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»Contra 4
"The next step towards the goal of an impossible game."
2D shooters are an oddity among gaming in that they seem to get harder
and harder as gaming generations go by. This is especially odd, since
they were already one of the hardest genres back when every game hated
you. Contra is often cited as one of the toughest NES games ever, but
aside for some of the other 8-bit entries, it’s the easiest game in the
series. The Contra games have just been getting more and more intense
as time goes by, and having played all but one main entry, I can say
with reasonable confidence that Contra 4 is the hardest yet. Whether
that’s a good thing, however, is debatable.
Keeping the fine tradition of one sentence stories, in Contra 4, the
aliens are getting really mad at Earth and its two-man defenses for all
of their prior defeats, and thus launch another attack. Like most of
the games in the series that people are willing to acknowledge the
existence of, Contra 4 is a side-view shooter. You get a new grappling
hook that can zoom you up to rails you can hang from, but aside from
that the game consists of the same simple jumping-and-shooting gameplay
it always has. There are 9 levels in all and two of them are played
from a unique perspective, where you move your character the same way
but shoot down an isometric path – if you’re familiar with the series,
here’s a much simpler description: they’re like the second and fourth
levels in the original Contra. The levels are varied and original,
taking classic Contra settings and reworking them creatively. Some of
the levels are pretty short, but I sincerely doubt you’ll have any
problem with that.
The reason for that is because Contra 4 is hard. Very hard. And not the
kind of hard most modern challenging games are, where you struggle to
reach the next save point. Contra 4 has lives and continues, and if you
run out of them you’re back to where you were when you first turned on
the game. You can save and restart at the beginning of levels, but each
time you load a save you lose a continue, so saving actually makes the
game harder. Having to quit won’t be much of an issue though, a
successful playthrough of the game can easily be done in one sitting.
Unfortunately, the difficulty is getting a little excessive and
approaching cheapness. The game takes place on both of the DS’ screens,
and enemies are always above or below you. This may have been a bad
move: the game is so fast-paced that the split-second pause it takes to
switch focus between the screens can be fatal. There are also parts in
the levels where you’re almost guaranteed to die if you aren’t
expecting them, to a greater extent than in previous Contra games. This
detracts from the game, but it’s nowhere near fatal. There’s a
manageable easy mode, and beating normal mode is an accomplishment by
itself, and then if you really want to be a Contra master and don’t
mind pain, there’s hard mode.
Contra 4 has a lot of content for the type of game it is. Mastering the
normal mode will take you plenty of time, but there’s practically an
entire extra game in the challenge mode. The 40 challenges send you
through bits of the levels with extra objectives, such as a pacifist
run or having to avoid shooting civilians. Most of the challenges are
insanely difficult, but their bite-sized length and actual saving make
them less frustrating than the main game in many ways. You can also
unlock the two (good) NES Contras, Contra and Super C. Both have aged
flawlessly and are as fun as they were in the 80s – and if you played
them when they were new, you get to completely reverse the “Why am I so
bad at the games I grew up with?” cliché and breeze through them, if
you’re able to beat Contra 4.
Contra 4 has solid graphics, your character and the non-boss enemies
look pretty similar to the 16-bit Contra 3, but the gigantic bosses and
detailed backgrounds show off DS’ power. You get the classic Contra
level settings: fortresses, waterfalls, ocean, and alien hive levels,
although a few themes are repeated. You can also unlock just about
every past Contra character to play as, which won’t affect the gameplay
but is a nice graphical touch. The music is the same high intensity
rock it’s always been, and the sound effects are crisp and clear.
Contra 4 has a lot of replay. As mentioned above, there are 40
challenges and two complete games unlockable, as well as the Contra’s
signature co-op mode. There are also the three difficulty levels, and
trust me, you’ll want to start on easy mode. Add in the classic
character skins and lots of Contra artwork and trivia to unlock, and
you’ve got one of the most content-filled 2D shooters I’ve ever seen.
This game will definitely keep you busy for a while if you want to do
everything.
Overall, Contra 4 is a solid installment in the legendary franchise.
With so much content crammed in it’s a little disappointing that the
somewhat cheap main game prevents Contra 4 from becoming the best game
in the series when everything else was aligned perfectly, but don’t let
that make you think the game isn’t worthy of its name, just brace
yourself when you enter a level for the first time. That hiccup aside,
everything else in this game is everything an action fan could hope
for, and any experienced gamer or Contra newcomer with patience should
definitely pick up Contra 4. Prove the strength in numbers theory wrong
once and for all!
Article by: KI Simpson
Posted on: Mar. 19th, 2008 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| Not the most polished Contra in difficulty balance, but everything else is exceptional. |
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Graphics |
| Enemies and explosions fill the screen without a hitch, and the backgrounds look great. |
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Sound |
| Vintage Contra music and sound effects. |
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Replay Value |
| Lots of reason to hone your skills, and a plethora of bonuses as or more fun as the main game. |
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