Arc Hound / Contra Force (FC) (1992)
Developer: Konami

Review by Faididi and Co.

Imagination beyond the means

Story: Average

Welcome to Neo City, 1992. No, the vile forces of the Red Falcon haven't arrived yet, and they won't for many more years. However, the Contra squad has already been established for the purpose of combating terrorists and other evil doers. Our heroes are Burns, Smith, Iron, and Beans, a bunch of dudes who love big guns and blowing up stuff. When a colleague asks the team to meet him at the city docks for important info, Burns and his friends find his dead ass sticking up from the cold, hard ground, along with some five hundred bad guys springing out from nowhere who have to be mowed down. The simple movies give the story some potential, but the plot is sadly botched by the inconclusive ending and the horrible English translations.

Gameplay: Above Average

Released next to Contra Spirits (Contra 3), Konami's Contra Force (Arc Hound) continues its predecessors' explosive brand of 2-Player action shooter gameplay. It too pushes the limits of its respective platform, and it doubles as the series' final appearance on the FC/NES during the shift toward the next generation of consoles.

While Burns and his pals blast terrorists instead of freaky space aliens, the gameplay is like that of the earlier Contra games, but with numerous fundamental changes. Like Super Contra before it, Contra Force has a side-scrolling mode and an overhead mode. However, like in Konami's FC/NES version of TMNT, the Players can switch between the heroes (via the subscreen) at any time, except that part is done right this time. The heroes have different attributes, some running faster, some jumping higher, and all using different special weapons. (One may recognize this as the inspiration for the later Contra classic, The Hard Corps.) Another fun feature is the computer ally. If you don't have a friend to play with you, you can let this computer ally take control of another hero for a few seconds at a time.

In contrast to the rest of the series, Contra Force has weaponry that stays down-to-earth (i.e. no Spreadguns or Laser Rifles yet, lol). But, as in Gradius, the heroes need to grab enough power-ups in order to equip a special weapon. Burns, the leader of the group, can acquire submachineguns and grenades. Smith, the deadeye, can handle sniper rifles and heat-seeking missile launchers. Iron, the heavy weapons dude, can upgrade to bazookas and flamethrowers. Beans, the demolitions expert, can play with mines and sticks of dynamite. The bad guys, who are as human as the heroes, use the same types of weapons, so while Burns and his buddies won't have to worry about gigantic aliens spewing forth deathrays and acidic slime, they do have to worry about enemy snipers, flamethrower soldiers, and the sort, and these foes are certainly no less deadly.

Perhaps the best part about Contra Force, though, is its extraordinarily interactive level design. The stages here are far, far more engaging than those of the other installments. Forget the usual moving platforms; we're talking about everything from destructible environments to climbable chains that swing, and from motorboats racing across water to even multiple overlapping paths that are unheard of in the genre. (Try to name another 8-bit game that features two overlapping floors from an overhead perspective, with separate spheres of action occurring simultaneously on both floors!)

Of course, Contra Force has flaws that can't be ignored. The firepower between the different heroes could've been better balanced, because some weapons, such as Burns' arcing grenades, are too specialized to be useful throughout the entire game. The Gradius-style power-up system feels more like a hindrance, because while it may work for Konami's popular space shooter series, it just inhibits the rapid upgrades that are so vital in a Contra game, where multiple heroes must share resources. But, hey, at least there are infinite credits.

Controls: Above Average

The controls are very responsive, and they also now allow for variable jumping heights. For some odd reason, the heroes can't aim diagonally downward while running forward in the side-scrolling stages, although aiming in any direction while leaping is still okay.

Graphics: Above Average

The characters and the scenery are drawn with plenty of details, with the bosses looking larger than life and being animated extremely well. The best part is how the environments can be smashed up, so any pipes, crates, drums, and pieces of machinery you see stand a good chance of being blown apart if they're shot. On the downside, this glut of visual detail leads to persistent if bearable slowdown.

Audio: Excellent

The pistols, rifles, and machineguns actually sound different from each other when they're fired. The splashing of water, the humming of engines, and the numerous other sound effects further liven up the game. The music is as bold and inspired as the material heard in the earlier installments. Each stage comes with its own suspenseful and often memorable tune.

Overall: Above Average

In the end, Contra Force is a bold 2-Player action shooter whose flaws result from its genuine attempt to deliver more than what one would expect is possible with its platform's limitations. There is no doubt that it suffers from persistent slowdown and a needlessly difficult power-up system, but its multiple playable characters have traits that actually differ, and its rich visual and audio effects can't be any more vibrant. Best of all, its ultra-interactive level design is detailed to incredible extents, making this prequel stand out like no other game before it.