Contra: Rogue Corps hits Switch this week, after almost a decade away from the spotlight (2011's Hard Corps: Uprising is considered part of the series, despite not having 'Contra' in the title).
Contra legend Nobuya Nakazato is handling production duties on this sequel and has been part of the franchise since the days of Contra III: The Alien Wars. He conducted a few interviews at the recent Tokyo Game Show regarding the project, and spoke with Nintendo Everything about why it has taken so long for Contra to make a return:
It was very hard to kick off the project just because we needed to find the right kind of momentum and timing. Obviously I really wanted to make another Contra game. I’ve been really pushing – I just couldn’t find the right push, and couldn’t get approval for such a project to do it out of the blue.
Also, one of the difficult things is finding the right team to work on such a game, and even just the staff and resources we have at the time, but what really pushed forward with the project was… one of the things that was very memorable to me was working on Contra games, and I know the series well, and so I figured who else would be worthy to create the next Contra game? And that’s why I wanted to contribute all of my talent and history on the series and make it come to life.
He also spoke to DualShockers about releasing a new Contra game in 2D – something he's open to, but if the approach is right:
Yeah, I love the old 2D games as well and I’d love to make new ones, but just modernizing the graphics, upgrading the graphics, and creating something new in them would not be the right way to do it, in my opinion. I’d have to come up with a new innovation and maybe change a bit of the genre and then I can start working on one of those.
Comments 42
This game is not how you resurrect a franchise. It's how you kill any hopes of future installments. This long without a new contra and this is what they give us? I am not impressed.
People who tend to say "I wish they would revive X franchise" a lot should look at thing like this. You get Rogue Corps or mobile Commander Keens a lot more often than Doom 4s.
That's gonna be a hard pass for me.
Some bold talk given that he just remade the worst Contra game and somehow made this even worse than Legacy of War was. Where's this innovation he speaks of? Not being able to shoot up? Enemies not bothering to turn round to attack you? Yellow pee stained zombie things with spades? A horrible hub area with a power up icon to remind you that yes this is Contra? Walking slowly when playing twin stick? Overheating guns after a few seconds?
Utterly garbage game that looks like it should be on PS2, truly the ugliest game I've played in many years and an insult to the Contra name. I'll go back to Blazing Chrome for a true Contra experience
I miss Neo Contra...
Thank god for indie developers. I’ll fire up Blazing Chrome and Mechstermination Force long before I’ll touch this steaming pile.
Terrible game to boot.
Nothing but to feel sorry for this sorry excuse of a game trying to act like contra.. this is an abomination.
Love the original Contra games but the announcement trailer in the direct was one of the worst I've seen in recent memory. Looks like an utterly confusing mess. Even more confusing that Nakazato is involved who apparently 'knows the series well', and this is what we got.
If a possible Castlevania ressurction looks that aweful, I riot.
Fine words; terrible game.
By accounts this game is complete crap so mission failed then?
Rogue Corps is fun. Unfortunately there is a bandwagon a lot of people got on. Sad for the series that fans are killing it. But at least I have 1 last fun Contra game to play.
His comments on not wanting to just update the graphics of 2d contra are puzzling. There’s still plenty of room to do something new and creative there, see Contra 4 on DS.
I want to keep an open mind about this game, but it does not look promising...
I completely forgot there was a demo for this new Contra game. Has anyone tried it out? I haven’t been to keen on this one.
@shonenjump86
Didn't even know there's a new Contra coming, so excited when i realized a demo been made available. Downloaded today and play for 5 minutes, hit the home button and deleted the game immediately. It's a sad day for a long time contra fan.
Login to eShop and saw Guns Gore & Cannoli on sale, downloaded and play it for the first time for 5 minutes, WTF#@!*~ is this game?! Hit home button and purchased Guns 2 immediately while it's still on sale.
Q: will you pay $2.50 for Contra Rogue Corps?
A: Man you're asking the impossible
Q: will you pay $20 each for Guns 1 & 2?
A: Shut up and take my $$!
@NintenDan_ Use of profanity is unacceptable!
@carlos82 This isn't a remake.
Whilst it also isn't that great i cannot understand why they never released Contra Evolution arcade for home consoles.
@LaytonPuzzle27 promptly edited for your sensitive ears/eyes.
Is this game is going to be bad as Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure or worse?
@YANDMAN I didnt mean it literally, it just looks a lot like Legacy of War
@Tim_Vreeland Rogue Corps might be SOMEWHAT fun, but it's not proper Contra, so it's natural for people to be annoyed at it. It's very similar to how Federation Force was seen. Only difference is, Federation Force, albeit not Metroid proper, was genuinely good, while judging from the demo and the trailers, Rogue Corps does way more things wrong than it does right. It's ugly, it plays sluggishly, it takes a lot of the fun out of Contra and its attempts at humour come off as uninspired - trying too hard and failing instead of actually being funny (like Contra Rebirth and Double Dragon Neon for example). Like a lot of people say, "Blazing Chrome" is a much better and much more needed revival of the Contra franchise than Rogue Corps can ever hope to be. But naturally, Konami's gonna blame it on us for dishing out a bad game.
Why is it that so many people are able to say, “this isn’t Contra,” yet the only person that thinks it is...is the producer??
Didn’t anybody on his team tell him, “Sir, are you sure you want to put a GIANT PANDA in you CONTRA game?!”
Looks like a Wii game.
I was rather shocked at how fun the demo is. Didn’t expect to like it. But the devs really nail the aesthetic and gameplay.
a cel-shaded 2D Contra is the way to way in my opinion. This just......doesn't look fun at all
@Tim_Vreeland yeah, I liked the demo. People don’t understand that no support for this game, there will be no other Contra. It’s good that they left 2D this time, they want to try new things.
@Edu23XWiiU
Oh boy it’s that argument again the hilarious abusive relationship one! Please come up with more original rhetoric.
This isn’t new they tried this for a PS1 which this game actually looks like, however that wasn’t the last time the concept was used, anyone that actually cares about Contra knows about Neo Contra a 3D topdown game that absolutely annihilates this one.
@SalvorHardin Neo contra is an absolutely fantastic game, one of the best in the series in my opinion. I wish they'd remake it in HD and with twin stick contyrol.
@SalvorHardin Hahaha don’t take it that personal. This is obviously a game that is trying to get a new audience as well, and so far, people that haven’t played Contra, are enjoying this one. If you don’t like it, get the collection, you old farts seem to like those ones only.
@MaxlRoseGNR Google 'Grimoire of Souls'
@Mr_Muscle I don't think he had much say in a lot of what appears in this game going on several interviews that i've read on the subject. I think Konami wanted to make something that really catered to the younger/newer crowd of gamers probably thinking that that would be most lucrative. I think all of the things which feel remotely like Contra how we remember it are due to Nakazato. Between the pulls for something new that seemingly wouldn't be contra at all and someone trying to inject some hallmarks of the franchise it's birthed this game. It does look terrible and on the switch even worse, that aside i did have some fun with it.
Don't even look like a proper Contra game
Hopefully the next Contra will be 60fps like the old games were...
I don't hate it, and I like some of the nods and winks to classic Contra games. That being said, for the most part it's Contra in name only, has an ugly visual style, the weapon mechanics (overheating, and having to repeatedly grind stages to level them up) are awful and the character designs just plain bizarre (although I won't deny playing as the panda is fun). All in all, a huge misstep for the series, and it'd be a shame if Konami used this as an indicator of whether people want more new Contra games or not....very unlikely this game will sell well at all, it's just not very good
I really thought it was a good game...until the demo..nope
@James696 OMG I DO RIOT
The demo was satisfactory, at best. I certainly won't be paying full price for it, and will wait until it's at least 50% off, if not more, depending on reviews.
The demo was fun for what it was... just not my idea of a true Contra experience.
Rebirth was actually the last halfway decent game. It's a bit too short but everything else Contra fans love is there. I'm hoping somehow it resurfaces one day.
I just can't believe they thought this would work as a modern contra when it looks like those crappy PS1 era turds all over again.
@Edu23XWiiU First of all, we can all do without the condescending attitude here. Second of all, I've seen a TINY portion of people that actually likes how this plays. Also, let's be real; look at the reactions from the trailers and gameplay videos because it's pretty much almost unanimous. I doubt a bunch of people who weren't Contra fans before are into this.
@Slasher this still will be better than Death Stranding hehehe
Tap here to load 42 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...