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Contra: USA - Japanese Changes
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By Dan Giglio
Version: 1.0
Last Updated: February 21, 2001
This document was written by Dan Giglio, Copyright 2001. 
E-mail: dgiglio84@hotmail.com

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Version History
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1.0 - First release of this FAQ.

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Contents 
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1. What is in this FAQ?
2. Changes

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1. What is in this FAQ?
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First off, this FAQ is not going to be huge...it's just a short FAQ I made
because I was bored....

Contra was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988.  The
Japanese Version of Contra was released after the USA version.  There were
a few changes made to the Japanese Cart.  This FAQ will list the changes
that I found while playing the two games.

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2. Changes
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-The USA title screen scrolls in from the right.  The Japanese version doesn't
 do this: the title screen just "fades in" instead.
-The USA title screen and the Japanese title screen look different (this is an
 obvious change).
-Before the Demo in the Japanese Version, a message appears on the screen (I have
 no idea what it says, I can't read Japanese).
-The Japanese version of Contra seems to be harder than the USA version.  I am
 not the first person to notice this.
-When you pause the game in the USA version, the moving background objects stop 
 (waterfalls, targets, etc.), but in the Japanese version, they keep moving.
-You will notice this one right away: the Japanese version of Contra has cutscenes
 in between the stages.
-Instead of just telling you what level you are about to enter (before you start the 
 level), the Japanese Contra shows a map of the game indicating where you are in the 
 game.
-The rock formation in The Jungle differs in both versions.
-In The Jungle, the trees in the background wave back and forth (like there is wind).
-In The Waterfall, the water is more colorful in the Japanese version.
-In the Snow Field, the trees wave back and forth (like there is wind).
-In The Snow Field, there is snow in the foreground.
-The big trucks in The Snow Field are sometimes much faster in the Japanese version. 
-In the Alien's Lair, the ground moves (it's hard to explain).
-As you get closer to the heart in The Alien's Lair, the ground moves faster.
-As you shoot the heart at the end of The Alien's Lair, the ground gets even faster!
-When you defeat the heart, the music is different in the Japanese version.
-The ending is different.  It's not much, but it's noticeable.
-In the USA version ending, it says "You've destroyed the Red Falcon," or something, 
 but in the Japanese version, it goes straight to the credits.
-The Konami sign at the end of the USA version is just the word "Konami", but in the
 Japanese version, it shows the Konami Logo.

That's all the changes I've found.  If you find anymore changes, be sure to e-mail me
at dgiglio84@hotmail.com and I will updated this as soon as possible.
