Contra: Operation Galuga

[Arino]

Other than a ground clipping bug while climbing the waterfall

I had the same thing. I was standing like knee deep in the left one which looked funny. I was able to walk a little bit to the left. Then I pressed down and I fell behind the whole thing and died lol.

[AGermanArtist]

Isn't Gryzor already Contra?

Yes, It's always been Gryzor to me.

[copy-paster]

Bill Rizer No Death Run (Arcade/Hard/1-Hit Kill Mode)


Hopefully the track selections and music fadeouts are correctly presented, since this is my first time using edits on my replays. Also TIL that you can abuse the rapid weapon switching ala Alien Wars for maximum firepower, nice callback by WayForward.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

I'm liking this demo. On hard mode especially, its enemy density and attack density are both cool - I need to check if some runners actually can fire at you or if I was just mistaking them for stationary gunners, but I'm hoping it was the former. Airdashing is really fun too, and I like that the Probotectors have the Contra 4 grapple.

I do have my misgivings - in general, readability needs to be more clear than it is given the 16:9 playing field; as it is the player, enemies, and bullets aren't always as obvious as they should be (similarly to Contra 4, I think they really need to go above and beyond in terms of making these things totally unmistakable even if seen only out of the corner of your eye - even that game had issues with its telegraphing at times because of its dual screen setup, and it had much cleaner visuals). Things like the upgraded crush gun making a gigantic energy field that blocks the play area - or, worse, the stage boss's tail that lingers in the foreground and covers up its attacks (like the lingering flame fields or the arcing shrimp that fall at odd angles) - feel really bad. (There's also at least one grenadier in the waterfall bit who can start throwing grenades at you before you even scroll him on screen, and you're on a wall at the time, so dodging feels like a bit of a crapshoot if you don't rush.)

The level design is solid throughout. I agree that it feels slightly decompressed, but I don't think it's excessive. And aside from a few telegraphing and readability issues, the boss design is neat; I like the chaotic last stages of the wall midboss and waterfall boss (even if the waterfall boss might be slightly excessive, it's still fun to try weaving through his mess of attacks). There is some minor sloppiness; in addition to some of the weird clipping bugs people are mentioning, there's at least one spot where dying will cause you to respawn into a pit, which of course kills you again.

Looking forward to this more than I was before. I'm not sure if this necessarily has the makings of a great Contra - it feels more Contra 4-level, which is still good in my book - but it does have several great elements. I hope it comes together really well in the full release.

The demo's description states it contains "parts of "Stage 1" and "Stage 3"". I assume both were smushed together for the purpose of the demo.

I think this is probably just because the stage is like a mashup of the concepts behind the original Contra's stages 1 and 3. I'd be surprised if the full game is substantially different in this regard.

[ExitPlanetDust]

Entering the Konami code at the C intro plays a chime but I have no idea what it does.

Add: I finally managed a no miss with Ariana and Bill. Ariana is especially difficult as her crusher lacks the black holes at level II.

Spoiler

Ariana: https://youtu.be/7Vl-pPJDUDc
Bill: https://youtu.be/l4JMxK0UBXY

[Sumez]

Is crusher more damaging than a level 2 flamethrower? Because the latter allows me to completely obliterate the wall boss before it manages to do anything at all. I ended up sticking with a spread+flamethrower loadout, and never looking at anything else.

[copy-paster]

Flamethrower too sucks for me to care for upgrades, can't cancel bullets like SS/Neo and the standstill guys will take longer to kill than using spreadshot. The good thing about Lv2 Crush is it can cancel/suck any enemy bullets nearby which is really good for the second boss.

[Sumez]

Ah! I've just been using spreadshot to cause havoc on stages, saving the flamethrower for bosses.
Cancelling bullets sounds a little gross in a contra game

[copy-paster]

Well so is the bombs in C3 and Hard Corps where they can slow down, kill enemies onscreen or not losing weapons upon death in SS/Neo. Don't forget about the sliding mechanic in HC it can trivialize majority of the boss fights too. Those weren't in the original games back in muh day!

Just how much we could gatekeep ourselves for the "true, authentic" Contra experience in OG? No Dash? No Overloads? No Perks? No Lv2 upgrades? There's so much possibilities!

[Jeneki]

Operation Galuga

But can we let one life get captured, then merge it for double firepower?

[Sumez]

Just how much we could gatekeep ourselves for the "true, authentic" Contra experience in OG? No Dash? No Overloads? No Perks? No Lv2 upgrades? There's so much possibilities!

You're reading just a little too much into what I said lol.

[ExitPlanetDust]

Is crusher more damaging than a level 2 flamethrower? Because the latter allows me to completely obliterate the wall boss before it manages to do anything at all. I ended up sticking with a spread+flamethrower loadout, and never looking at anything else.

I haven’t experimented with the flamethrower much, but my friend claims it works well in place of Ariana’s crusher at least. A crusher + spread combo using the rapid toggle seems to be the highest damage output however. There are already some speed runs on YouTube with players shredding the tentacle boss in just a few seconds. Ariana’s crusher II splits into multiple grenades on impact and it has probably the highest single weapon damage output overall with a direct hit.

[BulletMagnet]

Limited Run doing its thing.

[xxx1993]

Wish it wasn't from Limited Run Games.

[ExitPlanetDust]

It feels like they’re just getting in the way of a general retail release this time. The last Contra got one. Europe is getting one. Probably something to do with it being a WayForward title.

Anyway, Amazon is shipping the EU version out at the end of April. The only catch is that the Switch version is a code in a box.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Konami-Contra- ... 7ZLHH?th=1

[Steven]

What is the point of code-in-a-box games? The only thing I can think of is to buy it as a gift because Switch doesn't have a gift function for digital games. Online was the worst thing to ever happen to games.

I checked Amazon Japan out of curiosity and I don't see any Japanese physical console versions. Maybe they will add them later.

I might actually get this game on PC if they can clean up the performance. I can't believe the game runs as poorly as it does on literally everything, but if they can fix the PC version, which seems to be the least broken anyway, I'd be interested in getting it once it's 50%~70% off, which probably won't take long.

[ryu]

I can't believe the game runs as poorly as it does on literally everything

I saw footage from Switch and PS5 and the latter seemed to be running fine.

[Sima Tuna]

What is the point of code-in-a-box games? The only thing I can think of is to buy it as a gift because Switch doesn't have a gift function for digital games. Online was the worst thing to ever happen to games.

Reminds me of when I was researching FFX for switch and learned that the entirety of X-2 is a code in a box that can be redeemed once. So you can redeem the game you bought, but you can never own it outside of that one digital account which you HOPE you never lose access to. If the servers ever go down completely, to the point of not allowing redownloads, the game may "poof" into the ether.

I have absolutely refused to buy games solely because of code-in-a-box faffery. Not that game carts solve the day 1 patch problem. Lots of devs release their physical/LRG versions of games with game-breaking bugs that require a day 1 patch to fix. So the cart is still only useful if you have internet access. Hopefully downloading patches will always be an option, even 30 years from now.... Hopefully.

[ExitPlanetDust]

I don’t understand the code-in-a-box either. Maybe it’s an attempt to grab a few impulse retail buys.

I’m going to wait and see what state the game launches in before I pull the trigger on an EU PS5 disc. River City Girls 2 did receive a patch that greatly improved performance on all platforms. So there’s a chance Galuga will be cleaned up later.

It would be nice if LRG could make this a regular release when it finally drops. It’s the least they could do for making everyone in the US wait until September.

I saw footage from Switch and PS5 and the latter seemed to be running fine.

PS5 and Series run the best out of all of the console versions, but there is some hitching at certain sections of the level. They appear to be brute forcing a lot of the performance problems away. It’s tolerable in the demo, but who knows how bad it could get in later levels.

[Steven]

I can't believe the game runs as poorly as it does on literally everything

I saw footage from Switch and PS5 and the latter seemed to be running fine.

It stutters for me on all systems, but it's worse on PS5 than it is on PC. I'm guessing it's bad frame pacing. The PS5 should run this game at 60FPS effortlessly, and honestly so should the Switch, but both have problems doing so.

Does this game run at higher refresh rates on PS5? It should. I only have a 60Hz display, so if it does I don't know, but PS5 should be able to run this game at 120FPS with no problems.

The Switch version's performance is just inexcusable, though. It also has so much lag that you'd think Shitty Connection made it!

What is the point of code-in-a-box games? The only thing I can think of is to buy it as a gift because Switch doesn't have a gift function for digital games. Online was the worst thing to ever happen to games.

Reminds me of when I was researching FFX for switch and learned that the entirety of X-2 is a code in a box that can be redeemed once. So you can redeem the game you bought, but you can never own it outside of that one digital account which you HOPE you never lose access to. If the servers ever go down completely, to the point of not allowing redownloads, the game may "poof" into the ether.

I have absolutely refused to buy games solely because of code-in-a-box faffery. Not that game carts solve the day 1 patch problem. Lots of devs release their physical/LRG versions of games with game-breaking bugs that require a day 1 patch to fix. So the cart is still only useful if you have internet access. Hopefully downloading patches will always be an option, even 30 years from now.... Hopefully.

I'm quite worried about the preservation of DLC and patches. Some of them are already unobtainable and more is going away very soon when the Xbox 360 store shuts down in several months.

River City Girls 2

I heard that game's gold master only runs at 30FPS or something like that. Maybe it was only on Switch, but it was shocking to hear nonetheless. I played the first one but never played the second one. Maybe I should do that someday.

[ryu]

It's baffling that this doesn't run well on PS5 either. I don't care much about Contra, but I hope they'll fix this mess for you guys.

I'm quite worried about the preservation of DLC and patches.

Don't worry! If it's popular somebody will find a way to sell you the same game you already purchased thrice on the next console generation! And if it's not popular.. it doesn't matter anyways and you're a stupid nerd for caring lol!!!!!

[ExitPlanetDust]

River City Girls 2

I heard that game's gold master only runs at 30FPS or something like that. Maybe it was only on Switch, but it was shocking to hear nonetheless. I played the first one but never played the second one. Maybe I should do that someday.

Yes, as far as I know, even the physical copies are stuck with that version. A major patch last year bumped the frame rate up to 60 on everything but Switch and greatly improved the Switch version’s performance.

[Steven]

It's baffling that this doesn't run well on PS5 either. I don't care much about Contra, but I hope they'll fix this mess for you guys.

It's really strange. They must have

1. rushed it/ran out of time
2. had difficulty making so many builds for so many systems
3. both of the above

Most of the bad games that I can think of turned out the way they did because the developers ran out of time and were forced to ship an unfinished product against their will. Maybe this game is one of those cases.

Don't worry! If it's popular somebody will find a way to sell you the same game you already purchased thrice on the next console generation! And if it's not popular.. it doesn't matter anyways and you're a stupid nerd for caring lol!!!!!

It's also going to look worse, run worse, have missing stuff, have more glitches, and be more expensive, which is the best part! Yay, capitalism~

River City Girls 2

I heard that game's gold master only runs at 30FPS or something like that. Maybe it was only on Switch, but it was shocking to hear nonetheless. I played the first one but never played the second one. Maybe I should do that someday.

Yes, as far as I know, even the physical copies are stuck with that version. A major patch last year bumped the frame rate up to 60 on everything but Switch and greatly improved the Switch version’s performance.

That sucks. I wonder why they couldn't hit 60FPS on Switch, though, unless it's one of those games that looks 2D but is actually built with polygons and textured to look 2D. Octopath Traveler comes to mind, although that game has some objects that are clearly 3D and the lighting and particle effects are quite nice.

[Sumez]

Limited Run doing its thing.

This looks pretty much identical to the retail release. Of course the Switch retail is only a code-in-a-box, but it seems like this game is PS5 or bust anyway.

Is there any reason at all to go with LRG over buying the much cheaper retail version?

[Steven]

it seems like this game is PS5 or bust anyway.

You mean PC or bust.

Is there any reason at all to go with LRG over buying the much cheaper retail version?

PlayStation DLC is region locked, so if there is any it won't work if you have the wrong region's disc. For Europe, there is literally no point in LRG's version, but for those outside Europe, it might be annoying to get DLC.

Switch DLC is sometimes region free and sometimes not, depending on the game, so it may or may not matter for this game.

[Sumez]

They must have

1. rushed it/ran out of time
2. had difficulty making so many builds for so many systems
3. both of the above

Most of the bad games that I can think of turned out the way they did because the developers ran out of time and were forced to ship an unfinished product against their will. Maybe this game is one of those cases.

It's easy to blame execs rushing software out the gates, because obviously the higher-ups are the people who prioritize work focus against budget and potential income, and it's always an easy choice to delay QA to post-release when patching is essentially free. At least at the end of the day it's always their call.

BUT as a developer myself, which I'm sure is a profession shared by other nerds in here as well, I strongly believe there's a limit to how much you can just write off the developers.
Some performance issues just shouldn't even exist if you know at least a little about what you're doing, and consider those aspects up-front - instead of expecting to patch them after the fact (which will always require more work).
Some times it's those really obvious examples where anyone can tell a game is loading unecessary data even if you don't even know anything about the technology behind it. In this case however, it's just a game running so poorly there's no real excuse in the first place.
It's a Unity game, so it's easy to blame Unity as well, given its history of poorly performing games - but the 3D engine itself is super solid, so you can't blame that. This is 100% on the developers. My immediate guess is that they just naively showed a whole bunch of assets in there with much more complex details than they need or what is even visible. I'm pretty sure it's also wasting a ton of effort managing objects that are far off-screen. Possibly the entire damn stage, given how Unity works.

unless it's one of those games that looks 2D but is actually built with polygons and textured to look 2D. Octopath Traveler comes to mind, although that game has some objects that are clearly 3D and the lighting and particle effects are quite nice.

I hate to break it to you, but that's how every 2D game works since around the PlayStation. 2D graphics hardware doesn't exist on modern systems, and by far the most effecient way to render a sprite will always be sending a flat polygon to the GPU with the sprite as a texture.

[Steven]

They must have

1. rushed it/ran out of time
2. had difficulty making so many builds for so many systems
3. both of the above

Most of the bad games that I can think of turned out the way they did because the developers ran out of time and were forced to ship an unfinished product against their will. Maybe this game is one of those cases.

It's easy to blame execs rushing software out the gates, because obviously the higher-ups are the people who prioritize work focus against budget and potential income, and it's always an easy choice to delay QA to post-release when patching is essentially free. At least at the end of the day it's always their call.

BUT as a developer myself, which I'm sure is a profession shared by other nerds in here as well, I strongly believe there's a limit to how much you can just write off the developers.
Some performance issues just shouldn't even exist if you know at least a little about what you're doing, and consider those aspects up-front - instead of expecting to patch them after the fact (which will always require more work).
Some times it's those really obvious examples where anyone can tell a game is loading unecessary data even if you don't even know anything about the technology behind it. In this case however, it's just a game running so poorly there's no real excuse in the first place.
It's a Unity game, so it's easy to blame Unity as well, given its history of poorly performing games - but the 3D engine itself is super solid, so you can't blame that. This is 100% on the developers. My immediate guess is that they just naively showed a whole bunch of assets in there with much more complex details than they need or what is even visible. I'm pretty sure it's also wasting a ton of effort managing objects that are far off-screen. Possibly the entire damn stage, given how Unity works.

I wanted to be nice to the devs for once instead of calling them incompetent morons like I usually do, but if you think it's on them this time, then...

There is no excuse for the input lag on Switch, though. My god it's bad. That entire version of the game is... why does it even exist? It's horrendous! Normally I'd say "lol Switch", but no, this time it isn't the system's fault.

unless it's one of those games that looks 2D but is actually built with polygons and textured to look 2D. Octopath Traveler comes to mind, although that game has some objects that are clearly 3D and the lighting and particle effects are quite nice.

I hate to break it to you, but that's how every 2D game works since around the PlayStation. 2D graphics hardware doesn't exist on modern systems, and by far the most effecient way to render a sprite will always be sending a flat polygon to the GPU with the sprite as a texture.

I have heard this claim before, but I've not done any research on it. How do the CV-1000 hardware variants work?

[Sumez]

I've actually been wondering the same thing. I have no idea how they work, but since I've never seen anyone attempt a 3D polygon on them, I'd just assume it's similar to an advanced Neo Geo, where everything is sprites, but the upper limit is extremely generous and there is no BG layer.
Of course 2D hardware existed for quite a long while into the 3D era on arcade hardware, since they were more frequently designed for a single purpose. The GBA is an interesting late example too, which actually shares a lot of its broader design with the SNES.

[Sima Tuna]

Some of them are already unobtainable and more is going away very soon when the Xbox 360 store shuts down in several months.

Wow, I completely missed that. So many games are going to become unobtainable when that happens. Sega has a TON of xbox 360 ports of arcade, Genesis and Dreamcast games. That's just for starters. Everything in the arcade/indie section is gonna go poof, since not many of those had physical copies. I think I have a physical copy of Cubed, but games smaller-time than that won't be preserved. Lotta shmups on xbox 360 will have their most available version disappear. Stuff like Guwange. We're reaching the point where xbox 360 discs are starting to cost more and more, and not just for the rare imports...

But as you say, the real killer will be if/when update files get Thanos'd. The physical discs that remain will get screwed hard.

[Steven]

I've actually been wondering the same thing. I have no idea how they work, but since I've never seen anyone attempt a 3D polygon on them, I'd just assume it's similar to an advanced Neo Geo, where everything is sprites, but the upper limit is extremely generous and there is no BG layer.
Of course 2D hardware existed for quite a long while into the 3D era on arcade hardware, since they were more frequently designed for a single purpose. The GBA is an interesting late example too, which actually shares a lot of its broader design with the SNES.

The Neo Geo is really cool with how it builds everything with sprites. I've heard that it can't do 3D at all (the helicopter in Mark of the Wolves is prerendered, but it looks like flat shaded polys!), but the Mega Drive can do true 3D without assistance. It runs at really low framerates, but it's cool to see those few 3D games like LHX Attack Chopper on the MD.

Another interesting one to check out is the Retro Engine that Sonic Mania runs on. I have heard it uses the CPU to render most stuff and the GPU isn't really used that much. Is it actually a 2D engine or does it use textured polygons? I have been wondering about it for a while, but I've never looked into it.

Some of them are already unobtainable and more is going away very soon when the Xbox 360 store shuts down in several months.

Wow, I completely missed that. So many games are going to become unobtainable when that happens. Sega has a TON of xbox 360 ports of arcade, Genesis and Dreamcast games. That's just for starters. Everything in the arcade/indie section is gonna go poof, since not many of those had physical copies. I think I have a physical copy of Cubed, but games smaller-time than that won't be preserved. Lotta shmups on xbox 360 will have their most available version disappear. Stuff like Guwange. We're reaching the point where xbox 360 discs are starting to cost more and more, and not just for the rare imports...

But as you say, the real killer will be if/when update files get Thanos'd. The physical discs that remain will get screwed hard.

I think Guwange will continue to exist for a while since it can be played on the Xbox One, but it's the only CAVE game that is like that. All of the rest are stuck on 360 and the digital versions are about to go away forever, and this includes Mushihimesama Futari Black Label, which I still have not been able to buy despite trying a few different payment methods.

We're getting all sorts of off-topic, though, so I think I'll stop here.