Contra 2 on NES: the direct sequel to the original classic. New views including side and top camera. Explosive co-op, maintained difficulty, frantic action. Just as excellent as the first.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player12+
Co-op
Description
Cooperative run-and-gun featuring Bill and Lance battling Red Falcon on Earth and in space, Japanese version. Published by Konami, released in Japan in 1990. Bill and Lance with Spread Shot and new weapons, ground and space levels and two-player co-op. Japanese version of Konami's Super Contra on Famicom.
Super Contra review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
As nervy as ever, the sequel enriches its arsenal with flamboyant martial themes and frantic rhythms cut for the assault. Konami's music galvanises every wave of enemies with an infectious heroic energy. This sonic generosity faithfully extends the series' legendary intensity.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The sequel to the cult run-and-gun keeps the frantic action and two-player co-op that built its legend, while adding top-down views and spectacular bosses. Scooping up a devastating weapon and sweeping the screen stays an instant, electrifying joy. More generous and just as demanding, a snappy challenge built for frantic sessions with friends.
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
A direct sequel to the cult run-and-gun, it takes the winning recipe and turns up the heat: denser waves, spectacular bosses and top-down levels that refresh the challenge. Death at the slightest contact, weapon choice and memorization stay at the heart of the experience. More generous yet just as demanding, it carries on the legend and remains a must for action fans.
The Japanese Famicom version of 'Super C', Japan-exclusive under this name and much rarer boxed than the US version. The Japanese cart features an original cover and title that make it an identity piece for Japan-side Konami collectors. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and Konami manual is valued for closing out the Contra Famicom collection (Contra + Super Contra), and the Japanese cote climbs hard.
Memorable bosses
A beefed-up sequel to the run-and-gun shock, this offensive chains even more massive guardians, from an alien face rising out of the ground to fortresses bristling with cannons. Top-down stages renew the patterns and the angles to read. Ever more generous with colossal bosses, the whole thing ups the ante without ever losing the readability that lands, controller in hand.
Is Super Contra still worth playing in 2026?
Super C, also Super Contra in Japan and Probotector II - Return of the Evil Forces in Europe, is the direct Contra sequel on NES. Intense action, new views including side and top-down cameras, varied levels and explosive two-player co-op, Konami's title maintains the original's excellence with added variety. Still an absolute must today, ideally in co-op after the first Contra.
