Contra: Thirty Lives Later

Contra is a run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a arcade game on February 20, 1987. It was released a year later for Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 as well as ports for various computer formats. The game’s storyline involves two commandos, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, who’ve been sent to destroy the enemy forces and uncover the secrets of the aliens who control that force. This was a game that invested in the concept of two players simultaneously playing on the same screen. An uncommon concept for console gaming in the early 80’s, but that is not to say that you need two players to embark on this journey but the more the merrier, right? Contra also incorporated multiple perspectives within the different stages of gameplay. Some include a standard side view and a fixed screen format.