So, for fans on the Contra series or the run ‘n’ gun genre, Contra Anniversary Collection is a must-have. A lot of its games might feel overly similar to one another, but for its budget price you’d have to be a bit of a scrooge to hold it against it.
While the Contra Anniversary Collection doesn’t have the same breadth of content featured in its gothic counterpart, fans of the franchise or anyone interested in some old-school videogamin’ with a capital V will find a lot to like here for $20. The people at M2 know what they’re doing when it comes to retro emulation, and they have delivered another worthwhile compilation. With these two collections and the recent announcements of both the TurboGrafx 16 Mini and Contra: Rogue Corps, perhaps there is hope for Konami yet…
Contra Anniversary Collection is a package that includes ten selected classic titles from the Contra franchise, part of Konami's "Anniversary Collection" series. It has an extremely fast gameplay, suitable for nostalgic players.
Contra Anniversary Collection is a pleasant shoot down memory lane, but the duplicate games are frustrating additions, taking up slots that could’ve been filled by more unique titles. As is, half of the roster are repeats, and that’s a bit of a shame. Compared to the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, which offered eight distinctive experiences that epitomised the early years of the series, it’s a disappointing line up, especially considering the absence of the underrated, long-awaited Nintendo DS sequel; Contra 4. However, these are very good games and it remains enjoyable to explore the history of such an iconic series and compare the tweaks to each version, whether graphical or story based. The games that we are given are all (mostly) stellar retro shooters and it’s cool to have them easily accessible in one place. If you haven’t experienced the Contra series before, then this isn’t a bad pl ace to report for duty.
Contra Anniversary Collection offers a series of run and guns of undisputed historical value in a package that honestly could have offered so much more. Contra III: The Alien War and Hard Corps remain as beautiful as the sun, and the two arcade games still offer a steep but extremely rewarding challenge, however the superfluous presence of the Probotectors can only appear as a waste of space in the eyes of the true fans.
SummaryThe Contra Anniversary Collection brings this classic Run and Gun franchise back to modern platforms and a new generation of players. Grab power ups and blast your way through waves of menacing enemies and bosses that will put your reaction skills to the test.