Contra Hard Corps by Konami
Sega Genesis—August 1994
Words by Carl Williams
Contra is a game series that started out in North
America on the Nintendo Entertainment System,
had Nintendo's invasive contracts held, would
have stayed. Konami was not one to rock the
boat with Nintendo at all, unlike Capcom who had
no problem licensing out arcade titles to Sega
(Strider, Ghouls n Ghosts, etc), Konami was a
Nintendo hold out, at least in the United States.
Japan was slightly different where they supported
the PC-Engine (Turbo Grafx-16 in North
America). With their flagship run and gun series, it was all Nintendo and the same
was true for their other titles as well. For the most part, Sega was left out of the
Konami game offerings. Sega offered up titles such as Midnight Resistance but it never caught on with gamers either in the arcade or at home.
Even with Contra: Hard Corps, the Genesis version was released a good two years
after the Super Nintendo got Contra III: The Alien Wars. The question is, did Konami
use that two year difference to improve, innovate and incinerate the competition? In a
word, yes. The Genesis version just comes off more gritty, more dangerous appearing
and more like you would think a post apocalyptic devastated world would look like.
The Super Nintendo version is not as gritty and dark which lends to a weird
contradiction of the idea and the execution.
Hard Corps is more than just a run and gun affair, there is a storyline that plays out,
some control over the outcome and how you get there is in your hands. With Alien
Wars, it is a pretty linear endeavor to complete, simply go through the levels and hope
you survive. Hard Corps offers branching paths that will bring you in the line of fire of
different enemies, level challenges and a different storyline depending on your
choices. This is the evolution of Contra, not just a prettier version of the 8-Bit classics.
Explosions are a Contra staple and here the Genesis version just feels more
satisfying. Things blow apart nine ways to hell in the Hard Corps. When you take