Operation C

North American box art.

Operation C is a scrolling platform run-and-gun developed by Konami and published by Ultra for the Game Boy and released on 1991-01-08. The game is the third title in the Contra series and acts as a sequel to Super C. In this game, a new alien called "Black Viper" is trying to take over Earth where the Red Falcon failed.

Personal

I never played this game when it was popular. Instead, I saw it on a list of the best Game Boy games and played it in an emulator.

I do not own the game, but I beat it on 2017-08-03.

Review

5	5	5	5	5

Best Version: Game Boy

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The game has decent graphics and sound.
• There is a good amount of variety among the enemies, bosses, and level design.
• In the brief time you have, the game presents a tough challenge, even for someone skilled in Contra games.
• I really like the new homing gun, and was pleased that they dropped the laser gun.
• It's nice that the game includes the Konami Code.

Bad

• With only 5 levels, the game is pretty short.
• Some of the music is reused from the NES games without even attempting to remix it.
• The final boss (after defeating the guardian) is extremely dull.
• The Japanese and European releases didn't give the game a new title.

Ugly

• Although there isn't anything really wrong with the game, it's kind of weak. It's basically just an inferior Contra title. It plays more like a lower-quality port than a new game.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The original Japanese art appears to be taken from a still of Schwarzenegger from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The alien backdrop is good, but the white foreground makes it look more like a flowery border!

• 

  This is a nice scene from Area 5. Lots of action and danger really shows what the game is about. This is my favorite art.

• 

  The European box shamelessly uses the same art and title as the NES release of Contra, even though the game is entirely different.

Documentation

• Operation C - GB - Manual.pdf

  Manual - USA.

Maps

• 

  Area 1.

• 

  Area 2.

• 

  Area 3.

• 

  Area 4.

• 

  Area 5.

Videos

Longplay.

Representation

Strong female character?	Fail	There are no women.
Bechdel test?	Fail	There is no dialogue.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	Everyone is white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English (Europe)	Probotector
English (North America)	Operation C
Japanese	コントラ	Kontora	Contra

Links