Super Contra

Super Contra is the sequel to the legendary arcade shooter Contra, which Konami released to arcade halls in 1988. Players once again take on the roles of a pair of mercenary commandos and must stop another wave of alien invasion, this time with an even greater emphasis on action, spectacular firefights and hectic boss battles at the end of each level. The game builds on its predecessor's proven formula — constant forward movement, shooting at everything that moves, and collecting weapon capsules that drop after destroying a marked enemy — but pushes it a step further in scope, pace and the visual spectacle that the arcade hardware of the time allowed.

Compared to the first game, new weapon types were added, including homing missiles, a flamethrower and a stronger variant of the spread shotgun, and levels regularly alternate between the classic side-scrolling view and a top-down perspective, in which the player advances through an enemy base similarly to a top-down shooter, aiming in all four directions. Short interludes with bosses attacking from multiple sides were also added, along with massive final battles that require memorizing attack patterns just as much as quick reflexes. The arcade version is designed to keep players feeding more coins into the machine — losing a single hit usually means death, the difficulty is merciless, and without well-coordinated cooperation between two players standing side by side at one machine, dividing up their fire zones, you won't get far.

Why play it: Super Contra is for anyone who wants to experience what a genuine late-80s arcade challenge felt like — tough, fast and built on precise reflexes as well as knowing the levels by heart. It shines best with two people side by side at one machine, where cooperation and splitting up fire zones is what ultimately decides how far the pair gets.