Contra is definitely so much more than a basic run and gun. I loved watching people new to the game back in the day take on Contra like they would something like Commando. They quickly found out Contra was a completely different beast.

So fun, even today though my reflexes are not what they used to be, I can still hold my own against most of the game, and Super C (I can't hold a candle in Contra III or Hard Corps though).