Contra: Rogue Corps Reviews
Contra: Rogue Corps has some good ideas.
Contra Rogue Corps is a mess of a game, and while that doesn't mean there aren't fun bits, you have to really dig to find them.
Contra: Rogue Corps is an unexpected way to revive a beloved franchise. It’s sure to be divisive among fans, but it has plenty of reasons for you to give it a chance. The dynamic camera combined with solid gameplay makes for an overall enjoyable experience. I had a great time with it and it sure beats another Contra slot machine.
For a Contra fan, this game is the antithesis of what Contra is supposed to be. Playing Rogue Corps, I at last understood what Metal Gear fans must have felt when they played Metal Gear Survive last year.
The worst Contra game ever made and an object lesson in how not to revive a classic franchise, especially as there are multiple unofficial homages that are far superior.
Rogue Corps is elevated at times by the fact that it's hard to truly screw up a twin-stick shooter.
It's hard to put into words all the issues Contra: Rogue Corps has, largely because it isn't objectively awful, it's just painfully unimaginative. It seems to think the name and a couple of jokes are enough to sell it and honestly, it's probably enough to garner interesting, though there really isn't anything special about it. Everything is so plain, boring and simple that no amount of charm or quirks will make shooting some pink blob that flies at you interesting. Though, if you love top-down shooters and just want to see what it's like, maybe check it out during a sale.
Contra: Rogue Corps joins Bomberman: Act Zero and Hideo Kojima's firing as one of Konami's biggest disappointments.
Contra: Rogue Corps may not get high marks for reinvigorating the Contra series, nor does it innovate or do anything exceptionally well. But a game that you enjoy playing doesn't have to, and I found myself enjoying this raucous shooter more than I thought I would. It may have its own fair share of problems, but its low price and low barrier entry make it a serviceable and potentially hilarious time to be had solo or with your friends.
Although it may be a very bad Contra entry, Rogue Corps isn't a total wash. The upgrade system provides decent customization, and the gameplay is serviceable, but far from extraordinary. It's just not what you want from the long-buried franchise.
The more I played Contra: Rogue Corps, the more I could recognize its flaws yet at the same time, I was strangely transfixed by those fleeting moments of being an action badass with the right weapons, only for my dreams to be swiftly dashed as those weapons overheated and I was mobbed to death by giant alien bugs.
Contra: Rogue Corps is not a complete failure. Misguided? Yes. Awful? Absolutely not.
CONTRA: Rogue Corps, despite being a decent and fun game, is a long way from putting the legendary Contra saga back where it belongs.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The core design choice of Contra: Rogue Corps makes it a boring game no matter what mode your playing, add to that a weak AI and very repetitive missions, and you'll get yourself a disappointing game.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Contra: Rogue Corps is a game a lot of people would consider Konami to make. After seemingly wanting to exit the business even with a string of classic IP, this game feels like it was made for the sake of releasing a new Contra in 2019. It has good ideas hampered with poor implementation. It is not fun to play and that is its biggest crime. I wanted to love Rogue Corps. I tried to love Rogue Corps. I simply cannot find any fun to be had with the latest in this beloved franchise.
Contra has returned, and he has not done it through the big door. Maybe following the path of Neo Contra was not what the most staunch fans expected, and of course the technical section has not been to a good level, but if we forgiving him his failures, and giving him a chance, we can surely have fun, although always better with friends, locally or online. Hopefully the future holds us more Contra games, the classics never die.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
After around 10 hours, ROGUE CORPS ultimately feels like it was made by a rushed studio with limited resources, not a lot of production weight behind it and, quite frankly, not a lot of time. For $40, I’d say if you’re very VERY thirsty for more CONTRA after the $20 CONTRA Anniversary Collection earlier this year, you could look at this and find some things acceptable, after a price drop, of course. As stated at the beginning, this is indeed my first foray into this franchise. It is possible that I’m viewing this game through a lens it wasn’t intended to be looked through, and a lens that possibly a longtime CONTRA fan could view very differently. There were times that I found myself kinda zoning out while playing it, just shooting and killing hundreds and hundreds of mutants as time goes by. So if nothing else, it’s a great time waster. However, there’s a season pass available for it, so there is a very small light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully it can get better with a multitude of potential update patches. My heart goes out to developer Toylogic, as their work is more than likely far from done.
Contra is one of my favorite video game series of all time. Which makes giving Contra: Rogue Corps a low score extra painful for me. I really wanted this game to do well. But while it has some good ideas, they’re pretty much buried in an avalanche of poor gameplay decisions. From overheating guns to poor camera angles, playing Rogue Corps feels like you’re fighting the game a lot of times instead of the aliens inside it. I just hope it doesn’t spell the death knell for a franchise I love so much.
Rogue Corps is one of the least polished and most disappointing titles of the year, and that's even with the low expectations that preceded its release.
The Contra series lands on the Nintendo Switch under the name of Contra Rogue Corps. If by itself this should be a reason to celebrate, a closer look reveals an opportunity that missed all its objectives. The Contra series is mostly appreciated for its fun, non-stop and frantic action and gameplay, but Rogue Corps brings a gameplay tarnished by lack of precision and frustration, as well as a limited performance where its audiovisual component is concerned.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review