It has been about ten thousand years since the last time fans have been able to play a new Contra game. Contra ReBirth was a delightful 2009 WiiWare title which embraced the classic Contra formula to great effect. Technically, there has been another Contra game since then, 2011’s Hard Corps, which was ostensibly another entry in the franchise in all but name. Today, however, Konami surprised everyone with the reveal of Contra: Rogue Corps, a new third-person shooter that looks to take the series’ signature action into the third-dimension!
Well, take it into the third-dimension again is more accurate. Who can forget PlayStation’s Contra: Legacy of War? A lot of people can, apparently, but who can blame them? The hope is that this time around Konami has properly nailed the feel of the series while making the shift away from 2D. Here’s what Konami has to say about Rogue Corps’ development, placement in the Contra timeline, and its characters:
Contra: Rogue Corps is a twin stick, third-person action game drawing upon its roots in fast and focused combat developed for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). From the director of Contra III: The Alien Wars and Contra: Hard Corps, Nobuya Nakazato instills more than 25 years of franchise pedigree into Contra: Rogue Corps with enormous crazed enemies, over-the-top violence, and a cast of diverse playable characters that add to the irreverent tone of the game.
Several years after the events of the Alien Wars, Contra: Rogue Corps follows a former military group living on the fringes as bounty hunters and treasure finders in the Damned City. Survival requires fast reactions, powerful weapons and the occasional organ and cybernetic augmentation. Players will complete missions in PVE campaigns, gathering resources to upgrade their guns to stay alive in the Damned City. If all else fails… bring in a friend and mow-down enemies together in online and local multiplayer modes!
- Kaiser – A soldier from the Alien Wars rebuilt after receiving massive injuries, now has a massive arm that transforms into a drill.
- Ms Harakiri – Famed assassin specialising in stealth and infiltration, after barely escaping death during the Alien Wars, she fused together with an alien, now taking residence in her midsection.
- Hungry Beast – Once the noted (human) scientist Kurt Steiner, he had his brain inserted into a giant cyborg panda and now spends most of his time looking for delicious snacks.
- Gentleman – Brain Bug alien raised by humans. Feels the rest of the team are ill-mannered and vulgar, especially the Panda. Argues over table manners and the neatest and most efficient way to dispatch an enemy.
As an additional surprise, Konami also announced that Contra Anniversary Collection is now available for download in the Nintendo Switch eShop. Here are the games (and their formats) that come in the compilation:
- Contra(Arcade)
- Super Contra (Arcade)
- Super C (NES)
- Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
- Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Genesis)
- Contra (NES)
- Contra (Famicom)
- Operation C
- Probotector (Sega Mega Drive)
- Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (Super Nintendo)
- Bonus eBook
Overall, it’s one heck of a day to be a Contra fan! Rogue Corps is expected to release this fall.
Source: Konami PR