Contra: Hard Corps

"One of the best shooters ever"

This is the fourth game in the Contra series and it's definitely one of, if not the best one. Like all the games in the series, it's not easy and recommended for experienced gamers only. Anyway, on to the review.

Graphics: 9 out of 10
The graphics in this game are great. All the enemies look threatening and all four of the heroes look great too. There is also some good use of 3D effects as well, but the game sometimes slows down when it uses them. Overall, very good for their time, but I've seen better from 1994 Genesis games.

Play control: 8 out of 10
The control is actually quite good, but it does take some getting used to. Konami wanted support for both the 3 and 6 button controllers, so to change weapons, you hit A while not firing, and to change firing mode, you hit A while firing (or one of the X,Y,Z buttons). It usually works quite well, but it can take some getting used to.

Gameplay: 9 out of 10
The game is very challenging. Don't expect to get through this one in under a week. There's also four different paths to take through the game, and six different endings to find (one is hidden in level 3 and one is a bad ending). It can be frustrating at times, but it is fun and a good challenge.

Music: 7 out of 10
Well, it's almost up to Konami standards. Some of it is very catchy and well done, but some of it isn't of the highest quality. Overall, it's not bad at all, but some songs could have used improvement.

Sound: 9 out of 10
This is what Contra is about, sound effects. Most of the sound effects sound very good considering the Genesis' sound capabilities. Occasionally, an effect doesn't sound right at all, so I decided to take a point off for that.

Is it worth buying?
I sure think it is, especially for experienced gamers that like good 2-D action shooters. Also, Funcoland is only charging a little over ten bucks for this great game, so you would have to be a fool to not pick it up if you have the opportunity

Conclusion and my two cents
This is a great action shooter, and if you’re a fan of these types of games, you would have to be crazy to not pick this up, especially since it costs under fifteen dollars. It does have a few minor problems, and it's not for everyone, but I highly recommend it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/00, Updated 11/25/00