Contra is back

[Raging Justice]

https://www.destructoid.com/new-trailer ... on-galuga/





Reminds me of Shattered Soldier...which is a good thing, with lots of playable characters like Hard Corps

[bmoc]

Wayforward is involved. NICE!

[Anapan]

Sweet! I hope they put BR-W9 "Brownie" in. I'd even pay for her as DLC.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Based. Interesting how every well-received Contra game is 2D. Feel like there's a lesson there.

[marurun]

Interesting how every well-received Contra game is 2D. Feel like there's a lesson there.

The lesson is that Konami needs to stop funding 2D Contra games or they might accidentally assume there's still room for them in console gaming.

[Ack]

But how else will they keep their pachinko IPs running?

[Nexus-X]

This is out next month. The demo dropped earlier this week on all platforms. The Switch and PS4 versions are capped at 30fps and suffer from heavy input lag. Stick with the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series versions.

I’m not a fan of the aesthetic, but it’s alright. It feels like Contra III with a double jump and a dash, both of which feel kind of unnecessary. Similar to Contra III, there is a lock in place rather than aim lock to strafe. 360 degree aim with an analog stick is the default way to play, but an 8-way option can be enabled for a purist experience. There is also a 1-hit death setting. With these two enabled it feels like an authentic Contra.

I’ve put a few hours into the demo and I’m really enjoying it. I managed a 1 death clear on the level on hard with Bill and 1-hit deaths. I have my nitpicks like enemy bullet visibility being not quite there, weapons feeling like they lack impact, and a soft soundtrack. It’s a solid entry otherwise. I can’t wait to try out some of the other characters in the full game.

This is a really good interview with the game’s director where he talks about his history with the franchise and the direction he took with the game:

[Raging Justice]

Wait, the 1 hit death thing is optional? Sweet. That's how some of these games were in Japan (like Contra Hard Corps). For whatever reason, they just decided that people outside of Japan were masochists

The regional differences of this franchise are really interesting, like the whole Probotector thing that they eventually just made canon.

Lately, we're getting a lot of reminders of how great Konami used to be, like the recent Ninja Five-O news.

EDIT: Actually, I guess Hudson soft deserves credit for how great Ninja Five-O was.

[Nexus-X]

I think Contra Hard Corps had a 1 hit death option in Japan on hard difficulty, but I might be misremembering. I wouldn’t be surprised if 1 hit deaths were imposed on the western release to inflate the difficulty so that people couldn’t beat the game in a single rental, as was a popular tactic back then. Streets of Rage 3 and Ninja Gaiden 2 come to mind as examples.

I adore this demo. I’ve put about 8 hours into it and everything just feels right. Even the mobile graphics have grown on me.

[Jagosaurus]

Making sure you guys knew this was getting a physical release for XB1/XSX, PS4, PS5, & Switch with multiple versions. Pretty sweet the Classic Edition is in a NES style box. Orders open 3/1 via LRG.

I was on the fence. Didn't mind 1 hit deaths when I had more time for gaming & memorizing levels, but definitely more of a fan of life bar these days. So there's a demo out now on all platforms? Need to check it out.