Super C (NES) | RVGFanatic

Contra is back, and boy is it tougher than ever — *Contra* is back, and boy is it tougher than ever

Last Saturday night I was inspired to fire up the old NES for the first time in ages. I still love the system to this day but in terms of actually playing it, it’s been a while. I don’t get to game as much as I’d like these days due to work getting busier and busier, but when I do game I tend to play my Super Nintendo. But last Saturday I had the strangest and strongest urge to revisit my old friend, and my old flame, the 8-bit Nintendo. The first game I played? Super C. Now back in the day I recall playing it briefly, but never thoroughly, and I was adamant on changing that. The game initially kicked my ass until I enabled a few Game Genie cheats to help see me through. Normally I try to beat a game fair and square but I had no guilt here. I just wanted to see all of the crazy levels. This was my journey through hell and back.

Note: Credit vgmuseum.com for these pictures.

Note 2: This past weekend I also published reviews for NES Contra and Contra III: The Alien Wars. Be sure to check them out, too.

Super C came out April 1990, two full years before Contra III: The Alien Wars. I can kind of see where the influences for Contra III‘s first level emanates from. Some of these sights here look awfully familar. Hmmm….

I do miss the classic foot soldiers — I miss the classic foot soldiers

They finally shoot back for a change — They just had a little more style and pizzazz to them

It ain't Contra if it doesn't have a turret — The soldiers run pretty fast

The first stage is pretty solid. Sure that first boss isn’t anything mind-blowing or ultra memorable, but I love how after you destroy all the turrets a red beating orb appears in the middle for you to gun down. It sets the stage as a lot of the bosses have compartments or turrets to take out first.

Shades of Contra III — Shades of *Contra III*

Indeed, playing Super C is like peering into the future. Some of Contra III‘s levels and ideas seem to derive somewhat from Super C.

It's also a bit Heavy Barrel-esque — It’s also a bit *Heavy Barrel*-esque

More turrets — This game has turrets syndrome

Shades of Contra's jungle — Shades of *Contra*‘s jungle

In the jungle the lion sleeps... TO-NIGHT [... -Ed.] — I do prefer the original, but it’s nice to see the nod

It's too flat for my liking — It’s too flat for my liking

It is. The first game’s jungle had lots of different platforms to jump on or off of. This jungle version lacks that. It’s pretty much a straight flat shot through, and that takes away a lot of the fun and intrigue. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a fun level to work your way through, but it’s just not as fascinating as the original.

It gets rather hard here — It starts to get rather hard here

The 'Eagle Men' are back! — I’ve seen you before…

Going in deep now... — Well I’ll be damned

So many guns... — It’s hard to keep a weapon long

I keep dying and end back up with the weak pea shooter. Did I mention this game is double tough?

Interesting boss... — Decent boss but c’mon Konami

The plates come down one at a time and it’s pretty fun to navigate successfully, but I want some more monsters in my Contra bosses, damnit.

Going into the great wide unknown — Going into the wide unknown

Reminiscent of the Waterfall stage — Shades of the Waterfall stage

I do prefer the Waterfall level in Contra over this one in Super C, but that has been a running theme, no?

Alright, I'm digging this — Alright, I’m digging this

You can't hold me back, Trump! — You can’t hold me back, Trump!

You looking good, Donald — You looking good there, Donald

Now wait a second... — Now wait a second…

You've hit the motherload, Jimbo — You can see the influences *Super C* had on *Contra III*

This is not gonna be good... — This is not gonna be good…

It's those spider scorpions! — More *ALIEN* than ever before!

You remind me of an old pal — You remind me of an old friend

Who could forget the Demon that guarded the top of the Waterfalls? — Who could ever forget this massive monstrosity?

Awesome mini-boss. They don't make 'em like they used to! — Shame they didn’t bring back the demonic giraffe

Super C: Super Cheap? — *Super C*: Super Cheap?

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It was nice to finally go through this game last Saturday, even if I did have to enable a cheat code in order to do so. I managed to finish the game with precisely one life remaining. I doubt that I could ever legit beat this game, even if I were to devote 20 years to mastering this game. I love a good hard challenge but this game seems to cross the line and wander into super cheap territory. I do like it a lot, but I just wish it weren’t so damn difficult. It’s so hard that for me it takes away some of the fun if you’re playing this as is. I know there is a camp of Contra fans who prefer Super C to the original. But for me the original will never be touched, outside of Contra III: The Alien Wars that is. Still, Super C stands as a worthy sequel and it’s cool to see the influences it would come to have in Contra III.

Ranking the first three Contra games (Contra Force doesn’t bloody count).

1. Contra III: The Alien Wars
2. Contra
3. Super C

PS- Remember the creepy commercial? See below.

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