I remember being in the arcade and seeing this game and its rather funny cut scene where the one Contra guy asks, "What is this place?" Then they put it out on the NES and it was basically a different game. I got it and it was fun, but it was also extremely difficult and the cut scenes were of course gone. There are basically no new weapons here as they are all the same as the first game. It does boost rather good graphics for an 8 bit system though and is fun, but like the first game it is rather short once you get the hang of it. These days, though, all games take an eternity so it is nice to play a quick game such as this as a quick distraction.
The story has the Red Falcon organization on the attack again, and it is up to the two heroes to blast their way through their army bases that get less militaristic looking in nature and more alien looking as you progress. It is kind of sad that such a powerful foe cannot afford tanks and weapons that do not shoot in such easy to define and dodge patterns, but hey, if they did your man who can only take one hit would not stand a chance. Once again, us Americans get two human dudes while in Japan they were robots. The game play is the same, about the main difference is they took out the 3D stages and inserted a couple of over the top stages to the mix.
So this game is fun and is hard. You can once again play with two characters; however, you will have an easier go of it if you go it alone. This is especially true in any levels where you have to move upward or where the floor collapses underneath you. This is the final Contra for the NES as the next one would come out on the SNES and then there would be another one for the Genesis. The SNES adds more wrinkles, but still plays like a Contra game while the Genesis one is a bit more out there. This one will have you cussing a bit and you get no 30 lives code (only 10), but is still a pretty enjoyable game that is basically exactly like the first one with new stages and enemies to defeat and conquer.
