Is Contra: Hard Corps Worth Playing Today? - Segadrunk
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2016
- Not the usual Contra experience...
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Contra: Hard Corps is too fast? Blame that blast processing!
hahaha
Tell me some more. Gotta admit, keeps you on yer toes!
Can´t say the same about the sound.
It's not too fast, it's just too hard! But at least the Japanese version gives you a lifebar.
@@logria10there is nothing wrong the sound
This is by far the best Contra game I've ever played. I love the difficulty. It kept me coming for more even when I beat it because there branching endings and longer, harder challenging endings. Love the difficulty!!!!! If it was easier I would have beat it to quick and never returned to it. One of the best 16 bit games I've ever played. A pure CLASSIC!!!!!! It's a shame Konami never made another Contra as good as this one.
Same here after beating contra 3 on hard difficulty I welcome the challenge. Yes the game is challenging but so is all the other games in the series personally i think ppl got way to comfortable using cheats instead of learning the levels and boss patterns thus improving but not everyone likes challenging games
This is the best Contra game by far!! You should've played the japanese version, since it gives you three hits. I love the branching paths, the variaty of power ups and characters, and the level design is pretty damn awesome.
Nah. One hit deaths were awesome. Trying to clear the first mission without dying once. Now that's a challenge!
@@samuslightsuit Challenge accepted
I was surprised he didn't mention it.
I find the Japanese version perfect for me, just the right balance of Contra chaos and frustration.
And unlimited continues
Shattered soldier belongs in the list of contra classics
Feel the same way. Shattered Soldier is one of my favorite Contra games. Hell it's worth playing for the amazing soundtrack alone!
Yeah, WTF moment of the video. Shattered Soldier is easily one of the best Contras ever.
Shattered Soldier is amazing for what it is. I say for what it is because it's a game you HAVE to memorize unlike your typical Contra. Hard Corps: Uprising is pretty much a mixture of both and should be played in Rising mode with all the upgrade. Most fun I've had in a Contra game.
XenojinX I love that game, but it's kind of hard to really consider it a proper Contra game. It's like a puzzle-boss-rush game, like Alien Soldier on the Genesis.
Agreed that game is real good story is good I love that game for ps2
To me, this is the best Contra game ever made
100% agree, then contra 4 and rebirth, then the rest way way way lower.
Chance Paladin
Shattered soldier has two words with you.
Contra 3 is the best, and after that, Shattered Soldier.
ABSOLUTELY & TO THINK I GOT MY COPY OUT OF A BARGAIN BIN FROM KAYBEE TOY STORE BACK IN 1994, WHAT A TRUE TREASURE I FOUND THAT DAY FOR SURE👍😎
@@logria10 both are great
My main problem with this review is calling other Contra's "pick up and play" game. Contra has been unapproachable since the first one, the reason the Konami code is etched into every old school gamers brain is because it was a necessity to beat it. I think this might just be a matter of perspective since when I talk to Contra fans about the hardest game it ranges wildly, some people say Contra 3 (hard mode) some say Super C, and some say Hard Corps. I can No death run Contra Hard Corps but still have problems with Contra 1 and Contra 3. This is a franchise that at its core is about trial and error.
You can no-hit run this game? Wow, impressive dude
I play the US version so a no death run and a no hit run is the same thing, but yeah I can do it. If I do die though its usually on the 3rd boss or stage 4 mini boss.
the main issue is the game is woefully unbalanced, really. If you don't master patterns you are boned, and like you saw the Robot YoYo weapon is ludicriously overpowered, as well as Fangs' fist weapon ( Charge up, then essentially one shot bosses)
Tony Boczar super c , never, that one is easy
Hard corps was definitely the hardest. Took a week for me and my dad to beat the first board. But its also my favorite contra. I always picked the dog or the lil robot
The Japanese version is much easier because it has a life bar! You can take 3 hits for each life. There is a rom hack out there which lets you apply the Japanese style hit points to the NA rom. Definitely the way to go!
From which website ? Or u have link?
romhacking.net my dude.
@B Pr: fuck off, you play games your way so let them play it theirs
i consider myself a hardcore gamer as well and love the Contra games but calling someone a "pussy" just because they aren't a total masochist is just immature and rude
Patterns. Everything has patterns in this game, you notice them, figure them out and it gets manageable. A second player helps.
the spectacle in this game is amazing.
Contra Shattered Soldier is NOT a bad game,
its beautiful and just true Contra
Unironically the japanese version of SS is named "Shin Contra" which means True Contra
Possibly the finest example of the "memorize-em-up" genre. It's a game to be chipped away at slowly and patiently. You'll get further with every attempt, as it's not actually difficult, just very demanding. A clear precursor to something like I Wanna Be the Guy.
To be honest pretty much every game works this way. Dark Souls is about monsters and bosses patterns and knowing when to dodge. Even games like Zelda has some form of memorizing to do, like map layouts and enemies attacks, though in this case hard Corps is amplified because of the short nature of the game. There are many other games like that though, good example being Sonic
THIS! Lol we ran through it so much that the first two levels were like muscle memory
Contra meets blast processing. I can’t get past that virtual boss in level 3, but I’ve gotten progressively closer each attempt! The girl character’s homing laser spread is useful to have
EDIT: in taking the research center path, I have gotten all the way to the fight against Col. Bahamut without continuing or using save states. Did not get far but practice will make perfect.
Fun fact: original japanese release of the game has 3 hit health, so you can make 3 mistakes before loosing a life.
8(
Birm japanese are noobs. game isnt that hard
David Steck Bullshit. The American version of HC is borderline impossible without tons of memorization beforehand. Its not as fun to pick up and play like the Japanese version, the way the game was intended to be.
River Feinx Impossible??? I can beat all the game's endings without dying a single fucking time on REAL HARDWARE! I call bullshit on your biased statement.
David Steck This game is nowhere near as hard as Contra 3! The slide in hard corps makes the game super easy
JP version gave you 3 hit points though, so it was designed with that in mind
Agree; Japanese version is easier, so play that version!
There's a patch that restores the Japanese hit points and continue system to the American game. This is the best version of the game to play.
Alianger dont be a noob. be better at the game. you dont need three hits
David Steck This game is too fucking easy even with just a single hit
For some reason Sega of America decided that everything needed to be much more difficult for Americans.
I don't know what the thinking there was, but it happened a lot.
I always considered Contra, just like Metal Slug, a "pick up and learn it until it becomes muscle memory" type of game, given how many intricate patterns and rhythms you've got to get into until you stop dying again and again.
You might also mention the Japanese version had unlimited continues ... and hit points.
In 1998 I bought my first Genesis, a used model 2 (these days I rock a model 1, the model 2 is retired), and this is the second game I bought for it, brand new at Toys R Us. The first game was bought minutes before it, Castlevania Bloodlines. Total cost for both new, under $20. Yes they were the Majesco re-releases with cardboard box, but copies of both games sell for big money these days, no matter the variant. And yes, I still have both games with their cardboard boxes still in nice shape.
Bloodreign1 awesome!
Shattered Soldier Mediocre?? What??
Tyler Knox Shattered Soldier was awesome!
Just practice a lot and the game will be more easy and ejoyable. No matter how many times I died, just keep going back for more, and then, I became good at it. By far, my favourite Contra game, it's so intense and crazy, and I love how many boss battles this game have.
DANMAKUMAN VGM My favorite as well! I've basically mastered this game by now lol
I'm glad you mentioned contra 4. Such an excellent game I don't see mentioned much
Aren't you biased about Contra 3 because of how many times you've played it? I mean, I have the same "pick up and die" feeling with Contra 3. I know I'm a total noob regarding Contra (and any shooter), but is Hard Corps really much harder than 3?
Yes
as a person who has played both Contra 3 and Contra Hard Corps (I own Hard Corps), let me tell you that Contra hard corps is DEFINITELY harder. I have beaten Contra 3 countless times on hard mode, whereas I have yet to beat Hard Corps even ONCE! I am close to beating it, but it has taken me a while just to get to that point. I still absolutely think it is better than Contra 3, though.
yes much much much harder
way way much crazy harder
I Best this Game with six trata the first time, then i beat with every character and then beat without día and then without special weapons. Is a really hard game but is a really rewarding one, the game is way better than contra 3, 4 characters with 4 special-unique weapons, 5 endings, great ost, really creative bosses. I believe that is easy one of the Best génesis games.
I love your channel and videos! But contra shattered soldier for ps2 mediocre!? What!? That game is awesome!! The gameplay rocks! The music is intense! Good graphics! One of my top 3 Contras!
This one is also my favourite Contra game, at least from the ones I have played. And yes it is challenging, but I never found it as hard as described. The first place I had real trouble as a kid was the the fourth level boss. This robot thing chasing you in the tunnel. Just play with the tiny robot character. He is a much smaller target and much more manoeuvrable, having a double jump/float move with his jetpack. Also the homing energy-chain weapon you can get with him is pretty awesome.
I beat it with a game genie first with invincibility then 99 lives then 50 lives, I got so good at the game I could beat it with the 20 lives code and have 8 or 9 lives left over. Recently played it on the Sega mini and got a through a couple of stages, but I forgot a lot of the patterns and didn't get very far lol. I loved the game genie it took very hard games and let you experience the whole game and also let you see and master the patterns. This whole game is absolutely amazing, definitely the best Contra game Imo.
best contra game ever, no problem with difficult, its a mark for contra games. Uprising came cause of this.
You should do a review on atomic runner dude. It's a Genesis game and it's awesome
What do you think about the PSVita release? I thought it was much easier.
The european version of this gotta be the funniest game conversion ever. Will you play as a male robot, a female robot, a robot-wolf or a robot-robot?
Oh yes! This is the Contra game I remember my older brothers and I playing growing up in the 90s. It was incredibly difficult but we enjoyed it nevertheless thanks to the four playable characters and the variety of weapons each character has. if I remember the robot actually had a double jump
Whats the Problem with shattered soldier and the alien wars for gba? Nice vid btw
Pretty awesome game! I need to get it!
Nice review
hard corps is by far the best contra game. I picked this gem up in a pawn shop for $5 back in the day and played the heck out of it for years. I got so good I was able to make perfect runs without dying including all branching paths and even the secret ending you can get in the junk yard level.
this was the contra game i ever played.. i didnt find it THAT hard... it was a little difficult at times.. but i beat it..
Marc Touss It certainly isn't as hard as the bullshit Contra 3 on hard mode! Those bullets go way too fast and there isnt a slide move like in hard corps!
Contra Hard Corps and Gunstar Heroes is my first shoot em up game.
My favorite contra! I'm a big contra fan. Got them all
This is a damn impressive looking game. I might have to watch a long play of it. With the difficulty factor I doubt I'd be able to see too far into the game if I played it myself. ;)
Honestly for me, I don't die on the first stage in Contra Hard Corps. I USED to be a pro in the game myself. But you're right that it's trial and error when it comes to avoiding deaths.
Contra Hard Corps was a lot like the first Contra. Contra we needed a cheat code to even beat the game. And with the code in, we still had to use continues. Contra was never a pickup and play type of game, it will always be a pickup and die type of game. Hell last year was the first time I beat NES Contra without dying. that was a big deal for me. Contra is not easy.
May be difficult, but can you honestly tell me how many shoot 'em ups let you play as a werewolf?
They changed the amount of hits to lose a life (3) from the Japanese version to make it more difficult to pass this game in a weekend rent. Also the European version changed the humans per robots, as it was called Probotector for some weird reason.
Shatteted soldier was awesome and kind of felt loke a sewuel to hard corps in difficulty terms as well as in being boss battle driven.
1:33 blow stuff up? don't you mean...
...make stuff go boom?
Had it loved it and beat it all 5 ways wish i could play it rite now!
Contra Hard Corps is Not impossible. Hard, yes... But a Great game. All these contra games back then were hard
I grew up with an NES and SNES... Found out of this game at the end of the 16 bit era, when the playstation, Saturn and N64 were out and I was shocked.
For one, I didn't realize that there could be a Contra on the Genesis, I thought it was a nintendo exclusive.
And when I played it, I was blown away by it's speed, difficulty and amazing ridiculousness of it all... I loved it and secretly I was annoyed that Sega had what I felt was a better version of Contra. I still have my SNES plugged in and still have my Contra3 cartridge. All in all, both are too different. Both are great but Hard Corp is simply ... Hard Core.
Can't say they didn't try to warn you. The game definitely lives up to its name.
Lol dude thats why putting in the extra lives cheat code is a must lol.
I fucking love this game. It’s comically difficult but satisfying as hell to master. I have yet to no death it. But I will one day.
is it on steam? no? can't find it... there are such games like Alien Soldier and Vectorman... but no Contra :c
Shattered Soldier seems like a ramp up of Contra: Hard Corps. And it's a divide between fans whether they like it or hate it.
The US version is harder for some ungodly reason. I still love this game, prob my fav in the series. Such an adrenaline rush.
Yes. This game is very hard. But that's why it's called "Hard Corps". The name is there for a reason.
rented this game as a kid and I could manage to reach the latest levels and beat it following the shortest path. This game has many many endings multipled by each character. It even has an 'evil' ending.
I have 1cc'd this game with the robot character. The game is a truly rewarding experience if you can get used to the fast pace and the memorization of the boss patterns and stuff. I think it comes off intimidating with a pretty tough first level but it shows you what's in store and doesn't mess around. Unlike Battletoads which has a very easy first 2 stages and throws all hell at you after that. This is probably my favorite Genesis game even though I love Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier. With that said, Alien Soldier is much harder than this one.
Mike Borba Well said!
Shattered Soldier certainly falls on the good side of the Contra spectrum.. I hear a lot of "meh" about it, but I don't see where they are coming from.
Hard Corps Uprising is worth checking out. It fits in with Contra:HC but for some weird reason they dropped the Contra name. it even has the music.
The Electronic Emotions Program Probably because "new" gamers young teenagers and up would probably assume "oh its one of those old games, from the NES or something, its not worth playing"
I think they didn't use the name Contra because the concept by itself (chronologically in the game) still didn't exist. So the Bahamut team would probably be the first "Contra" team without being denominated like that.
My favorite Contra game after the very first one.
First contra game I played
The "pick up and die" bit amuses me :) I can beat both NES Contras with 1 life, but the MD version kicks my ass. Memorizing patterns is just not my idea of fun.
Contra ; Hard Corps suffered the same fate as Ninja Gaiden III...ramped up difficulty for the US release. I've read the reason for that was because of game rentals and/or the rise of cheat devices (i.e. game genie/PAR) Not sure how accurate that claim was, but it actually does make sense.
its in the title, hard corps, its hardcore for a reason :P
I loved the hell out of this game. Completed it numerous times on every character. No idea what you mean by it being 'hard'...I never found it any harder than any other Contra game.
Hey!!! Contra Shattered Soldier it's not a Bad Game!! Come on Drunk!! You really Need to play correctly...Because it's the direct sequel to Hard Corps and Contra 3,envolving almost the 2 games(About the Alien Wars)....So give a try again
Shattered soldier was fantastic
Contra Hard Corps is my favorite Contra and one of the best of system... Mostly because I grew up with the Japanese version. I was hoping you'd mention how the US release removed the HP system. For anyone not aware, the game is not designed to play on a 1-hit die style, but you are supposed to have 3 hits per life + unlimited continues. Devs went a little overboard with the adjustment because of fear of rentals 😅
This game is like Ninja Gaiden 3 compared to 1 and 2. NG3 is the hardest, but only because of its unfair 'cheat'. However, the game at its core is easier than the first two games. Clearing multiple stages on one life once you get used to it is easier in NG3 than NG2/NG1.
Similarly, Hard Corps, even with the limited lives/continues, is an easier game than C2/C3 once you get used to its tricks. But it's harder to make progress if you don't know what you're doing.
maltheopia I definitely agree with you on that! Hard Corps give you a slide move which basically makes it MUCH easier to dodge things and the boss patterns are quite predictable
As others have mentioned, the JP version had a life bar (three hits), so it wasn't all that tough to begin with. Unfortunately, Japan had it out for North America due to our game rental policies (renting games was illegal in Japan), so they punished us with incredibly difficult versions of their games. This was designed to get us to buy them as they'd be next to impossible to finished over a weekend.
I used to rent the shit out of this game back then...it's just glorious
Great fucking review!
Having just tried it today, yeah. IT'S HARDER!
The weapon mode switching can really screw you up, and the slide is a vital tool.
As opposed to other Contras where it's mostly just shoot and move.
Hard Corps Uprising is a fantastic sequel to this though.
Hard Corps because its Hard. Seriously, this game looks badass from the video footage. I am not the best player, so its a shame its too hard. But I will definitely try hard this game. thank you for the short review.
i had this for my nomad back in the day. it was insanely difficult and was not fun. the Japanese ver has 3 hit points per character instead of instant deaths and also unlimited continues. I just played though the Japanese ver on my mini system and it was way more fun and didn't feel unfair at all.
Generally the games on the Genesis felt more faster than the SNES versions.
Not sure if its some limitation in SNES hardware
PAL genesis games were 17% slower if they were not optimized, Sonic 1 being a good example. I think Gunstar is slower in PAL too.
Since i own pal games some are slower but others have been reconfigured with the 50/60hz difference in mind.
Yes. Genesis generally did faster style of games better. Its CPU was twice as fast as the SNES'. SNES had more advanced graphics hardware though. In the latter stages of the 16-bit generation, the developers learned more tricks for both consoles and the SNES sorta caught up when it came to game speed, while the Genesis sorta caught up when it came to special effects.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk A very concise and spot-on explanation.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk IT WAS BECAUSE THE GENESIS HAS BLAST PROCESSING
HEY!!!! What was wrong with Shattered Soldier???
It's too damn hard. It would be a great game without the Hit Rate system where you're required to destroy every fixed enemy and every single part of a boss to get the 100% Hit Rate so you can proceed further into the game and obtain the good ending. That's why I prefer Neo Contra, which still utilizes the Hit Rate mechanic yet it's much more balanced in terms of difficulty. Not to mention the crazy-ass shit going on in the latter, to the point of being a parody of the series as a whole. I mean talking dog piloting a mecha? Pure WTF.
I beat this. Yes it was hard as FUCK! But the secret to it is to find the right weapon for each level and boss. AND....u gotta do the emphasis jump in with player 2 when ur on ur last life trick. It took a long time to master each board, but that was the beauty of games in that era. It was about learning and mastering each board. The enemies do the same thing in the same spot EVERY time. Just gotta learn it...but I was 10 or 11 at the time. WAAAY more time on my hands and patience for video games back then. Especially when u didn't own many games.
And it has a bangin soundtrack
You know, what I may say will probably piss people off but when I played this game, it was like playing Gunstar Heroes except the enemies were a lot more aggressive and you die in one hit. There are simply other games that do this formula better, mainly Gunstar Heroes as mentioned and Metal Slug......Especially Metal Slug. Probably gonna go play that now.
Bah you're missing Contra Rebirth! :D
Contra: Shattered Soldier absolutely gets it right in regards to Contra.
I could never beat this game without 99 lives . When playing honorably, I could get pretty far almost towards the last level. But hey yuh didn’t have a bunch of games back then, si pattern memorization and perfecting timing was what you had to do to. The furthest I got was going up the elevator to space.
You do the best reviews I've ever seen. So succinct yet comprehensive. A tight script, no fat, pure information yet no drivel. I love this channel!
That's a nice thing to say, thank you
the best contra with hards corps uprising
It is unbelievable how Sega managed to release such great games, able to mess with Nintendos technical superior console! I also grown up with Nintendo and played Segas Mega Drive as teenager for the first time. Nowadays, I love both, Nintendo AND Sega.
I had this
I'm surprised you found this one too hard and even more surprised to hear you describe Contra as an accessible, pick up and play kinda franchise. I always thought Contra games were brutally hard and downright unfair at times, but maybe this was just my perception of them? 🤔 Anyway, everyone else already said so but I highly recommend you play the Japanese version sometime, since it gives you three hit points before you lose the life, and that makes all the difference. Also, maybe play as Sheena, she has a homing laser gun that's very handy.
I played the game for the first time just this week and the branching paths are so fun.
It took me most my childhood but i beat it all 5 ways for real. I played the game so much my copie of the game burnt out and died on me lol good times
okay i feel alot better i thought i just sucked ass at this game LOL im not even this bad at nes contra i can atleast get through it after repition but this i feel like yeah i can get a bit fruther inch by inch but the 3 lives go by like in a blink
I’ll never forget the time I went in a thrift store and bought this game for $3 lol now the price is no where near that
Have to play the Japanese version with NIN and KMFDM
Always go for the japanese version. 3 hit health bar.
The extreme difficulty wouldn’t be so onerous if there was a password system. The first two levels become reasonable with practice but what ultimately killed this game for me as a kid was that I had to play through the entire game just to get back to the brutally difficult part where I died the last time.
The Japanese version had three hit points plus unlimited continues. That's the way it was designed. Much more balanced and actually fun that way
WITHOUT QUESTION THE BEST CONTRA THAT WAS MADE DURING THAT ERA, IT'S SO FUN THAT DYING CAN ACTUALLY BE OVERLOOKED BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A BLAST TO PLAY & IT CAN BE COMPLETED WITHOUT CODES, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH IT TO GET THE JOB DONE FOR SURE.👍😎
as a child... i hated/ loved this shit.. bout 3 hrs learning the first stage cause i saw that board alot dont matter if i died on it or not
You may joke about beating it, but I can now say I actually conquered one of the paths in this game. But not without a LOT of practice.
Contra 3 has nothing on Hard Corps on Genesis.
Critical Pilot yes contra 3 was way too slow
David Steck It was especially annoying trying to dodge those fast as fuck bullets on hard mode. Hard Corps basically made the gameplay easier with that slide move since you become invulnerable for a short time. Contra 3 is just way too hard for me and it aged somewhat poorly.
@@sebastiann.8088 What? I recently beat contra 3 on hard mode and thought it aged like fine wine(granted with some slowdown and the topdown stages)But I also beat contra hard corps and I love it even more than contra 3.
@@sebastiann.8088 hard corps and 4 are the hardest 2 for me, i find 3 easier than both of them.
Contra hard corps is shit, just like the genesis pure trash period.
I played this game as a kid and it's hard I probably still couldn't be it
I thought Hard Corps was hard, then I played 4. So I eventually settled on ReBirth. ;-)
"Contra HARD CORPS is TOO HARD"
Great criticism.
Contra Hard Corps is actually like a Contra game that's almost always in Boss Rush mode, as theres a boss almost every screen.
Compared to Contra 4, this game is easier to beat.
This game uses blast processing that’s why it’s so fast and awesome.