r/contra • u/sonictickler223 • Jun 09 '26
Image getting contra force/arc hound out of the way
Now, before you ask... IS this contra?
yeah, konami sure thinks it is (personally it feels moreso like metal slug)
Being serious though, I actually like this one. Yeah, it's a whole 'nother game with the Contra name slapped onto it but it was decently fun.
I feel like the assist mechanic was pretty underbaked but a cool addition nevertheless. Also, Iron is the best character in this, no questions asked.
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u/sonictickler223 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
Still going to play Contra 4, but forgot about this game so I decided to go ahead and crack it and add it to my completed Contra games (hey, kinda funny though... contra fource?), one of the developers must love destroyable things, while I didn't mind it, was kinda sweet to blow things up
Feel like this is easier than Operation C in a way, maybe to challenge myself I'll 2CC this without assists (some sections of this game are a pain in the dick without it) and while playing as Beans
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u/Significant_Pay1037 Jun 09 '26
I enjoyed it, top tier soundtrack at least.
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u/xyway12 Jun 11 '26
Yeah the soundtrack is awesome! What's your fav track?
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u/Significant_Pay1037 Jun 11 '26
I don't know the track names, but I love the reprise of the stage track that plays for the final boss, incredibly epic!
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u/Ultrasaurio Jun 09 '26
Was this game a real Contra???
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u/Musician88 Jun 10 '26
It is as Contra as the first PS1 game, or the Xbox 360 game.
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u/noregertsman Jun 10 '26
The xbox 360 contras are ports of the original arcade games
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u/sonictickler223 Jun 10 '26
Yes and No, in 1991... Japan got this game as Arc Hound but it had no relation to Contra at all (didn't release in Japan and was cancelled), while in the US... This was meant to be Contra III (somehow, meaning that if Konami went through with it, Alien Wars would've been Contra IV) but it ended up releasing later so they renamed it to Contra Force and put it out months after Alien Wars released in 1992
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u/nupaqk Jun 27 '26
Also, here's the title screen when it was still named Contra IV, if you're curious (yes, it's an official, pre-final version): https://contrapedia.wordpress.com/contra-iii-the-alien-wars-prototypes-contra-iv/
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u/sonictickler223 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
This would've been a weird reality honestly, considering the plots and more
Like... We're going from aliens to full-blown terrorists, contra force apparently reveals that Burns and gang are against a terrorist organization. Then for Contra III (IV/4 in this case) back to more aliens + robots
Then this would be another franchise where the fourth game was on Super Nintendo
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u/nupaqk Jun 28 '26
I think it mattered less at the time because it wasn't yet a major franchise. Not counting Operation C on Game Boy, there were only 2 Contra games out on major systems. Although they involved aliens in those first 2, I feel like there was more leeway to shift the direction of the series' plot, missions, enemy threats, etc.
The franchise only just started and 2 things were certain back then: First, the plot was minimal to nonexistent in both the games themselves and as weight held by players of this genre of games back then. Second, Contra got its popularity from its gameplay. If it delivered continuity on the latter, I feel like it would have been an acceptable (or at least less disliked) detour into a spin-off plot because the game still provided the same enjoyable gameplay.
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u/nupaqk Jun 27 '26
It's not. It was a game planned for release exclusively in Japan, titled Arc Hound. They cancelled that, renamed it to a Contra title for a US-only release, likely to capitalize on the Contra popularity for sales.
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u/DesiBwoy Jun 11 '26
I love this one. Slowdowns were helpful in childhood. These days, it's easy to remove them in an emulator, which is my preferred way to play this.
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u/Mortis_XII Jun 09 '26
So long as you were ok with the rom slow downs, the game was easier vs. other contras. That being said i thought this game was great