Super C
Introduction
Super C was developed and published by Konami as an enhanced NES conversion of the 1988 arcade game Super Contra, known in Japan as Super Contra: The Alien Strikes Back and released across Europe as Probotector II. The NES cartridge programmed by Shigeharu Umezaki with art from Kengo Nakamura and Setsu Muraki reached Japan in February 1990 and North America that April, and its North American title deliberately dropped the word ‘Contra’ in favor of the shortened ‘Super C,’ a change widely attributed to sensitivity around the real-world Iran-Contra affair scandal that had dominated headlines a few years earlier. Gameplay-wise it sticks closely to the original Contra’s run-and-gun formula, sending one or two players through side-scrolling and top-down military stages against an alien invasion force, collecting the same iconic weapon power-ups like the Spread Gun while adding new enemies, bosses, and slightly reworked level layouts compared to its predecessor. Its tight controls and faithful arcade-style action made it a well-regarded sequel in its own right, even if it’s often overshadowed in Western memory by the original Contra’s cultural footprint.
