*Denotes Replay For Completion*
1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***
***18. Out Run (GEN)***
19. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
20. RBI Baseball 2 (NES)
21. Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii)
22. Operation C (GBC)

I completed Operation C on the Nintendo GameBoy this afternoon!
I seem to have a love/hate relationship with the Contra series. I love to play them, but I am not the best at them so they become incredibly hard for me. With the series turning 3D and going handheld, I thought I was finished with the series when I finally beat Contra: Hard Corps on the Sega Genesis. Well, with the addition of some new consoles, it seems like the Contra series was able to pull me back in. So, when I was rebuilding my Backlog, the GameBoy version jumped out at me as a game I had to own. Since it is not too expensive, I decided to jump on it rather quickly and thought it would be a good change of pace after an intense Puzzle game and a good second Beat after Pokemon.
Operation C is a perfect example of how to do a handheld done correctly. It is not a port of the games on the larger console nor does it offer significantly less than the console versions. It is just a smaller version of Contra on the NES. The game only has five stages, but it still feels and plays like a NES Contra game. Granted because of the hardware limitations, there are less bullets on the screen and much more respawning enemies instead, but it still looks and plays like a NES Contra game. Even better in some aspects as you start with the Machine Gun and you don't have to mash the fire button for any of your weapons. They all just automatically fire, which is fantastic. They only have three special weapons; Fire, Spread and Homing, but you can upgrade them and they become more powerful if you get a second powerup of them. That Homing shot is amazing as it just plows through bosses as you only have to concentrate on avoiding attacks. Any game that gives you a powerful Homing weapon is fantastic in my book. Also, the game has a much more deliberate pace as you are not exactly running and gunning. It's more like walking and stopping, but once you get in that mindset, you feel absolutely unstoppable.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Operation C. It's still a Contra game, so it can be rather challenging and the constant stream of enemies can get annoying. But, it is a slower paced Contra game with some fantastic weapons. I like it much more than the insane action the series would be known for. It is a great complimentary game to play alongside the NES versions. I think it is a great starter Contra game to see if you would like the series as it hits that perfect sweet spot.