Hard Corps: Uprising

12 cert, Konami, Xbox Live **

What would a videogame be without a dictator? The characters in Hard Corps: Uprisingare freedom fighters shooting their way through the soldiers of the evil overlord, Tiberius. So, in this retro, side- scrolling Japanese game, you blast your way along, leaping on platforms and gathering power-ups. You know how it goes. The game has simple controls, is fast-paced and, in a 16-bit way, looks good. (The animated prelude is a lovely slice of Manga.) But one creative decision should've been binned early on: the save- points are ludicrously unfair. Fancy replaying the same five- minute sequence over and over? Well, tough – you'll do it anyway. Worse, the difficulty level can't be adjusted. Hardcore fans of retro games (especially Contra) might tolerate its flaws, but saner gamers will spend Xbox Live points elsewhere.