Contra 4

UPC: 083717241287

Platform: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. (KDEI)

Developer: WayForward Technologies

Category: Shooter

Style(s): Platform Shooter

Synopsis: Konami brings its first Contra title to the DS, 20 years after the original defined the side-scrolling combat genre. Taking place two years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars, Contra 4 once again finds series protagonists Bill Rizer, Lance Bean, Mad Dog, and Scorpion peppering the Black Viper alien menace with a fusillade of bullets. As always, the side-scrolling combat is littered with weapon power-ups that make for some serious firepower, and the two-player co-op mode lets friends double the damage. However, the dual screens allow for new kinds of action, like massive, screen-filling enemies, and the new grappling hook, which lets players swing from the bottom screen to the top screen. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Health and Safety Precautions Booklet

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

Konami's classic shooter series returns to its frenetic, side-scrolling, thumb-twitching roots in Contra 4 on Nintendo DS. If you feel Contra has chugged, stalled, and wheezed since its move from the 8-bit NES, consider Contra 4 the tune-up to keep the franchise running. It's a throwback to a time when games were more challenging, when the only way to beat a title was to max out extra lives and to treat continues like a leprechaun treats his pot o' gold. Contra 4 features three difficulty levels, none of which should be taken lightly. To get an idea of where to begin, take a look in the mirror. If you see facial stubble, proceed to easy. If you have a beard, proceed to normal. And if you don't have a face because it was mangled in a bear-wrestling accident, you're ready for hard. Contra 4 is a testosterone-fueled game that is unapologetic in its challenge. That, of course, is the way it should be, with early games requiring keen reflexes and oodles of patience. One hit and you're done in Contra 4, even on easy, a difficulty setting more demanding than the majority of previously released DS games. Developer WayForward Technologies obviously carries a torch for the series, with Contra 4 feeling like a tumultuous trip through memory lane. Most of the bosses, stages, and music are a direct homage to earlier games, and everything you've loved about Contra is untouched and undiluted: from the sprite-based 3D levels and flying power-ups to the multi-target boss battles and co-op play. You will not saunter through a level without dying early and often. Success in Contra 4 involves revisiting the same jungle, factory, lab, or alien hive over and over again until every crouch, somersault jump, and shot is ingrained into muscle memory. Since the developer wanted to retain the feel of the original Contra, players shouldn't expect any DS flourishes or revolutionary new play mechanics. Contra 4 plays and looks like Contra and Super C on NES, albeit with vibrant colors, larger characters, and more detailed backgrounds. The action, however, is even more intense since you not only have to worry about dying from turrets, pillboxes, soldiers, mutants, aliens, and so forth on the ground, you have to worry about being picked off from high above. Having two screens also allowed for some creative boss battles and level designs, as players can use a grappling hook at certain spots to pull themselves up for a quick escape or to take the fight to the top screen. One of Contra 4's best features it its reward system. The easy difficulty ends at seven levels, so players need to continue on normal (or hard) to see the final two stages. Completing the game on easy also opens up a special challenge mode with 40 scenarios designed to test your skills in interesting ways. While there are no new stages for this mode, you have to complete existing levels under specific conditions, such as clearing a stage with no bullets or within a certain time limit. As players complete the challenges, they can unlock such goodies as new characters, comics, museum entries, and even emulated versions of Contra and its sequel, Super C, on NES. Contra 4 is a welcome surprise, a sequel that faithfully recaptures the slam-bang spirit of one of the great 2D shooter franchises in video game history. It will punish those who thought breezy games like New Super Mario Bros. were tricky, just as it will punish the average handheld's directional pad and buttons (manually tapping is more effective than holding down a button to shoot). Yet Contra 4's blistering action is sorely needed on the DS, as few games on the handheld will actually cause sweat to trickle down your forehead. That's perfectly acceptable too, since Contra 4 is best enjoyed while wearing a tightly tied red (or blue) bandana. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.