's sniper.
  • Rifle (R) - Similar to the machine gun, but with a longer range and less consecutive firing.
  • Homing Missiles (HM) - Pursue target and detonates when it makes contact.

• Beans - The team's explosive specialist. The faster runner and second highest jumper.
  • Time Bomb (TB) - An explosive which destroys enemies from a two or three feet radius.
  • Time Mine (TM) - Same as the time bomb, but with a shorter detonation time.

General power-ups

• Pistol (P) - The default weapon for all Blue Group operatives.

• Turbo Shot (TS) - The fourth power-up for all characters. Enables either of the character's special weapons to be shot three times on-screen.

• Rolling Attack (RA) - Makes the character invulnerable in mid-air.

Cheats

Due to a bug, the characters can perform "air jumps", enabling the player to bypass most of the enemies in the game. To do so, the player pauses and enters the command "Select screen" when the characters are in mid-air. The jump button is then held while pressing Start to exit the "Select screen" command. After unpausing, the characters should jump again, even if they are not on the ground (this bug cannot be exploited in overhead stages).

External links

• Contra Force at MobyGames
• Contra Force instruction manual

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