Has been some time since i enjoyed the challenge in a game like i did with this title. Konami and Arc System Works bring Xbox 360 owners a magnificent game. What better way to start the House Party promotion than a Contra game.
With an excellent challenge, old style gameplay, nice soundtrack and a great anime style all over it. This prequel arrived with a BLAST to our consoles! Are you ready for some good old school gaming?
Story
Game is not a sequel but a prequel to the Contra: Hardcorps title for the Sega Genesis (Megadrive in europe). The Commonwealth is trying to take over the world and 4 rebels take it upon their shoulders, the feat to stop their evil plans.
Bahamut originally one of their Soldiers rebels against them, Krystal an innocent victim of one Commonwealth’s raids on her hometown joins the fight. Harley a biker and Sayuri a sort of modern day samurai. 4 brave soldiers against a whole army, will they defeat the Commonwealth and save the day?
Nostalgic? old good Contra style gameplay!
Gameplay
8 Stages and 2 modes including online Co-op. You can pick between Arcade and Rising mode. The Arcade Mode offers the feeling and challenge of the old Contra Games. The Rising Mode is probably the best mode to start playing the game, to get a feel of the controls.
Rising mode: offers the chance to gain money as you defeat enemies, this mode lets you get upgrades in the shop such as, extra lives, more power or abilities.
You will need to play for many hours, gaining money while you attempt to complete rising mode until you unlock them all. Very nice addition to the game if you ask me, giving the game a lot of replay value.
Powerful boss fights, get a friend to co-op, the more the merrier!
Arcade Mode: Oh boy!! This is where we say “If you cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen” as it’s pure old school challenging gameplay, definitely the mode to test your skills. I think this mode is best if you co-op with a friend just like in the old Contra days.
Among the customizations offered includes, selecting the color of your character, it may not be something out of this world but a nifty touch nonetheless.
The downside is you can only select two of the four characters by default. Harley and Sayuri are only available as DLC from the marketplace for 200 Microsoft Points each.
Beautifully detailed backgrounds and scenery
Overall
Hardcorps: Uprising may appeal to the casual gamer due to its challenging fast paced gameplay, but it will for those in search of a good old school side scrolling shooter.
The game offers excellent anime style graphics and even more impressive a well animated intro.(Thank you Arc System Works!) Showing us the background story of the characters, great music and gameplay with responsive controls. The game can be bought for 1200 Microsoft Points and for the hours you will spend playing the game it’s worth it, especially for a fan of Contra.
An excellent game and a great homage to the Contra series. Kudos to Konami and ARC System Works! By the way, don’t forget to try the Konami code 😉
Giving the game 8.7 out 10!
~Mario
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