There's a lot to like about this game and there's a lot to complain about. On one hand it is great that you can hold down the fire button no matter what weapon you have. There's also a homing gun which is very nifty. However, a lot of the difficulty is stripped from this game and it ends up being way too easy. I feel because of this it is the best Contra game to introduce to beginners but otherwise not on the level of the NES games. (Barring Contra Force, obviously)

Also, having your final boss do nothing while you attack it is super lame and shouldn't be in any game ever.