The first installment in the Contra series that kicked off years of alien blasting to come. The two big features of this game are the transitions between horizontal side-scrolling, vertical scrolling, and pseudo-3D stages.The game’s larger-than-life bosses and massive fortress backdrop left a lasting impression on players.

This sequel to the original arcade version of Contra brings with it better visuals and an improved playing experience. Top-down view stages replace pseudo-3D stages from the previous installment. Items now “stack,” meaning that picking up the same one twice in a row increases its power.

The North American NES port of Contra was released around the same time as its Famicom counterpart. As with the Famicom port, it strives to recreate the thrills of the arcade version, but with plenty of new content.

This port was released on the Famicom one year after the arcade version. It featured larger maps and more variety in enemy attacks which made for a more challenging experience. The overall presentation of the game also improved with the addition of cutscenes between stages.

This installment is the home console port of the arcade game Super Contra. Considering the numerous changes and additions to the game from its arcade incarnation, it could even be called a remake. Of particular note are the additions of all-new stages, where unknown dangers await the player.

This installment is Contra reborn, built from the ground up specifically for the SNES. The rotation, zoom-in, and zoom-out of layers made capable by the SNES hardware are put to good use here, and the top-down view stages have players explore the level by rotating the background. Many mainstays of the Contra series first appeared in this game, such as grabbing walls and ceilings and weapon switching.

This installment is the European version of Contra III: The Alien Wars. In this version, Bill and Lance were replaced by the combat robots “Probotectors,” and the enemy soldiers were also changed to robots as well. As this version of the game was largely unavailable to Contra fans outside of Europe, this is an excellent opportunity to see a familiar game in a different light.

Operation C for Game Boy is not a port. Instead, it is an original installment that combines elements from both Contra and Super C. Despite the graphical limitations of the handheld system, all of the features unique to Contra are still present. There are five areas in all, both side-scrolling and top-down view sections.

This installment is set five years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. Bill and Lance do not appear as playable characters; instead, four heroes with different abilities take center stage. Your choices matter. The decisions you make determine the stages you play. While most stages are side-scrolling there is still plenty of variety. From the vehicle sections to the pseudo-3D sections, all of it makes for a thrilling and fun-filled experience.

This installment is the European version of Contra: Hard Corps, which was a spin-off title in the Contra series. At the time, there was much anticipation and excitement from players surrounding this installment. This was understandable; not only were Sega consoles highly popular in the European game market, but this was the first ever installment of the Probotector series to be on the Mega Drive.