Friday Favourites - Contra: Hard Corps (GEN)

On 03/08/2013 at 11:02 AM by Surfcaster

Note: This is a series that I started doing on my Tumblr account, but I've decided to migrate here, because no one's reading it on Tumblr! I might repost some of those here, but we'll see. Today, though, I bring you a new edition of Friday Favourites, hot and fresh out the kitchen.

I recently read a great article by fellow PixlBitter (what do we call ourselves, by the way?) jaundice, which was actually regarding Rocket Knight Adventures on the Sega Genesis, but in the end resulted in a conversation about Contra: Hard Corps, also for the Genesis. Since then I've also read a great review of Contra by spunkyd99 and watched jaundice's YouTube playthrough of Super C for the NES with Joeyg329, and now I have Contra on the brain!

My favourite of the Contra games, to date, has to be Hard Corps, which is funny because I never owned a Genesis and I still don't to this day. I grew up on a healthy dose of Super C, with a little of the original Contra thrown in for good measure, but I somehow missed out on Contra III: Alien Wars on the SNES, so my 16-bit Contra experience was Hard Corps.

The game has a lot going for it, with great level design, some pretty decent music and an actually cool storyline, but the best part of it all are the characters and weapon upgrades. You can play as Ray (the regular badass Contra-style dude), Sheena (the female version of Ray, basically) and then two other characters that are infinitely more interesting and cool; Brad Fang and Browny.

Browny is a small little robot character, but she packs a punch, and Fang is this crazy half-wolf, half-robot with a cannon for an arm. They are the most fun to use characters, not just because they are so different than the usual Contra fair, but because of the awesome weapon upgrades they can acquire.

You pick up the weapon upgrades just like in any other Contra game, but instead of both players getting the same weapons (ie, Spread Shot or Rapid Fire) each character gets their own specific weapons. Ray can get homing missles, but Browny might pick up a Yo-Yo weapon, for instance.

Browny and her killer yo-yo
Browny and her killer yo-yo.

It can make the game a fresh experience just by changing the character up in a different playthrough. Also, the story can take different paths, à la Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, which switches things up just enough to make playing Contra: Hard Corps fun again and again.

It recently had a prequel released on XBLA and PSN called Hard Corps: Uprising, but I have to say it was pretty disappointing. It follows the original Contra format too much, eschewing all the cool facets that made the first Hard Corps game so different and refreshing. It includes an RPG-style version of the game that allows each character (of which there are five, including DLC characters - they even brought back Browny!) to level-up as you play through, but it's not on the same level as it's predeccesor.

I've, of course, since played many Contra games that are worth your time, like Contra III: Alien Wars on the SNES, and Contra: Shattered Soldier on the PS2, but for my money the best Contra game out there is still Contra: Hard Corps, for the Sega Genesis.

Thanks for reading,
Surf

Ryan Bunting Staff Alumnus

03/08/2013 at 11:08 AM

Before I even opened this article, I knew it was inspired by our discussion on the Rocket Knight review! And I'm proud of that :P Joey and I were just talking last night about how our last bastion is Contra: Hard Corps, and once we can decimate that game, we can officially wreck ANY 8bit or 16bit Contra with ease, so now after reading this, we REALLY have to tackle it. Brb, gotta go buy a couple cases of Excedrin - we're going to need it haha.

Surfcaster

03/08/2013 at 11:31 AM

Haha, Excedrin and Red Bull will be required!

Aboboisdaman

03/08/2013 at 11:10 AM

You didn't like Uprising? I thought it was pretty awesome. Maybe it's because they added all this fancy crap like dodging and leveling up? Anyway, I had bought this one a while back. Browny is my favorite. I think it's so hilarious playing as that little robot. This game is really hard, and I haven't gotten too far yet. My favorite Contra is the original, but I pretty much love almost all of them.

03/08/2013 at 11:30 AM

Yeah, I came off there as not liking Hard Corps: Uprising, but what I really meant was that I was disappointed that it wasn't more like it's predeccesor. I actually really like HCU in it's own right and liked the RPG additions. I didn't buy any of the DLC characters, though.

03/08/2013 at 11:38 AM

ah ok. Well I definitely understand. I thought of it as a modern take on the Contra formula. Some of those DLC characters were awesome! Like that samurai girl. She doesn't use a gun so it feels different playing as her. Perhaps someday we will get a true sequel to Hard Corps. Did you ever play Contra 4 on DS?

03/08/2013 at 11:42 AM

Na, I haven't. It's on my radar, though. I'll pick it up instantly if I ever see it. Not only because it's Contra 4, but Wayforward made it and I enjoy their stuff.

Have you played Contra: ReBirth at all on WiiWare? That was a pretty solid Contra game. Definitely had the Contra difficulty! You can play it like an arcade game, though, and keep continuing, but if you tried to play legit it would be quite the spectacle.

That samurai girl was the only DLC character, except for Browny, that I was interested in, haha. I figured that would definitely switch up the game!

03/08/2013 at 11:52 AM

Contra 4 is great. It definitely feels like the classic 2D versions. It's tough too because you have to look at both screens! Plus you can unlock the original Contra and Super C. I don't ever see that game in stores though. So you might have to order it online or something.

I'd love to play that one on the Wii. Maybe I can somehow convince my brother to buy it. Sorry to keep on babbling lol. Thanks for the conversation Surf!

03/08/2013 at 11:57 AM

Yeah, I'll probably have to eBay Contra 4 eventually, haha. I have seen it crop up here and there, but it definitely (and unfortunately) wasn't a big release. That's cool that it comes with Contra and Super C! When I first beat Metroid: Zero Mission no the GBA I found out that it unlocked the original Metroid. I always thought that was a cool feature.

I liked the one on the Wii. It feels a litte glossy, but it was fun. No worries on the blabbing, I don't mind the conversation at all, haha.

Jamie Alston Staff Writer

03/08/2013 at 11:11 AM

Talk about a game that's tough as nails! Hard Corps has a bigger reputation for being difficult than the original Contra!. This one had some truly over-the-top stages, but all in good fun.

Yeah, it's definitely a tough game, there's no doubt there. I bet if I played it again right now I'd get my ass handed to me, haha.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/08/2013 at 11:40 AM

Any game with a half-wolf, half-robot with cannon for an arm has my vote.

Maybe we should call ourselves Pixlbits?

03/08/2013 at 11:43 AM

You are too right, and I definitely endorse Pixlbits.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/08/2013 at 12:12 PM

never played this one. IT looks fun, but I don't think I could handle the difficulty. I'm sure the music is interesting.

03/08/2013 at 12:37 PM

Interesting is a good way to put it. I don't have a ton of experience with Genesis soundtracks, but I know that I tend to not like the music that came from it because of it's soundchip. I always found the OST of Contra: Hard Corps to deviate from that somehow. It's not amazing stuff, but it definitely did the trick.

Serraxor

03/08/2013 at 01:00 PM

I really need to track this one down. It looks pretty boss. I have Contra III, Shattered Soldier and 4, and I did enjoy Hard Corps quite a bit, despite not living up to its heritage.

03/08/2013 at 01:31 PM

I've seen so many different prices for Contra: Hard Corps around the net. I've seen it CIB for as little as $40 and then into the hundreds, boxed for about the same ($40) and cart-only for like $30. I don't know if that's representative, though, because I've seen all kinds of different pricing schemes on it!

I do like Hard Corps: Uprising. I came off a little harsh on it in the article, but it just wasn't the game I was looking for. It was still a fun game. I seem to remember it appearing in an intro for Bullet Heaven at some point, haha.

Ranger1

03/08/2013 at 06:10 PM

This falls under the category of games that I find fun watching other people play, but probably wouldn't like myself. Excuse me, now I have to go read jaundice's Rocket Knight blog.

Temperance

03/08/2013 at 11:46 PM

I remember the sour grapes over this game when it first came out. So many of my friends were expecting the next Contra game to come out on the SNES, and they simply saw Hard Corps as an insult because it was on the Genesis (the same thing happened with Bloodlines). All I can say is that they missed out on a damn fine game. To tell you the truth, I actually like this one over Contra III. While Contra III did have some really great music, effects, and weapons, those top-down stages dragged the game down. Hard Corps didn't have any of that baggage, and focused on providing some of the toughest side-scrolling stages in the series (not even Shattered Soldier was that hard, unless you were going for 100% completion). That said, my favorite moment in Hard Corps had to be the Castlevania spoof; I just loved the Contra rendition of a classic Castlevania tune.

03/12/2013 at 09:33 AM

All I can say is, "Well put!" It's a great game and people are definitely missing out on it. I know I would've if it hadn't been for my friend getting it.

I've only played a little bit of Bloodlines, but if I owned a Genesis I would most definitely be getting it. That game looks great.

smartcelt

03/11/2013 at 04:21 PM

I will have to add this one to my list. For when I get the retro console I saw the other day. It has 3 game slots. One for NES,one for SNES,and one for Genesis. Takes the original controllers,or you can go wireless with the ones provided. All for 70 bucks! Can't beat that. The Contra games you are talking about are true classics. Would not want to miss out.

03/12/2013 at 09:35 AM

I've seen those! I already have a RetroDuo, so I can't seem to talk myself into getting the one with the extra Genesis slot as well, haha.

One of these days I'll just bite the bullet and pick up a Genesis!

PixlBit