Play Contra (PC10) Online

Contra (PC10) is one of those NES games that feels like it never lets up. You start in the jungle, running and gunning through waves of soldiers, and the pace barely slows down. The controls are tight, but one wrong jump or mistimed shot can send you back to the last checkpoint.

The weapons make a difference—spread shot turns you into a walking death machine, while lasers feel powerful but risky. The levels stretch longer than the arcade version, especially the later ones, which just keep throwing new obstacles at you. And yeah, the Konami Code is basically mandatory unless you're a masochist.

It's not perfect—some enemy patterns feel cheap, and the hit detection can be brutal. But when you finally beat that last boss after a dozen tries, it feels earned. Contra (PC10) is still one of the best run-and-guns on the NES.