Contra is perhaps best known for its NES port, one of the first games to include the famous “Konami code,” but the arcade version was a groundbreaking game in its own right. A two-player run-and-gun game that combined exciting shooting action with multiple perspectives and platform-based levels, Contra brought an action movie sensibility to the genre – the heroes somersault when jumping, the explosions are plentiful, even the game art has gleaming photos of the Stallone-esque protagonists. If you’re more familiar with the home ports, you should definitely spend some time with the more sophisticated arcade version. The MAME version includes two screen sizes if you want to get even closer to the action.