Number 9 [Most Memorable NES Games]

9.  Contra

This game is a little fuzzier.  I'm not exactly sure where Contra began for me.  It just always was.  I can't remember a distinct time frame in my sweaty NES days when I wasn't playing Contra.

My brother and I played this one until we had blisters on our thumbs.  And the yelling.  So much yelling.  We'd play it at friends' houses, we'd play it at our dad's farm, we'd play it on the Play-Choice 10 arcade at Big Cheese Pizza, and, for our house, we'd rent it.  Boy, did we rent this game.  I'm sure we could have easily paid for it based on our rental frequency.  No other good games at Hometown Video?  Just get Contra.  Again.

I remember arguing about the cover art.  Specifically, Joby and I would argue over which guy we were in the game.  The characters were named Mad Dog and Scorpion.  Scorpion?  Yeah, right.  We both wanted to be Mad Dog.  And on the title screen, one of them had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  Of course that had to be Mad Dog.  Très cool.

This was one of the first video games I remember beating, courtesy of the legendary Konami Code.  The first time we got all the way to the end and destroyed Red Falcon was out at my dad's farm.  I remember sitting on his dingy living room carpet, eyes fixed on that console TV, and just pounding the B button.  He didn't really seem to care much, but Joby and I were high-fiving like only two kids in the late eighties could.

Come back tomorrow for my next game.  And be sure to check out all the posts in my Most Memorable NES Games list.

[Screenshots courtesy of GameFAQs]