Genesis

Contra Hard Corps

Jim's lost a lot of weight lately. He also sold his SNES. The connection is obvious. Contra: Hard Corps is not only a kick-ass game, but it also forces you to get your ass in shape because one look at its awesomeness is enough to make a man foresake his SNES and cheese puffs.

Konami comes through for those bullet-hungry, mech-mashing hardcore Contra addicts out there. If you like blowing up problems instead of solving them, this game is for you.

Contra: Hard Corps può essere definito come un coin-op di alto livello magnificamente compattato in una cart del Mega Drive. Un brillante run ‘n’ gun, dunque, che offre una quantità d’azione pienamente adatta a soddisfare i videogiocatori più esigenti, garantendo, così, un adrenalinico divertimento per un periodo più lungo rispetto agli standard del genere. La realizzazione tecnica di gran classe, poi, suggella la perfetta riuscita di uno dei migliori action game mai realizzati per il 16 bit Sega. Unici nei: i fondali non sempre generosi sul fronte dei colori e del dettaglio e la difficoltà potenzialmente indigesta delle versioni riservate al mercato nord americano ed europeo.

Konami a mit le paquet pour nous en mettre plein la vue! C'est preuve comme quoi quand des gens capables de produire de bons jeux décident de s'y mettent ils peuvent créer de belles choses. Contra Hard Corps est non seulement un des 5 meilleurs jeux du Genesis (le meilleur selon moi) mais un des meilleurs jeux d'action 16 bits jamais fait!

This is easily the most challenging Contra yet. Sure, some bosses have predictable patterns, but then there are those who attack you six different ways in no particular order! The learning curve here is steep. If the game were completely linear, with the stages following each other, I doubt anyone would get through it!

In definitiva uno dei giochi più belli per Mega Drive ed uno dei migliori Contra della saga, per molti versi superiore all’episodio su Super Famicom, un titolo che non da tregua e che non accetta vie di mezzo. A voi decidere quindi se ne valga la pena, per me sicuramente si…Aloha!

Hard Corps' most outstanding features are the visual effects, which are, in my completely uneducated opinion, as good as Genesis graphics are ever gonna get. The bosses are animated as smooth as buttah and with very little slowdown or flicker. There's also some show-off scaling and rotation, along with a dash of morphing. Too cool.

Hard Corps does more than just provide an awesome Contra title. It's a fantastic tech demo for the Genesis and it contains more effects than Contra III on hardware that shouldn't be able to pull it off. It's always better playing co-operatively, though it's entertaining enough to go through solo. It's the final gasp for the series before it was obliterated on the PS One and Saturn and ignoring those games, it's a fine way to go out.

Combined with forking storylines, varying levels and fun bosses, this is a game that can be played over and over again for years to come.

For those in the know, the name Contra invokes thoughts of all-out action and excitement and that's exactly what you're treated to. However, all that action leads to some serious confusion, because there's so much stuff flying around that it's easy to get hit by hidden bullets. Anyway, the game uses incredible special effects to the extreme which make it cool. On the down side, the game's hard difficulty will make it rough.

Hard Corps' rotation effects are put to good use in bosses that come apart and reassemble themselves into new configurations (like Transformers). In one "virtual" area, you fight constellations come to life. Besides the difficulty, another issue is how the game seems to degenerate into a series of lengthy boss battles. The graphics are generally good, but the lame explosions are just a bunch of red balls flying everywhere. The soundtrack is decent, but Hard Corps' voice samples are high-pitched, as if Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded them. Upon completing the game, a pitiful "ending" shows your soldier giving the thumbs-up along with the message "Good job!" Contra Hard Corps is a technical tour-de-force, but what good is that when you can't enjoy it?