Konami has revealed an upcoming collection which should please the most hardcore of run-and-gun fans – the Contra Anniversary Collection. This collection includes a number of classic Contra tiles, all gathered in one amazing package.
The Contra Anniversary Collection includes an incredibly varied lineup of some of the best Contra titles, from the original Contra, which is the very definition of a ‘hard video game,’ to Contra III: The Alien Wars for the SNES, and even the Probotector (Contra: Hard Corps) for the original Sega Mega Drive. There’s still no specific release date announced for Contra Anniversary Collection, but we do know that it will be available across all platforms including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and the PC via Steam for $20. It will be sold as a fully digital title, with no news yet for a possible physical release.
The full lineup for the Contra Anniversary Collection includes some of the franchise's classic titles, which are distinguished by differing region variants.
- Contra (Arcade)
- Contra (NES)
- Contra (Famicom)
- Super Contra (Arcade)
- Super C (NES)
- Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
- Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (SNES)
- Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Genesis)
- Probotector (Sega Mega Drive)
- Operation C (Game Boy)
For me, I'm most excited for Operation C. That said, looking at the titles included, it’s a pretty great selection for the price. There are some very major changes within the first three iterations of Contra on the arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System and the Famicom for players to distinguish and appreciate. Likewise, Contra: Hard Corps and Probotector, while basically the same title, have a lot of differences to them that they’re very different games in the end. Contra: Hard Corps was notable for being the first game in the Contra series to be a full side-scrolling title; other games before it utilized overhead segments in addition to the regular side-view stages. It’s also notable for introducing the Hard Corps subseries of Contra titles, an entry of which is the last original Contra title developed: Hard Corps: Uprising.
It would be nice if Konami goes on to do something more interesting for once instead of pachinko machines, like, say, doing another Contra. One can hope.
