Hard Corps: Uprising Review For Xbox 360

Among run-and-gun shooters, the Contra series is the longest running and most beloved. That's why it's so peculiar that Konamibrings us a new Contra game -- a sequel to the excellent Contra:Hard Corps on the SEGA Genesis -- but doesn't call it Contra. Oh well, the important thing is that Hard Corps: Uprising is here, and it's fantastic. 

An oppressive government has seized control of the land and it's up to two brave warriors (a badass named Bahamut and an eye-patched girl named Kristal) to run to the right and shoot their way to the evil dictator. Fun fact: Bahamut was actually the bad guy in Contra Hard Corps, but he's recently had a change of heart. Together, they'll do a lot of running, riding vehicles, dodging bullets, and perforating giant robots.

Although Uprising is a Contra game through and through, it has an anime style new to the series by way of ARC System Works, the developers of stylish fighters such as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. The result is a cartoon version of Contra, and it looks great. Characters are brought to life by smooth hand-drawn animations and there's all sorts of fun "business" going on in the background. In the first level, you can spot the giant robot sandworm boss lurking around in the distance long before your actual encounter with the beast. The only downside is that the loading times in between levels are long. 

Uprising consists of two modes: Arcade and Rising. The Arcade mode is for fans of punishing 8- and 16-bit shooters of yesteryear. You have limited lives and continues, and mistakes will quickly end your game. Cheap deaths abound and checkpoints can be unforgiving – perish during a boss fight and you may be sent back to midway through the level. While this sort of old-school gameplay will appeal to a certain crowd, it's a little too difficult to be fun for me -- it definitely lives up to the pun in the title. However, that's where the magnificent Rising Mode comes in.

Rising Mode makes the game more accessible and addictive. Every time you play, you earn points that can then be spent to upgrade your characters. Everything from your health bar to your amount of continues to your weapons can be upgraded. You can replay any level you've already beaten to earn more points. Having trouble with level 5? You can go back and play level 1 a few times until you get enough points to upgrade your character. It's a terrific idea that makes you want to play levels over and over. Returning to a level that used to give you a hard time and just blowing everything away is quite satisfying. Rising Mode is the best thing to happen to Contra since the Konami code (which does do something here). 

Hard Corps rarely gives you a chance to catch your breath and is overflowing with big action movie sequences. A thrilling highway chase midway through the game has police cars flanking you on both sides and crashing together in an attempt to smash you. This is a game where you're not safe after you destroy the enemy helicopter – you also have to dodge its smoldering husk as it comes crashing towards you. Bosses are suitably enormous. My favorite was the spinning bicycle wheel of death that requires you to leap in and out of its spokes while dodging the lasers firing from its heart. 

There is variety to the madness. Uprising introduces stealth gameplay to the Contra series, sending you sneaking around in cardboard boxes Metal Gear-style. A short escort mission actually avoids being annoying. And a later level even sends you running to the left instead of the right! 

Those unforgiving checkpoints and cheap deaths are still present in Rising Mode, but the blow is softened because the more attempts you make the more points you earn to spend on upgrades. It's brilliant! 

Contra has always been about playing with a friend, and Hard Corps allows you to do so both locally and online. While the game is constantly throwing stuff at you, I didn't notice any slowdown, even when playing with a friend online.

Source: ign.com