Contra: Rogue Corps E3 2019 Hands-On Preview | A Classic Re-imagining

Contra is an integral part of gaming history, with the notorious code being cemented into popular culture since its discovery. Contra: Rogue Corps decides to go for the twin stick, third-person action direction while remaining loyal to its core values. Killing hordes of enemies while attempting to say alive by actively dodging oncoming fire. Contra: Rogue Corps doesn't take itself seriously and instead focuses on heavy shooting action for something that is just plain fun.

Contra: Rogue Corps takes place years after the events of Alein Wars, with the former military group taking on the role of bounty and treasure hunts within Damned City. Survivors are required to have powerful weapons, strong survival skills, and some cybernetic advantages. Everyone else is either food, dead, or turned into the mutanted horde you now must face.

Contra: Rogue Corps can be played either alone or in 4 player cooperative online or offline, the demo I played was only single-player. Each of the diverse cast reflects the bloody chaotic atmosphere. The characters include a soldier from the Alien Wars with heavy augments such as a giant drill named Kaiser, Ms. Harakiri, an assassin who specializes in stealth who is now fused with an alien, Kurt Steiner, a scientist whose brain has been inserted into a giant cyborg panda, and finally Gentleman, a Brain Bug raised by humans who happens to be the most polite of the characters. But will blow your head off, but with grace. Each one of the characters uses unique talents such as Hungry Beast able to call on turrets to aid in battle but none are required for certain situation. Use who you enjoy.

Each of these characters comes with their own selection of weapons that can be upgraded. There are no microtransactions and everything must be earned in-game. Players earn a score based on their performance, either by collecting containers or avoiding death. Customization goes way beyond performance upgrades, with cosmetic items available as well.

Gameplay wise, the game functions like any twin stick shooter. Its not unique but that is not a bad thing, it takes the same systems found in other games of the same genre and does it well. You cannot simply shoot and must herald enemies while executing your dash to avoid damage and stun enemies with high defenses and opening them up for heavy damage. The game constantly pushes you forward, with a mix of areas that require you to kill everything while some you just need to get to the end. During certain sections, the camera will switch to behind the players and allow for free aim. All while collecting containers before they explode. It's all very hectic and if you want that high score you can never rest.

I was only able to experience 2 of the bosses within the game with each one requiring a specific tactics to take down such as shooting in the back or avoiding giant energy blasts. They did seem like large bullet sponges but considering the game is required to play through multiple times my assumption is that my weapons were too weak to drain the enemy's health quickly.

Konami has promised that PvP will be part of the final product. With 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, and 1v4 options to be revealed soon.

Contra: Rogue Corps delivers the same intense shooting action that fans of the series know and love. It's not a 1to1 recreation of the classic games but it captures the franchise's signature atmosphere. Contra: Rogue Corps is a basic and fun shooter that doesn't try to be more than it is, Contra.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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