Contra: Rogue Corps

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Sumez
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Sumez »

Aside from the snarky introduction, the (p)review feels pretty honest, and it sounds like he knows what to look for in a game like this. It doesn't sound too promising.
Scratching this one from my list.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BurlyHeart »

The destructoid article sounds bad to be honest. I thought the trailer was okay, but when I watched the Q&A interview, the gameplay they showed looked quite uninspiring. I'll be hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by kid aphex »

This looks absolutely terrible. Konami is long dead. Sad for Gradius ... at least it had an amazing send-off.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by xxx1993 »

I’m still gonna play this, as I said. But I’m definitely going back to Neo Contra after this.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Ghegs »

The demo's out on various platforms, I just gave it a go on Switch.

Really does feel like the devs were working on a generic top-down shooting game before somehow managing to get the Contra license. Sad thing is, I can see how it could be an almost-proper Contra game (in the Neo Contra fashion) with just a few tweaks to the gameplay.

Things that I didn't like:
- Movement speed while aiming with the right stick is cut to maybe 75% of normal movement speed. Has there ever been a twinstick shooter that does this?
- The unholy amount of chatter and the guide character.
- Healthbar, but since on occasion I got hit without even realizing it, I guess that's a concession the devs had to make if they're unable to make the graphics clear.
- Speaking of, graphics were kind of ugly, but passable.
- The post-demo trailer mentions "customizing guns and gear" which has no place in the Contra of my heart.

Things I did like:
- I didn't mind the weapon overheat as much as I thought I would, despite it being completely anti-Contra. You can change to a different weapon while one cools down.
- The Contra-like ridiculousness the demo showed. You pick up a tank by its turret, swing it back, throw it 100 feet in the air and kick it to crush some enemies. It was a scripted event, but still. The end-of-demo boss attacking you by wielding a train like it was a nunchaku and swinging said train-chaku at you was nice.

I believe the full game will have even more "modern sensibilities" that I don't care for. Maybe it's a decent game in its own right, but the Contra name is only doing it a disservice, as well as the game diluting the Contra name. Had it just been called "Rogue Corps" it would've been perfectly fine...though I still wouldn't pay more than €15 for it.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by MintyTheCat »

Strider77 wrote:Looks like crap...
Like total, lazy shite and not a patch on earlier games.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Necronom »

The demo is out on PS4 and Switch! You can play one stage with Kaiser until the very first Endboss 8)
And yeah, if old school contra is what you're after you won't find it here, BUT
...what you'll find instead is really fun contra flavored twin stick mayhem that feels like a lost PS2 game.
The designs are whacky like in Contra Hard Corps, the action is a bit slower than in Nex Machina and the controls feel like something Platinum Games would do if they had a go at the franchise, imo.
I really hope people give it a chance because the foundation is definitely solid and looking at the trailer rolling after you completed the demo it seems that it has a lot of depth under the hood :D
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Austin »

Ghegs wrote:but the Contra name is only doing it a disservice, as well as the game diluting the Contra name. Had it just been called "Rogue Corps" it would've been perfectly fine...though I still wouldn't pay more than €15 for it.
It's hard to dilute the name much more than it already is when Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure are still a thing.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BurlyHeart »

Reports the demo has a lot of input lag too --> https://twitter.com/noodalls/status/1173169967681818625
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Yoshi »

Ghegs' impressions mirror my own closely. It's hard to recommend this in a world where Nex Machina exists and the older Contras are playable on all current platforms.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Shelcoof »

Saw the demo and canceled my pre-order. I didn't even need to play the game to know its bad :x
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BurlyHeart »

So played the demo, and it surprised me a bit. I mean, it's not great but I don't think it's terrible either. Has a lot of problems, some that can be fixed (such as the overall sluggishness, hopefully that's just the demo) and some that can't (pacing, very linear routes). It's obviously taking a lot of inspiration from Nex Machina, but is vastly inferior in many ways.

I'm interested in playing the full game, but don't want to shell out full price for it. I'll wait for a sale (as long as the lag is fixed).
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by heli »

Looks like a unreal engine or unity game with copy & paste codes.
Content generators.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by scrilla4rella »

I thought the demo was sorta fun but I def wouldn't pay more that 15USD. I did notice the input lag but hopefully they can improve things before the final release.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by mainpatr5 »

heli wrote:Looks like a unreal engine or unity game with copy & paste codes.
Content generators.
Unity. And a ugly Unity game at that. Rogue Corps,what with the overheat\reload system and grinding mechanics is obviously trying to be Sandlot's Earth Defense Force series,so play those instead. There are plenty of good twin-stick shooters out there that are more worthy of your time.

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If this is Contra, then I don't trust Konami with stuff like Gradius. Remember Otomedius?
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by xxx1993 »

Just played the demo. It’s actually pretty decent. I don’t get why people are whining about it and comparing it to *cough* Legacy of War *cough*. It plays nothing like that travesty.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Necronom »

Shelcoof wrote:I didn't even need to play the game to know its bad :x
Lol, you sound like a modern game journalist.

Yes, the input lag is noticeable and will hopefully be reduced for the final product. Seems some people already see grinding mechanics in it...looks more like a really fun and flexible weapon crafting system to me.
Yes, Nex Machina is the better game...but it's also a completely different one being a superfast and very focused Robotron-style game. Rogue Corps plays more like a sectioned Mercs with lots of different set pieces, including the weapon shop from the Mega Drive arrange mode.
Seems the main reason for all the negativity is the fact that they dared to call it Contra :wink:
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BurlyHeart »

Necronom wrote:
Shelcoof wrote: Seems the main reason for all the negativity is the fact that they dared to call it Contra :wink:
Well, the name has a lot to live up to. Adding the 'Contra' has added a lot of attention to the game and people will have certain expectations for it. You can hardly blame them for that.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by heli »

I still play the real contras on PS2 regular, both fun especially shattered soldier my favourite, i cant beat it on normal or hard mode i just give up in the later levels.
Neo contra is more playable, also very cool, running on a helicopter.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BurlyHeart »

https://opencritic.com/game/8268/contra ... ps/reviews

The reviews are in, and as expected, they're fairly dismal.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by xxx1993 »

I knew they'd hate it. But having played the demo, it at least isn't as bad as Legacy of War or Contra Adventure. It's not as good as Shattered Soldier and Neo either. But I'll still consider getting this once the prices drop since I love the Contra franchise.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Necronom »

Actually looking at the scores and conclusions they don't hate it. All in all the press sees it as a mediocre shooter and disappointment to the Contra brand. Especially the Destructoid reviewer says that there's lots of fun potential here but ultimately not enough polish.
I find it disappointing that none of the reviews I've read so far dives deeper into the weapon crafting. Even more disappointing though is the fact that Konami apparently hasn't fixed the lag...yet.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by xxx1993 »

As I said earlier, I won't buy this game until the prices drop either way. I should wait for the game to be patched as well.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by BIL »

Oh lawd, it sound terrible xxx1993 :o To think it was XXX1994 (SIMON 1994RD) when I was cranking my cockerel to SHEENA ETRANZI via the Genesis version of Contra Hard Corps! This version deleted the cheat codes AND hitpoints, to capture the XTREEM DIFFICULTY zeitgeist of the mid-90s Burgerland scene! So us middleschool scrubs had to pull up our socks and (as we'd later say) learn to fucking play, while eating Great Takkeda Robot's bombardment attack without a prayer of survival! :o I don't know if I can commit to this one the same way at all!

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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Shelcoof »

Necronom wrote:
Shelcoof wrote:I didn't even need to play the game to know its bad :x
Lol, you sound like a modern game journalist.

Yes, the input lag is noticeable and will hopefully be reduced for the final product. Seems some people already see grinding mechanics in it...looks more like a really fun and flexible weapon crafting system to me.
Yes, Nex Machina is the better game...but it's also a completely different one being a superfast and very focused Robotron-style game. Rogue Corps plays more like a sectioned Mercs with lots of different set pieces, including the weapon shop from the Mega Drive arrange mode.
Seems the main reason for all the negativity is the fact that they dared to call it Contra :wink:
Its not hard to tell whether I'll like a game or not. I don't need to play a game to know I'm not going to enjoy it. Its easy to judge based off of game play alone.

I actually confirmed this and tried the demo out myself. So glad I canceled because it's terrible.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by ACSeraph »

Tried the demo out last night, I wasn't expecting much and basically got what I expected. I'm not a fan of twin stick shooters in general, but it doesn't really feel any worse than most of the ones I have played. I liked the way the camera angle shows off the environments and character models a bit. On the other hand I hated the dialogue, it feels like it's trying way too hard.

If Konami gives this out on PS+ for free at some point I'll probably give it a go, but even as a long time contra fan I can't really see myself paying money for it. If they want to do a twin stick game they should just remake Neo Contra or something.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by Marc »

I love a good twin stick so had a pop at the demo. Think it lasted all of five minutes before I deleted it. It gets everything that it's possible to do so, utterly wrong. Still, I remembered that I haven't played as much Nex Machina as I'd like, so not a total waste of time.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

Utterly mediocre game. Not bad but also not worth getting if you value your time and money.

Is it really a disgrace to the Contra name? Eh... I'd honestly just want the game to be better. The fact that it's not a 2D-style game is getting picked on, but if the game was better people wouldn't mind for sure. So nah, not a disgrace to Contra, just a big letdown in general.

I'll also say that I find the characters disgusting on a personal level, but this doesn't really impact anything.

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Rating: 3/10
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by ATTRACTS »

PerishedFraud ឵឵ wrote:Utterly mediocre game. Not bad but also not worth getting if you value your time and money.

Is it really a disgrace to the Contra name? Eh... I'd honestly just want the game to be better. The fact that it's not a 2D-style game is getting picked on, but if the game was better people wouldn't mind for sure. So nah, not a disgrace to Contra, just a big letdown in general.

I'll also say that I find the characters disgusting on a personal level, but this doesn't really impact anything.

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Rating: 3/10
Touhou might actually be more fun than this game. Bleh.
How is it not a disgrace to the Contra name?
It strips away any of what made Contra a solid series. Shit mechanics with a ton of slowdown, overheating guns, horrible characters, bad level design and setting. What else would it need to be a disgrace in your book? The game is shit.
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Re: Contra: Rogue Corps

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

Read the post again. I'm saying that the game is shit in its own right and that the name is irrelevant.
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