|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on May 8, 2009 14:56:02 GMT -5
Contra ReBirthMore Contra is always good! However, there's no way that this could be as awesome as Contra 4, especially if WayForward isn't developing it. ReBirth will probably be an homage to the Contra series in the same that way Gradius ReBirth was to the Gradius series. (Again, Contra 4 already did a pretty good job of that, IMHO.) I don't mean to sound cynical, tho. I'm stoked! I just hope there isn't a nine month lag between the Japanese and North American releases like there was with Gradius ReBirth.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on May 12, 2009 14:06:26 GMT -5
Been waiting for this since it got released on Japanese WiiWare: TONS of video footage!!!. I haven't watched much of it, so as not to spoil it for myself (I did the same thing with Gradius ReBirth), but I took in a little of it. Here's my take: It looks like a mix between Contra III and Contra 4, which is just about the best possible mix I could wish for! Bill Rizer's sprite looks like the Contra III design animated in the Contra 4 style. He even says "Let's party!" like he does in Contra 4! (The "What is this place?" quote from the intro is from arcade Super Contra.) The explosions, however, seem to be in the style of Hard Corps, so it looks like this game will draw on details from all of the games in the series, just like Gradius ReBirth. And that can only mean one thing: MEGA FAN SERVICE!!! ;D ;D ;D I'm going to guess that this game is being developed by M2, like Gradius ReBirth. Someone mentioned that one of the bosses looked like it came from the MSX version of Contra, and Gradius was filled with lots of obscure MSX references as well. Here are more details from GoNintendo: - hand-drawn cut-scenes - English voices - no waterfall or snowfield music - Weapons: Normal, Laser, Homing and Spread (Not very many weapons) - Settings available: Volume for BGM & SFX, Diff. Easy-Normal-Hard (Nightmare is unlockable), Lives 3-5-7, etc. - Infinite Continues. - Controls: 1 is shoot, 2 is jump. Hold the shoot button to stand still and shoot in all 8 directions, A or B button for weapon switching (strange control setup, but maybe it's configurable for different controllers like Gradius ReBirth) - Cube and Classic controller support - unlockable characters (Yay! Hopefully Ray Poward makes the cut this time!) - more than 5 stages (Good news! Gradius was only five.) - bosses will fight you multiple times - no wifi (  ) How can this not be one of my most anticipated games? I just hope it doesn't take forever to get released in North America. EDIT: 1up's Jeremy Parish seems to be writing blog articles about all of the games I'm looking forward to lately. Here's one for Contra ReBirth. |
|
|
|
Post by Wildcat on May 12, 2009 21:05:02 GMT -5
Heh, sounds like fun. Hope it's at least as solid as Contra 4 was (and I mean no sacrilege, my friend  ) |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on May 12, 2009 22:45:24 GMT -5
The floodgates have opened! 1up has a good hands-on preview. Highlights: - They confirm the developer is M2. - The player 2 character is apparently Yagyu from Neo Contra. That, along with the story, suggests that this game actually takes place after Neo Contra. And that's really... weird. - The game uses the same comic book art style as Contra 4. - While Contra 4 was reminiscent of the first two Contra games, ReBirth is more reminiscent of Contra III. - No overhead stages. - According to this preview, there are only five stages. They also mention that they like it better than Gradius ReBirth, and end the article by saying, "All things considered, Contra ReBirth nails the feel of the series' early years, and hopefully it's released in American sooner rather than later." |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on May 26, 2009 23:20:47 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by parrothead on May 28, 2009 3:17:54 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on May 28, 2009 17:31:20 GMT -5
I didn't forget. I just didn't think they were worth posting.
Actually, I was wondering if C: The Contra Adventure had the Stage Clear jingle, but I couldn't find a video with it. It did have the Game Over jingle, IIRC.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 3, 2009 17:14:37 GMT -5
Contra ReBirth has been ESRB rated! YES!!! ;D And now, the real waiting game begins... |
|
|
|
Post by Savage Adam on Aug 3, 2009 19:40:24 GMT -5
Considering NoA's been neglecting the Virtual Console as as late, and instead giving us 2-3 WiiWare games a week, it seems like it shouldn't take that long for us to get this.  |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 20, 2009 22:56:41 GMT -5
Games Radar recently posted another one of their goofy tongue-in-cheek articles, this time focusing on games with missile riding sequences. They acknowledge it as a staple of the Contra series, and talk about the missile riding parts of Contra III, Shattered Soldier, Neo Contra, and Contra 4. Sometimes, I think Games Radar tries too hard to be edgy and cool, but this time, I think the tone is a little more appropriate to the subject matter.  However, they do neglect to mention the missile riding sequence in Contra: Hard Corps. I guess they weren't hardcore enough to get that far. |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 24, 2009 16:51:41 GMT -5
1up has an article called " Sequels We Want, and the Formulas They Need." It seems kind of like a filler article for when they've run out of better things to write. Still, they want Contra 5 on the Wii, and I can't disagree with that. Why Bring It Back? Contra isn't exactly an endangered species, but as with so many classic franchises, true, numbered sequels are hard to come by. Rather than make more timid excursions into predictable, semi-recycled material (i.e. ReBirth), we'd prefer Konami have the courage to create another true Contra sequel. Grow a spine and take a risk, you faceless corporate monolith!
What's in a Sequel? Contra 4 was a good start for getting the series back on track, pulling away from the latter-day concept of Contra as a constant series of big, locked-in set pieces and balancing the showcase events with some genuine running and gunning and platforming -- just like the old days. Still, despite this old-school ethos (and fanservice aplenty), Contra 4 offered a healthy dose of new ideas (the grappling hook) and cooperative two-man interplay. The perfect Contra 5 would build on that foundation with similarly creative new game mechanics, a seamless blend of sidescrolling and boss-battling, and maybe a few surprises. Four-player co-op, perhaps? A level that combines free-form run-and-gun action with a large-scale boss? As long as the controls are spot-on, the difficulty is relentless, and the spread gun is accounted for, we're totally there. Personally, I think Contra is at its best when it sticks close to its arcade roots. The last thing I would want to see is for Contra to become a semi-RPG hybrid like Castlevania. I have nothing against that design; I just don't think it would work in favor of Contra. On a separate note, the article mentions a couple of other interesting sequels. Shenmue III on Wii is, of course, something I would like to see (along with ports of parts I and II). And Wildcat might be interested in their take on M.U.L.E. II for the PlayStation 3. |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 31, 2009 14:15:27 GMT -5
Well, the Contra HQ is on the verge of disappearing, unless Ed Oscuro gets around to moving it to another server. Kurt Kalata mentioned on the HG101 forums that it would saved, but so far, only HG101 and the Castlevania Dungeon have appeared on Kontek. In the mean time, if you're interested, here is Ed's review of Contra 4 that never went up on Contra HQ. And here's Kurt's review of Contra ReBirth, where he also mentions that he's working on a Contra article for HG101. ('Bout time!  ) I'm still kicking around the idea of starting my own Contra site, mainly because the one thing lacking from all other other Contra sites I've seen (all three of them) is a community. I'd at least like to bring that to the table. |
|
|
|
Post by Wildcat on Sept 1, 2009 9:23:31 GMT -5
If you ever do that Contra site, I'll join up. Hell, you could make your site a Wordpress blog. It'd simplify things, in my opinion. Whatever you decide to do, I'll back it with a link. |
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Sept 1, 2009 19:12:13 GMT -5
I considered a Wordpress blog, but I think a blog is more convenient if you plan on updating on a daily or weekly basis. A Contra site doesn't really need that.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wildcat on Sept 1, 2009 20:24:08 GMT -5
True, true. You CAN set up a Wordpress blog to act much like a website, but it takes some fiddling. In any event, you have my support. |
|
)
)
)