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Review

With a quick glance, Operation C may as well be a Gameboy translation of Super C for the NES. And although it seems to be at quick glance, it's actually a new game. The game takes place a bit after Super C...everything seems to be going all right, with Red Falcon currently pushing up daisies. But from the other side of the universe comes another evil alien called Black Viper. He's going to pick up where Red Falcon left off and try to take over the world. Scorpian, one of the commandos from the earlier games, must infiltrate their headquarters.

Obviously, the main point is simple: destroy things. Well, good enough. The levels look similar to Super C...the first level is a base, the second is an overhead level, the third is a jungle level...but though they look similar, the stages are actually changed. The first stage ends up with a battle with a submarine on docks, and the structure of the level is completely different. There are five levels in total, with the last one being a raid on a laboratory that holds an alien egg. So Operation C is like a scaled down add-on pack of the NES games.

Operation C is a one-player game and has many of the weapons that everyone is familiar with plus a new one (the homing gun.) It even offers an upgradable Spread gun...the first power-up you get, it's a three way, but get two Spread icons, and you'll get a five way. The graphics are nice, making transition rather well to the small screen. Of course, there is a bit of the trademark Gameboy blur, but if you've played the system for awhile, you're used to it by now. The music, with the exception of a few tunes, is mostly ripped directly from the first Contra.

There's not much to say about this one. It's classic Contra that remains true to the spirit and remains tons of fun. The only thing that really seems off is the jumping...you jump too high and too fast for the little Gameboy screen. Unlike the Castlevania Gameboy games, this actually seems like a true addition to the series, not a spinoff with similar gameplay. It's tough, of course, and will keep your thumbs in blisters on those long road trips. An excellent Gameboy game overall.

Europeans scans provided by Setzer the Gambler. Advertisement from Video Game Museum.

Art

American Cover
Japanese Cover
European Cover
European Back
European Manual
Konami Gameboy Color Volume 1 Front
Konami Gameboy Color Volume 1 Back
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Additional Screenshots