/vr/ - Retro Games

>>8810892
>"contra"
konami just changed the title at last minute before canceling it in japan and bringing it to the west.
it wasn't that bad, i liked it but the slow gameplay makes me place it under the other two from the same system

>>4004563

On it's release day it was Contra, both in Japan and the rest of the world.

But true, originally it was develop as a separate game called Arc Hound, but Konami slapped the Contra name last minute.

I would like to imagine how the power-up system in this version would've worked, considering the Famicom's second controller didn't have Select and Start buttons.

>>2488221
Still counts, since Contra Force never got a Famicom release and Arc Hound looked like it was catered towards western tastes. I seriously wonder how weapon switching would've worked for Player 2 in the FC version, considering the second controller's lack of a select button.

>>2434893
Even ignoring it as a Contra game and judging it as a stand-alone game, its still pretty mediocre.
>Using the Gradius power-up system on a run 'n gun shooter sounds like a good idea on paper, but it ends up being completely pointless, since you can go back and forth between the same areas and grind for suitcases until every character is fully armed with the gear of your choice.
>Some of the weapons, like Burns' grenades and Smith's homing gun, don't work like they should or are completely pointless. The worst offender is Beans, whose gimmicky explosives are so useless, you're better off sticking with the default pistol when using him. The only useful power-ups besides the rolling attack and turbo shot are Burns' machine gun, and Iron's flamethrower.
>Speaking of Beans, he crouches when he stands and lies on his stomach when you press down, yet he still dies when a bullet flies over him. Hit box consistency anyone?
>You can't shoot diagonally downwards without jumping.
>Some of the obstacles are pretty confusing to overcome. The construction site climbing in Stage 3 comes to mind.
>The AI-controlled partner is not all that useful, since you have to call him back every five seconds.
> You can't pause during the second boss fight. WTF?
>The storyline is confusing and the cutscenes never specify who is talking.
I know most of the game's problems stems from being a repurposed from a canceled Famicom game, but it's pretty obvious the developers didn't have much confidence in the product and only released it in America in order to get rid of overstocked NES game paks and make a quick buck out of an already popular title. The best thing to come out from Contra Force is that it might had served as inspiration for Contra Hard Corps.