The Contra Anniversary Collection is a summertime treat for folks who enjoy gunning down hundreds of harebrained troops that are somehow controlled by creepy, nearly copyright infringing aliens. Though Konami announced its plans for the retro bundle months ago, it only revealed the full lineup of games this week. Spoiler alert: it features four different versions of the original Contra alone, and that's just at launch.
On top of a bonus ebook that explores the series' history, the Contra Anniversary Collection will come with ten games. It's eight games if you don't count the Probotector series as separate entries; if you're not familiar, those were the Europe-only versions of Contra and Contra 3 that replaced the two heroes and many of the enemies with robots.
American Contra games
- Contra (Arcade)
- Contra (NES)
- Contra (Famicom)
- Super Contra (Arcade)
- Super C (NES)
- Operation C (Game Boy)
- Contra 3: The Alien Wars (SNES)
- Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis)
European Contra games
- Probotector (Mega Drive)
- Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (Genesis)
If that isn't enough Contra for you (how could that possibly not be enough) you can also look forward to a free update that will add full Japanese versions for six of those games after launch.
Japanese Contra games (arriving via update)
- Contra (Arcade)
- Super Contra: Alien No Gyakushu (Arcade)
- Super Contra (NES)
- Contra Spirits (SNES)
- Contra (Game Boy)
- Contra: The Hard Corps (Genesis)
The Contra Anniversary Collection release date is still slated to be released sometime this summer. You'll be able to pick it up on PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One for $19.99 when it arrives.
Continue your education in the classics with our guide to the best retro game consoles in 2019. Then return to the modern day with the latest edition of Release Radar, our weekly look at what's new in games and entertainment.
