"Waiting for Contra"

REVIEW |

Here’s the deal. Hard Corps: Uprising from ARC System Works and Konami isn’t Contra. Sorry to break it to everyone who was, like me, eagerly waiting for the next-gen reboot of everyone's favorite childhood controller-breaker, but this game is just not that. But, as much as it’s not what I was expecting / hoping for, it is a pretty fun and challenging throwback to the days when, if you sucked at a game, you lost and had to start over.

I remember playing Contra as a kid. Screaming at the TV. Throwing my controller on the floor. Begging my older brother to put in the thirty lives code for me. Rinse and repeat for probably five straight years. Contra was my first rage quit. I stormed up to my dad's brand new big-screen TV and busted the power button. I was subject to the worse-than-furious look of disappointment dads give when you’ve really done it. Contra broke my dad's sweet TV... and his heart. Ever since that moment, Contra and I had a special bond.



- The Contra-like gameplay elements are undeniable -

So, I’m torn when it comes to Konami and ARC System Works' “spiritual successor” to Contra. Hard Corps: Uprising has an anime art style that looks great, sure, but it feels way over the top. I personally want my Contra game to be more like Predator than Akira. I want to tie a bandana around my flattop haircut and Rambo my way through a sci-fi jungle fortress, not glide around on a hovercraft with my knickers tucked into my boots. Also, there was a certain cartoony campiness to the character animations, particularly the bosses, that just rubbed me the wrong way. I generally don’t want my evil robots to act cutesy. That could just be me.

Aside from the stylistic woes, the gameplay in Hard Corps: Uprising is very much the breakneck frustration-fest I remember Contra being, but ten times as chaotic. You play as either the as-manly-as-anime-guys-get, Bahamut, or as, the impractically-long-ponytailed, Krystil, who’s apparent need for an eye-patch must have cut her modeling career short. Together, they are faced with overthrowing the evil government or some such nonsense. It’s really not important. All you need to know is everything is trying to stop you from moving to the right of the screen - and I mean everything. The amount of evil madness flying around is, at points, borderline absurd. At first, it seems cheap and way too difficult, but after a few hours of sharpening your reflexes, you start to feel like a baddass. Something, I feel, is lost on these young whippersnapper gamers and their ten second apart checkpoints. It really does give you a sense of accomplishment. Like you sincerely deserved to beat the level.

There are two main modes in the game: Arcade Mode and Rising Mode. I would only suggest playing Arcade Mode if you are some kind of masochist. You have a finite amount of lives and continues, and when they run out, you are back at square one... as in the beginning... of the entire game. I started out playing Arcade Mode and thought I’d just missed the save option or something. But no... no I didn’t. The more rational option is Rising Mode, which is the highlight of HC: U for me. As you play in this mode, you build up currency that you can spend on upgrades for your weapons and health and can even buy new moves. It’s a really simple RPG angle that really motivates you to keep playing the various levels over and over again. Each time you upgrade, it helps you get further and further in the game in a really rewarding way, where you feel like you’ve earned your progress.



- Get ready to work hard to advance in HC:U -

Aside from the classic Contra opening, Hard Corps: Uprising is audibly forgettable. You've got your standard anime techno soundtrack. The fast-paced music matches the action, but it's nothing particularly interesting, which was disappointing because the original Hard Corps on SEGA Genesis had a powerhouse soundtrack for its time. I suggest you 'YouTube' it. I also found the sound effects to be cheesy and of such low quality that it was actually distracting.

As much as I think Stacking doesn’t feel like a downloadable title, Hard Corps: Uprising very much does. It feels more like a rehashed classic title than a reimagined reboot, and it definitely doesn’t bring enough heat to be the next Contra. What I feel like us Contra-heads need is a reboot that combines the type of gameplay that HC: U brings mixed with the production value and tone of a Shadow Complex. Is that really so much to ask? Stop jerking our chains, Konami. Looks like we are still waiting for Contra.

GameDynamo's Score for Hard Corps: Uprising (X360)

Graphics The hand drawn anime style is what it sets out to be, but it’s a little cartoony for me. Sound The mediocre soundtrack is accompanied by lame at best sound effects. The opening did give me chills, though. Gameplay The gameplay is a throwback in the worst and best ways. Stop, take a deep breath, and count to ten. Play Value The Rising Mode will have you grinding for points to buy that next upgrade. Plus, co-op is a blast. Final Score 74 HC:U is a solid downloadable title, but it's not a game-changer by any means, and Konami was right to drop 'Contra' out of the title.

Posted on 02/28/2011 | Game Played on: N/A

The views of GameDynamo's writers are not necessarily the views of the website as a whole. However, we support freedom of speech and enjoy diverse opinions about video games. Hopefully you do too!

Images / Screenshots / Artwork

Our Hard Corps: Uprising photo gallery currently contains 20 images. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see some of them, or the button to view more.