Contra: Hard Corps
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| Contra: Hard Corps | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Nobuya Nakazato (director / graphic supervisor / scenario writer) |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Genesis |
| Release date | NA September 14, 1994 JP September 15, 1994 EU October 14, 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Cooperative |
| Rating(s) | VRC: MA-13 |
| Media | 16-Megabit Cartridge |
| Input methods | 3- or 6-button controller |
Contra: Hard Corps, published in Japan as Contra: The Hard Corps (魂斗羅 ザ・ハードコア Kontora Za Hādokoa?) is the sixth original installment in the Contra series of games by Konami, and was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It was released in the PAL region as Probotector. The game's title is a pun on the word hardcore. The game's character designs were done by Yasuomi Umetsu (Mezzo).
The game retained the fast-paced run and gun gameplay from previous titles but shifted focus from fighting onslaughts of enemy troops and vehicles to mainly boss encounters. Some enhancements were established in this title such as multiple paths, multiple endings and selectable characters. It's also considered to be the most difficult game in the series, especially the international versions, which removed the lifebar that was present in the Japanese game.
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[edit] Plot
Set in 2641 A.D. (five years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars), the alien threat is gone and civilization is rebuilding. In order to enforce law and order in the rebuilding world, the Unified Military Special Mobile Task Force K-X, or "Hard Corps", is assembled.
The game opens when a security system has been breached and causes robots to break loose and wreak havoc on the city. The robot insurrection is but a diversion to catch the Hard Corps' attention while an unknown task force infiltrates the city’s defense computer complex. Further investigation leads to Colonel Bahamut, a hero from the Alien Wars, who aspires world domination with the aid of an alien cell which had been stored in the defense complex. It is up to the members of the Hard Corps task force to investigate and vanquish this threat.
The story has a number of branching paths through stages that the players can take. Depending on the path taken, the player will get a different ending. There are four normal endings in all, as well as a secret ending for completing the hidden Battle Stadium and a bad ending when the main character decides to join Bahamut's forces.[1]
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Hard Corps
The Hard Corps are the game's playable characters. The team is comprised of four members, all of whom are selectable from the start.
- Ray Poward - Born and raised in the slums of the city, Ray was once leader of a group of delinquent youths. He was later recruited by Commander Doyle of the Hard Corps for his unsurpassed skills in combat and has since become a central field operative in the team. His arsenal consists of the Vulcan Laser, the Crasher, the Spread Shot and a Homing gun. Ray would go on to become the central character in the 32-bit game Contra: Legacy of War and its sequel, C: The Contra Adventure, although neither game are no longer recognized in the series' canon
- Sheena Etranzi - Female soldier and an expert in guerrilla warfare. Her arsenal consists of the Genocide Vulcan gun, the Shower Crusher, the Break Laser and the Ax Laser. Sheena makes an appearance in Contra 4 as a hidden playable character, although she has no special abilities over the other characters in that game.
- Brad Fang - A wolf-human hybrid who specializes in close range, hand-to-hand combat, although he also possesses a "gun-arm" that permanently replaced his right hand (although his sprite just inverts as you turn him from right to left, it is clear in the intro). His arsenal consists of the Beast Shooter, the Bomber Punch, a Flamethrower and the Psychic Blaster.
- Browny - Officially known as Model CX-1-DA300 Combat Robot. He was given the nickname "Browny" due to his warm personality. His short stature allows him to better avoid weapons. He is the only character that doesn't somersault when he jumps, but can do a double jump. His arsenal consists of the Victory Laser, the Genocide Scatter, the Hyper Electromagnetic Yoyo and the Shield Chaser.
[edit] Non-playable characters
- Commander Doyle - The leader and founder of the Contra Hard Corps. Discovered Ray Poward's abilities and recruited him for his team. He provides the mission briefing in the beginning of the game.
- Colonel Bahamut - A hero of the Alien Wars. He attempted to overthrow the government in a coup d'état in 2639 and has been in hiding since.
- Noiman Cascade - An exceptional hacker who aids Colonel Bahamut in his quest for world domination.
- Deadeye Joe - A fierce mercenary who has had most of his body replaced with cyborg parts.
- Dr. Geo Mandrake - Leading scientist of the military's genetics engineering branch. He was allegedly involved in development of biological warfare strategies during the Alien Wars.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay follows the same formula as its predecessor. As in Contra III, the player can carry more than one weapon in their arsenal, as well as a stock of smart bombs that kills all on-screen enemies. This time the player can carry up to four power-ups, with each character having a unique weapon configuration. The weapon capsules are labelled "A", "B", "C" and "D", with A replacing the default machine gun weapon once picked up. As in Contra III, the player will lose their currently equipped weapon when they die and the number of smart bombs automatically resets one.
Hard Corps also gives bigger emphasis on set boss battles and encounters than previous games in the series.
[edit] Regional differences
[edit] Japanese version
The Japanese version provides the player with a life bar, allowing their character to take three hits before dying. This is the only game in the series besides the MSX2 version of the original Contra to provide the player with such benefit. The Japanese version also features cheat codes that were removed from the overseas versions, including a 70-lives code, a stage select and power-up cheat that gives the player all their weapons.
[edit] PAL version
Not only was this the last Probotector game for the PAL region, this has the most changes in the game. While previous game have just changed the main character and/or enemies into robots, there were more extensive changes to the game due to the heavier emphasis on the storyline:
- The four main characters' names are changed to "CX-(1-4)". In addition, the sprites of Ray, Sheena, and Fang were redesigned into robots, with Sheena's redesign being a mere palette swap of Ray's.
- Additionally, Colonel Bahamut and Deadeye Joe have been redesigned into aliens. Only Noiman Cascade and Dr. Geo Mandrake remain relatively unchanged, although Dr. Mandrake's role has been downplayed so that he is no longer a traitor.
- The alien cell has been changed into the X Drive, described in the game as "a newly developed energy system with unimaginable power".
- In Stage 9, the villain no longer offers the player to join him.
- Occurrences of "Damn!" have been replaced with "Blast!" or "Oh no!"
- The sprites are much simpler, especially with the pallete swap.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Contra: Hard Corps @ The Contra HQ
- Contra: Hard Corps at MobyGames
- Complete Contra-Hardcorps video on archive.org
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