Contra: Hard Corps

"The reason to own a Genesis"

Introduction- After Contra III: The Alien Wars was a hit on the Super Nintendo, Konami took the franchise to the Genesis, and the resulting game was just as good as Contra III, if not a little better. Actually, Contra: Hard Corps is the last exceptional Contra title, after this, the series went in a downward spiral. If you're looking for one good game to purchase for your Sega Genesis, this is it. It's not as common as Contra III, but completely worth the search.

Gameplay (10/10)- In the traditional Contra way, the game is filled with action. There is, literally, never a dull moment. Every thing you shoot is followed by a huge explosion, which is only made better with the various weapons that can be acquired (including the classic spread gun). The controls are responsive and easy. Shoot and Jump, that's all there is and that's all you need. The game is incredibly hard, even harder than Contra III, if you have little patience, you won't be happy with this game. If you want pure butt-kicking action, this is what you need.

Story (3/10)- Story? Never heard of it! Seriously, it's the basic aliens attack, you destroy type of game. You don't need to know anything else.

Graphics (10/10)- The Genesis was pushed to the limit with this one. The graphics are bright and incredibly detailed. There is stuff flying all over the place, resulting in enough close calls to get your heart racing. Not only that, but the enemies are animated incredibly smoothly. Just look at the centipede-like thing, or that spinning thing with the flame-thrower. Very, very impressive. The graphics certainly don't look all that good today, but they do their job, and look top notch for the system they are on.

Sound (10/10)- The sound perfectly complements the graphics and gameplay. The soundtrack gets you pumped up and ready to kick butt. Not only that, but the sound effects are big and loud, as things are constantly exploding. The sound really is great, and fits perfectly.

Replayability (9/10)- The Contra series always had very good replayability, and this one is no exception. While the excessive difficulty may turn some players off, there's no doubt that anyone focused on the game will have a good time going through it once or twice (or more). Blowing things up just doesn't get old, and this game just may have the best replayability I've ever seen in a Genesis game (Sonic included!).

Final Recommendation- Not very easy to get a hold of, but once you do, you'll love this. In other words , BUY THIS! In my opinion, this blows Gunstar Heros away. This game is perfect in every aspect except story (and really, who wants that in an action game? It's not like you're playing this to get a better outlook on human life). It is a departure from the old Contra games in that it doesn't give you two characters, one blue, one red, to work with, but a few different choices, but it works well, and adds variety. This game is exceptional, and I highly recommend tracking a copy down.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/24/03