I really, really enjoyed Blazing Chrome!! For me it is up there with the 16-bit Probotectors/Contras, perhaps even rising above in some regards by being a little more approachable in terms of difficulty (at least on normal) and having a nice zippy flow. It felt like they knew what was fun about those old games, and then tried to concentrate it some. It's not perfect though, some of the larger art looks a bit iffy (that jock-off thumb in the bottom left on the map screen!), but that was true of Contra 3 if I'm honest, and however imperfect the art in places, Blazing Chrome has a lot more bold, screen-filling story content which is very welcome.
If the shooting perhaps isn't for you, when you beat the game on normal, you unlock two melee characters, who when used turn the gameplay all Strider-y/Ninja Gaiden-y! They're a lot of fun, they're slightly faster and more agile, and spamming melee kicks out a TON of damage but you have to get in close!! I used them to beat the Boss Rush as they just melt the ones you can get close to for a good moment.
I don't think I have the chops to beat Hardcore though, which I feel these games kind of daring you to do. 3 continues, each start with 3 lives, more enemies (with more HP in some cases, and I think faster attacks). I practiced stages 1 - 3 a lot and got ok at them but 4 - 6 are hell!
