NOTE: This review has already been typed by me on another forum. I am copy/pasting it onto this forum in order to get more feedback for future reviews.
Contra 4
Publisher: Konami
Developer: WayForward Technologies
Players: 1-2 (2-player requires both players to have a copy of the game)
(Game not available in the PAL regions)
Since its arcade debut in 1987, the Contra series (known in the PAL regions as the Probotector series) has become synonymous with over-the-top action, fun co-op, and brutal difficulty that only the most hardcore gamers will ever master. While the series doesn't have as much popularity as some of Konami's other intellectual properties, it's almost always managed to create high-quality 2D gameplay that has entertained and frustrated gamers even today. 20 years later, Konami has released Contra 4, which is as much of a game as it is a celebration of the series.
Contra 4 adds a second screen to the over-the-top gameplay
The story in Contra 4 is about as simple as modern stories can be. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean (the main characters in the previous Contra games), as well as newcomers Mad Dog and Scorpion, are called into action to stop an alien menace known as Black Viper from conquering the Earth for unknown reasons. While this may seem basic, it is a little more fleshed out than other past games. Even so, the Contra games were never about having a deep, enriched storyline.
The first thing you notice about Contra 4 is the graphics. After the last 2 games in the Contra tried using 3D graphics with mixed results, Contra 4 goes right back to using sharp 2D sprites and animations. The levels and character designs are all bright and colorful, which somehow work for the game's ridiculous nature and scenarios. Turning the DS Lite's backlight on full really brings out the vibrant colors in the high-quality art style. The animations are also fluid, and the frame rate is constant, no matter how many bullets are flying onscreen (which is usually a lot.)
The audio fares just as well as the graphics, save for the lame 80's action-movie catch phrases the main characters spout whenever they die, which can thankfully be turned off. The music especially stands out in the audio department. It may not be on the same level as the Zelda or Halo music, but it is quite catchy, and further improves the high-quality presentation.
The slick in-game presentation is only a footnote to the crazy, non-stop action in Contra 4. The game is the epitome of classic run-and-gun gameplay that the series pioneered back in the arcades. Contra 4 is broken into 9 intense levels, each lasting for only a few minutes. 6 of these levels are standard side-scrolling levels that the series is known for, with tons of classic, bullet-dodging, bad-guy shooting action. These levels revolve around running from one side of the screen to the next, shooting at aliens, blimps containing very useful weapon powerups, and just about anything else that moves The other 3 are tunnel stages that resemble the pseudo-3D stages in the original Contra. While they are as crazy as the other levels, they're not as fun, but they aren't as long, either.
The game contains 3 tunnel stages very similar to the ones in the original Contra
The side-scrolling levels have their fair share of crazy moments. For example, halfway into one of the stages, your macho man of choice grabs onto a rocket that launches almost into space, dodging and shooting down enemy missiles and other baddies. Moments like these only make the game more fun to play and to watch. The problem, however, is even getting to these moments.
It goes without saying that Contra 4 is one of the hardest games in the series. Even on the easiest setting, the game is unforgiving and brutal. Your character can only take one hit from a bullet or one touch from an enemy before he dies. There are few moments in the game where the screen isn't full of bullets, baddies, or other obstacles ready to blow you away. To finish the game on the normal setting requires a dramatic increase in your gaming skills (and you will have to finish it on normal if you want to see the last 2 levels.) One reason that the game is more difficult than others has to do with the DS itself. There is a blind spot between the screens where bullets, enemies, other obstacles, and even your character can easily be lost in. This becomes a bigger problem in certain parts where the game scrolls vertically rather than horizontally. Despite this, the game is hardly unfair, even though you will likely end up shouting obscenities at the top of your lungs when you finally make it past that one boss fight, only to die in the segment right after him, and have to start the game all the way back at level 1.
One thing some people may not like is the fact that there's hardly any cop-outs for why you died. The controls in Contra 4 work very well, allowing you switch weapons on the fly, drop weapons for strategic purposes, and aim in all eight directions without even moving. The characters have been also been given added agility, including a grappling hook that can be used to latch onto hand-rails from a distance. There's no touch-screen functionality in-game, which counts as a good thing, since the series has always been made for the hardcore audience.
Boss battles are large, frequent, and hard
Even if you can still make transparent excuses, it is definitely worth playing through Contra 4's insane difficulty, if only for all the extra content that is available inside the game. Finishing the game on any difficulty will unlock the challenge mode, which has you going back through certain segments of the levels with prerequisites such as limited ammo or using only one weapon type, and without dying even once. As you clear these challenges, you'll unlock some excellent goodies, ranging from new characters to promotional comics and interviews with the developers. The game even has the NES versions of Contra and Super C available to unlock and play. On the upside, the extra-lives cheat codes still work in these games, but on the downside, you can only play them single-player (the 2 player option is in both of them, but selecting that only creates a dummy character who mimics your moves and doesn't shoot.) Despite this problem, the 2 games still hold up well, and are worth getting frustrated over the ridiculously-difficult challenge mode.
The original Contra, as well as Super C, are available as unlockables
Overall, Contra 4 is a well put together game that has enough craziness to entice newcomers, as well as enough nostalgia to please veteran Contra fans. If you can make it past the difficulty that sometimes borders on downright cruel, then Contra is a rewarding experience that you'll only put down because your thumbs are burning from all the fast-paced action and repeated facepalms you'll be giving to yourself.
*end of original review*
I don't have a scoring system, as I believe the content of the review is much more important than the number the review gets on a subjective scale. Going by the Escapist review scale, however, I would say Buy It if you live in the U.S. If you live in the PAL regions, and you really enjoy the Probotector series, then Import It instead.
Contra 4
Publisher: Konami
Developer: WayForward Technologies
Players: 1-2 (2-player requires both players to have a copy of the game)
(Game not available in the PAL regions)
Since its arcade debut in 1987, the Contra series (known in the PAL regions as the Probotector series) has become synonymous with over-the-top action, fun co-op, and brutal difficulty that only the most hardcore gamers will ever master. While the series doesn't have as much popularity as some of Konami's other intellectual properties, it's almost always managed to create high-quality 2D gameplay that has entertained and frustrated gamers even today. 20 years later, Konami has released Contra 4, which is as much of a game as it is a celebration of the series.
Contra 4 adds a second screen to the over-the-top gameplay
The story in Contra 4 is about as simple as modern stories can be. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean (the main characters in the previous Contra games), as well as newcomers Mad Dog and Scorpion, are called into action to stop an alien menace known as Black Viper from conquering the Earth for unknown reasons. While this may seem basic, it is a little more fleshed out than other past games. Even so, the Contra games were never about having a deep, enriched storyline.
The first thing you notice about Contra 4 is the graphics. After the last 2 games in the Contra tried using 3D graphics with mixed results, Contra 4 goes right back to using sharp 2D sprites and animations. The levels and character designs are all bright and colorful, which somehow work for the game's ridiculous nature and scenarios. Turning the DS Lite's backlight on full really brings out the vibrant colors in the high-quality art style. The animations are also fluid, and the frame rate is constant, no matter how many bullets are flying onscreen (which is usually a lot.)
The audio fares just as well as the graphics, save for the lame 80's action-movie catch phrases the main characters spout whenever they die, which can thankfully be turned off. The music especially stands out in the audio department. It may not be on the same level as the Zelda or Halo music, but it is quite catchy, and further improves the high-quality presentation.
The slick in-game presentation is only a footnote to the crazy, non-stop action in Contra 4. The game is the epitome of classic run-and-gun gameplay that the series pioneered back in the arcades. Contra 4 is broken into 9 intense levels, each lasting for only a few minutes. 6 of these levels are standard side-scrolling levels that the series is known for, with tons of classic, bullet-dodging, bad-guy shooting action. These levels revolve around running from one side of the screen to the next, shooting at aliens, blimps containing very useful weapon powerups, and just about anything else that moves The other 3 are tunnel stages that resemble the pseudo-3D stages in the original Contra. While they are as crazy as the other levels, they're not as fun, but they aren't as long, either.
The game contains 3 tunnel stages very similar to the ones in the original Contra
The side-scrolling levels have their fair share of crazy moments. For example, halfway into one of the stages, your macho man of choice grabs onto a rocket that launches almost into space, dodging and shooting down enemy missiles and other baddies. Moments like these only make the game more fun to play and to watch. The problem, however, is even getting to these moments.
It goes without saying that Contra 4 is one of the hardest games in the series. Even on the easiest setting, the game is unforgiving and brutal. Your character can only take one hit from a bullet or one touch from an enemy before he dies. There are few moments in the game where the screen isn't full of bullets, baddies, or other obstacles ready to blow you away. To finish the game on the normal setting requires a dramatic increase in your gaming skills (and you will have to finish it on normal if you want to see the last 2 levels.) One reason that the game is more difficult than others has to do with the DS itself. There is a blind spot between the screens where bullets, enemies, other obstacles, and even your character can easily be lost in. This becomes a bigger problem in certain parts where the game scrolls vertically rather than horizontally. Despite this, the game is hardly unfair, even though you will likely end up shouting obscenities at the top of your lungs when you finally make it past that one boss fight, only to die in the segment right after him, and have to start the game all the way back at level 1.
One thing some people may not like is the fact that there's hardly any cop-outs for why you died. The controls in Contra 4 work very well, allowing you switch weapons on the fly, drop weapons for strategic purposes, and aim in all eight directions without even moving. The characters have been also been given added agility, including a grappling hook that can be used to latch onto hand-rails from a distance. There's no touch-screen functionality in-game, which counts as a good thing, since the series has always been made for the hardcore audience.
Boss battles are large, frequent, and hard
Even if you can still make transparent excuses, it is definitely worth playing through Contra 4's insane difficulty, if only for all the extra content that is available inside the game. Finishing the game on any difficulty will unlock the challenge mode, which has you going back through certain segments of the levels with prerequisites such as limited ammo or using only one weapon type, and without dying even once. As you clear these challenges, you'll unlock some excellent goodies, ranging from new characters to promotional comics and interviews with the developers. The game even has the NES versions of Contra and Super C available to unlock and play. On the upside, the extra-lives cheat codes still work in these games, but on the downside, you can only play them single-player (the 2 player option is in both of them, but selecting that only creates a dummy character who mimics your moves and doesn't shoot.) Despite this problem, the 2 games still hold up well, and are worth getting frustrated over the ridiculously-difficult challenge mode.
The original Contra, as well as Super C, are available as unlockables
Overall, Contra 4 is a well put together game that has enough craziness to entice newcomers, as well as enough nostalgia to please veteran Contra fans. If you can make it past the difficulty that sometimes borders on downright cruel, then Contra is a rewarding experience that you'll only put down because your thumbs are burning from all the fast-paced action and repeated facepalms you'll be giving to yourself.
*end of original review*
I don't have a scoring system, as I believe the content of the review is much more important than the number the review gets on a subjective scale. Going by the Escapist review scale, however, I would say Buy It if you live in the U.S. If you live in the PAL regions, and you really enjoy the Probotector series, then Import It instead.
