Thursday, May 7, 2020

PrinceWatercress plays Operation C - Part 1 of 2


Never thought I'd be playing a Contra game, but here we are.

In this game, you're saving the world from an evil terrorist organization from using an alien cell to take over the world. That's it, really.

Area 1


The controls are simple. Left and Right let you move, Up lets you aim upwards, and Down lets you crouch and also aim downwards both on the ground and in mid-air. A jumps, and B shoots. Unlike Contra and Super C, you can hold B for rapid fire at the very start of the game, signifying that the "M" and "R" power-ups are out.

Everything kills you in one hit, and the medals in the upper-left corner signify how many lives you have left.

The cylinders that move up and down as they fly forward contain power-ups. The "S" is a spread shot, and if you collect more than one, you will have a five-way shot instead of a three-way. Unlike Contra and Super C, collecting two of the S power-up powers it up.

In case of slopes, aim downwards in case enemies approach from behind.

Aside from human enemies that run endlessly to one side and the snipers on the platforms high in the air, you have turrets on rails in mid-air as well as wall turrets. You can duck to shoot at the wall turrets without getting hit.

At the elevator. stand in the center and keep shooting upwards to destroy the droids that come down. When the elevator stops, go left, then go back right to re-center yourself.

The "H" is a homing shot. If you shoot it, th e bullets will slowly home in on any on-screen enemies. They're not the best at their job, so watch out. The "F" is a fireball that swirls around in a circle as it moves forward.

If you get a power-up to show up when you don't want it, it will eventually disappear on its own if you wait long enough.

The boss here is a submarine. If you have the homing shot, this is easy: just keep shooting and make sure not to get hit by any projectiles that come out of the cannons. If you have any other types of guns, you're going to be doing a lot of aiming as you're dodging bullets and missiles.

Area 2


This time around, you're in a top-down perspective, like in some levels in Super C. Enemies will spawn in every so often and get in your way, and there will be turrets that will also be shooting at you. Be ready to stay on the move and shoot at anything and everything.

You can get extra lives on points. You'll get your first one at 20,000 points, and you'll get more at every subsequent 50,000 points after that.

To beat the first tank, stay near the bottom and avoid the three-way shot from both cannons while shooting at the cannons themselves. When you destroy both cannons, the tank explodes and you'll be able to continue on.

The second tank is situated vertically instead of horizontally. There will be mortar bombs that come out of the center of the tank that will land in the center of the screen, and the two guns will shoot two-way shots that stop at the center of the screen. Soldiers will also come out to move towards you from the bottom. If you don't have the homing shot, take out the lower gun first, followed by the bomb launcher in the center. Otherwise, the homing shot will be able to tear this bad boy up.

There are turrets that move up and down near the conveyor belts that shoot in the diagonal directions. If you can take them out from the south, you'll have an easier time.

The third tank battle is much like the first one; you'll just be at the top of the screen.

Destroy the big double doors by shooting at them, just like in [i]Super C[/i]. That'll do it.

The boss here is another tank. Stay on the lower-left corner at the beginning and shoot down the cannons without getting shot down yourself. When the section in the center shoots energy waves, wait for it to stop before making your way to the other side and shooting down the cannons there. When all the cannons are destroyed, you can shoot down the energy wave cannon in the center. Thankfully, the energy waves only shoot straight downwards.

Area 3


You'll have men coming at you from both the left and the right, as well as guys on platforms, but the real threat is the turrets that come out of the panels in the ground. Duck down while shooting them to avoid getting shot yourself, and watch your back, as there will still be men coming at you from the left side of the screen.

The rocks that come down can be destroyed; the Homing Shot is the easiest way to do it.

You'll eventually come across a vertical section where you will have to jump from one platform to another. Just like in Contra and Super C, if you drop all the way down to the bottom of the screen, you will lose a life, so take care when dealing with turrets and other enemies. Also, there will be platforms that move back and forth in mid-air. Be careful on those.

The first vertical section is also the last time you will see the "H" power-up. If you die after this point, you will never be able to get the homing shot again. Apparently Konami knew how overpowered it was as they were developing the game, as you can grab the homing shot, get good at dodging everything, and keep it for the entire game and make it look easy.

The mini-boss is some sort of mech that floats around in the air. It will drop robots that slowly float to the ground before moving to the sides of the screen in an effort to destroy you. If you don't have the homing shot, take them and any soldiers out before concentrating on the mini-boss again. Also, watch out for its laser.

At the waterfall, there will be soldiers shooting to the left from inside the waterfall. Thankfully, they can be shot down.

When you reach the top, you can jump over the waterfall at the very edge...or you can wait a couple of seconds near the waterfall and wait for a bridge to form. This actually works. Seriously.

The boss is a tank that moves back and forth while the mini-boss flies above it to hit you with lasers. Take out one of the side guns on the tank, then stand where the one you destroyed was and take out the mini-boss. Avoid the lasers and shoot down the laser cannons, and avoid or shoot down the rings that the mini-boss shoots after the laser cannons are destroyed. If you take too long, the mini-boss will then lodge itself in the tank, and you'll have to take it out from the ground.

No comments:

Post a Comment