Contra 4

[Nester the Lark]

I suppose this doesn't have a whole lot to do with Contra 4, but I thought I'd point it out.

Some of you may remember this old post that compares Kyle Reese from The Terminator with Solid Snake from the original Metal Gear. Well, here's the original Contra box art, and here's a recreation of it I found on DeviantArt. That's Arnold Schwarzenegger from Predator, Sylvester Stallone from Rambo: First Blood Part II, and an alien from Aliens, all in more or less the same poses. Pretty cool, eh?

Heck, the movie Aliens alone influenced countless games back then (and still does, to an extent). The most well known are Contra, Metroid and R-Type, but there are many more, not even counting games that were officially licensed.

Anyway, bringing things back on topic, here's the official Contra 4 US box art. (At least neither of them look like Vin Diesel.)

[Nester the Lark]

Looks like Konami's official site for Contra 4 is now live!

It's got quite a bit of info about the game, including screenshots of all nine levels, so if you don't want those spoiled, be careful. There's also one screenshot with the Probotector character.

The best part of it is that it's written in the style of the classic Konami/Ultra instruction manuals from the late 80's/early 90's. It was the ultimate in cheese, and I love it! ;D

There's something interesting, tho. If you check out the Contra timeline, it only lists four games: Contra, Super C, Operation C and Contra III. It's almost like it's retconning all the later games. Yet, if you read Mad Dog's profile, it mentions Ray Poward from Hard Corps (and Legacy of War and The Contra Adventure, but I believe those have already been retconned). I guess it's only covering the timeline up until Contra 4. I also hope it's a clue that Ray will be one of the unlockable characters. That would be great!

This game just can't come out fast enough!

[8bitretroshit]

I wonder if the EU version will have Probotectors with an unlockable Contra guy
I think I will end up buying the game, two Contra'sProbotectors I had were the nes and snes one and those were great. This one seems really similar in a good way.
I wonder if you have to have 2 games for cooperative though.

Also that site has some rad music.

[Nester the Lark]

I picked up this game this morning. As you'd expect, I haven't had a whole lot of time with it yet, but I thought I'd post some initial impressions.

It's definitely the old school pre-Hard Corps Contra that fans have been waiting for. It's HARD, even on easy mode, and still requires some level of memorization, though certainly not on the caliber of Hard Corps or Shattered Soldier, and it doesn't follow the "boss rush" design of those games, either.

I obviously haven't unlocked any bonus content, yet. The only things available at the start are the main Arcade Mode, the four selectable characters, Bill, Lance, Mad Dog and Scorpion (who are all completely identical), and the Museum which lists every single Contra game except for the GB and GBA ports of Contra III. It also includes box art from every region and some screenshots. It seems that most of the bonus content will be unlocked in a "Challenge Mode," which, itself, must be unlocked somehow.

But so far, the game is great! It's got terrific 2D sprite graphics with 3D only being used in the tunnel levels. The sound and music are great, and there are some voice samples that say cheesy things like "It's payback time!" and "Let's party!" (which are direct references to Hard Corps).

And one other thing I absolutely love is that the instruction manual is written in the exact same style as the classic Konami/Ultra manuals from the late 80's/early 90's (and the official website). That over-the-top cheesy, testosterone drenched style is just...awesome! ;D

[Fryguy64]

Cool. Does the game have a UK release yet? I've gotten my first real taste of Contra lately... and I LOVE IT! ;D

[Nester the Lark]

^ According to GameFAQs, no European release is listed. Heck, not even Japan is listed, but you know it'll end up there eventually.

So far, I have managed to unlock Challenge Mode and NES Contra. It's weird because if you select 2 players, you control both of them with the D-pad, and you control player 1's shooting and jumping with the Y & B buttons and player 2's with the X & A buttons. Quite an odd implementation, but I suppose it's there in case you feel like playing with Lance instead of Bill. Unfortunately, wireless multiplayer isn't supported.

I have a feeling Contra 4 will be in my DS for quite some time.

[Nester the Lark]

After having been heavily addicted to this game for nearly a week, I have to give it a big recommendation. I love arcade-style games and classic-style games, and a healthy challenge doesn't hurt either. Contra 4 provides all of these, and it does it with class.

The game is HARD! It's not hard in a "memorize all the boss's patters" way, but more in a "constant barrage of enemies and bullets" kind of way. It still helps to know the level layouts and where enemies appear, so practice is absolutely vital. Still, if you're the type of gamer who is likely to get frustrated and throw your DS against the wall, you'll probably want to invest in some insurance.

I've actually found the Challenge Mode to be the most addictive. The challenges it assigns are pretty straightforward, but again, they're very difficult. I've had to replay most of them probably dozens of times before being able to beat them. And yet, I'm always compelled to try again. (Of course, the possibility of unlocking something is very compelling.)

If I were to pick at a few things, I'd say I've had a litter frustration with the control and the dual screens. With the control, I'm certainly not saying it's bad. In fact, it's very responsive and consistent. It's just that some of it's function takes getting used to. For instance, it's a little picky with the diagonals in certain situations. As for the dual screens, it's really difficult trying to pay attention to both at once. It's easy to overlook a bullet on one screen only to have it sneak up on you when it enters the one your character is in. Yet, neither of these things are what I would consider unfair. Whenever you die, it's nearly always your own fault.

Contra 4 is a very worthy and appropriate addition to the series in several ways. It works as a sequel to Contra III--if it weren't for the dual screens, this game could've been released on the SNES in 1993 and be considered a major classic today. It works as a throwback to the original Contra and Super C (and maybe Operation C)--the gameplay just feels like those early games. Yet, it carries just enough influence from Contra III and Hard Corps with a few modern touches to keep it from feeling stuck in the past. It also works as a game that gets the Contra series back on track. Not to badmouth Hard Corps and Shattered Soldier, but this is Contra. As far as I'm concerned, WayForward has proven themselves, and I certainly wouldn't object to them handling a Contra 5 (or Hard Corps 2, or whatever).

So, I definitely recommend this game. I think it's a strong contender for DS game of the year. And, of course, you can expect a 3PS for it in the near future.