Konami is giving its side-scrolling shoot 'em up classic Contra a makeover and it's doing so with Guilty Gear and BlazBlue makers Arc System Works, resulting in the downloadable game Hard Corps: Uprising.
It doesn't bear the Contra name, but the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade game is apparently "spiritual sequel" to Contra: Hard Corps, the entry released on the Sega Genesis in 1994, according to IGN. If the downloadable game is possessed by the spirit of Contra: Hard Corps, expect the run and gun action to be intensely difficult, only made softer by Arc System Works' new anime art style.
The rest of the Contra staples appear to be intact—sidescrolling, spread beams, alien infestations—from the limited amount of info available. We'll hopefully be able to share more about Hard Corps: Uprising at E3, just a few weeks away.