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"A very good game that need very little change."

Contra was a Nintendo Entertainment System game made by Konami back in 1988. The Contra for that system was very good for a Nintendo Entertainment System game; I played it. In Latin prefixes, "Contra" means against, I'm assuming the reason this game is called Contra is because your going against the bad guys. It doesn't surprise me that there is lots of other Contra games out there. Contra: Hard Corps is a little different for a Contra game though. It will be confusing at first but you will get used to it eventually.

You said that "Contra: Hard Corps is a little different for a Contra game"... how are they different?
If you are familiar to Contra for the Nintendo Entertainment System, you may jump into Contra: Hard Corps without much confusion but if this is the first game you have played of the Contra series, you may have a few problems. If you have played the original Contra, you already know the basics, select one or two players on the title screen and play. However Contra: Hard Corps is a little different. Not only can you choose one or two players, you can also choose the difficulty, number of lives, and even a selection of four different characters. We know on the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Contra, there are guns with letters on them representing what the gun is (for an example: S = spray), Contra: Hard Corps is a little different though. In Contra: Hard Corps, the guns will always be labeled A, B, C, or D and they do not stand for anything. A character can get all four letters but the type of gun will be completely different from the other characters type of gun. Both characters can have the same letter but not the same type of gun. Two different can get "A" but one may have the "Spray" gun and the other may have the "Fire" gun. All of that may seem very confusing but you will figure it out once you play the game. Unlike the original Contra, this game involves words. This game even has a few swear words here and there as well just encase your not allowed to have games that swear or doesn't like swear words. Some people can talk to you in the game so they can tell you were you want to go next in the game. Yes, you can sometimes choose where to go next. In the original Contra, you play all of the levels in the same order every time. In Contra: Hard Corps, the levels are in order but you have a bigger selection on what one of the two levels do you want to go next. As you can see, there is quite a few twists and confusions but you will have lots of fun when you play this game.

Are the graphics going to want me to keep playing or are the graphics not so good?
When you play this game, nothing is going to make you want to stop playing. The graphics have very nice color and the game parallax scrolls so you are not going to be unsatisfied with the graphics. Sometimes the game has 3D like graphics making the game more exiting and real. There is a little black section on the top of the screen that list your lives and guns you have and can be a bit annoying at times seeing how the original Contra was full screen. The characters are clear and everything comes in clear. The bosses are done perfectly, there is absolutely no problem with any of the bosses. They move fully making them look like they are actually moving; when bad guys are actually moving, that's where the action comes in. I would have to say that the graphics are perfect and is why I give the graphics a ten out of ten.

The sound... is it good sound or bad sound?
The sound in this game comes in clear just like the graphics do. They sound like they go perfectly with what made the sound in the first place. There are a lot of sounds in this game that you usually do not hear in other games (well except the pause sound affect). This is one of the actual few games that I actually listen to the sound to when I play. The sound affects almost sound real like when bad guys blow up into pieces, it sounds just right. I think it well deserves it's ten out of ten.

What is the story line for Contra: Hard Corps? Is it good?
There was an Alien war which ended five years ago and things like technology started to get better, but so did the crimes that were happening. Things were starting to get out of control. Your mission is to get all of the wanted people off the streets. That is okay for a story line, I don't think they should made this game a sequel from "Contra: The Alien Wars" for the Super Nintendo, but it's better then nothing. I give the story line a six out of ten.

Is the music something worth hearing?
I like the music. The music is catchy and there are a variety of songs that you hear in this game. Like the sound, I have no problem with hearing it. The music seems to match with the level that the music is played on. One thing I like about the music is the fact that they don't always play the same music when there's a boss, a lot of games play the same music for every boss. I'm not saying that games shouldn't play the same music for every boss, I'm saying that it is good to hear new music once in a while instead of knowing what music comes on when you reach a boss; also because listening to the same music over and over again is tolerable but still a bit boring. If you are a music fan, you may be jumping for joy for the music in this game which is why I give the music a ten out of ten.

How would you rate the minor, small enemies for this game?
The small, minor enemies are not awesome like the big, robot bosses but are something the game couldn't go on without. I would say that the small enemies are fair. The small enemies are something that I don't think could be made any better then how it is now, I think Konami did the best they could with the small enemies. When I say "small enemies" I'm talking about the enemies that only take one shot to be killed, the enemies that are human and usually carry a gun to attempt to shoot you. There not like the big bosses that take a long time to beat and are usually solo, the small enemies are spread out and just take a few hits. The small enemies are something in this game that should be had because having all big, robotic, enemies would make this game more difficult then it already is. The enemies are fair but not totally awesome so I will give the enemies a nine out of ten.

How would you rate the big, robot enemies (bosses) for this game?
This game as well as all of the other Contra games are games that you must play if you are looking for big, difficult, and fun robots to beat. This is where I would like to thank Konami the most. The bosses are really cool looking and can tend to make the game look harder then it really is. That is how big and cool they look. The bosses are full animation, making the bosses look like they are actually moving. They are also colorful in a way, there not always gray-like which is a good thing. I like how the bosses have a heart-like thing that you have to shoot at in order to beat the boss, which makes the game more harder. Sometimes the bosses can come unexpected and sometimes you may find out ahead of time, but either way, you will have a lot of fun with the bosses. The bosses have well earned it's ten out of ten.

Is this game difficult?
If you have seen a screenshot of this game or if you have seen someone else play this game, it would look very difficult because the robots in this game are very big and powerful. However, the game isn't too difficult to be honest with you. You start out with three lives and you get a few continues, it's difficult but it's not super hard or anything like that. Sometimes the choices you make in the game are difficult to decide but this game isn't going to stump you on the first level or anything like that. So there's nothing to worry about. On a scale from one to ten, the difficulty of this game would be a seven.

What do you mean by "choices" in the game? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Sometimes in the game when you complete a level, there will be a message on the top of the screen asking you what place you want to go next or what you want to do next. You have a choice of two places or decisions. I would consider this a good thing. Why? Because now you can go to new places and you don't have to do the same levels over and over again. However, sometimes you can make it very far in the game and then the game could end because of a question you answered. Don't worry, this is not a game show or anything, you don't get asked question in the game too often.

How long does it take to beat this game?
This depends on where you go in the game. Sometimes, it may be short, sometimes it may be a long time. So I cannot give you a definite answer for this one, sorry.

Once I finish this game, will I play it again?
Most likely. There are a few different endings in this game but once you find all of the endings, I doubt you will play it in a while. You make come back to it eventually though. After going against all of the enemies and robots and all of that, you may have had enough of the game. Try not to worry about that though, there is a lot of fun levels in between.

What is your final recommendation?
Yes, I recommend you to buy this game. It keeps you entertained for a long time and that is why I recommend this game for you to buy.

-RATINGS-

Are the graphics going to want me to keep playing or are the graphics not so good?
GRAPHICS 10 - 10

The sound... is it good sound or bad sound?
SOUND 10 - 10

What is the story line for Contra: Hard Corps? Is it good?
STORY LINE 6 - 10

Is the music something worth hearing?
MUSIC 10 - 10

How would you rate the minor, small enemies for this game?
ENEMIES 9 - 10

How would you rate the big, robot enemies (bosses) for this game?
BOSSES 10 - 10

Is this game difficult?
DIFFICULTY 7 - 10

What is your final recommendation?
buy

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/06