My friend and I have beat 6 of the 8 stages on Hard Corps Uprising. For anyone that even has a passing interest in the Contra series, this is by far the most glorious of the modern 2d Contra games.
It reminds me in a way of Strider 2, just in the fun to play fluidity and anime look/style. The game is unimaginably hard in parts, yet the more you learn the ropes and buy extra lives/health/weapons upgrades the more easier it becomes.
I also just got 1942 First Strike and Galaga Remix for the iphone/ipod. Rather than just a simple spruce up, there are full on epic new entries in the series. Galaga Remix is a juggernaut, kind of what Hard Corps Rising is to Contra. 1942 FS as well is quite fun for fans of the series. It doesn't quite have the modern manic bullet hell insanity, but it's a nice re-entry into the 1989-1994 era style of vertical shooters.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/badicalpower/videos(my adult swimlike animated series)