It's been awhile since I played my DS. For awhile there, not too much interested me. That all came to an end when I saw Contra 4 on display!
Now, there have been many attempts on making a next-gen Contra. Needless to say, all have failed miserably. There was one with a samurai for some reason I don't know. Contra is a game that should have always stayed as a side-scroller and never brought to 3-D.
First thing I noticed when I popped it in, the classic Contra jingle - that instantly made me warm up to this game.
When the game starts, you are in a very nostalgic jungle. It has everything from the enemies that charge straight ahead to the exploding bridge. It has some very welcome new elements as well. First off, both top and bottom screens are used. If an enemy is shooting you from the top screen, you better shoot up. Also, the grappling hook is introduced. This allows you to actually get on the top screen.
The enemies are in abundance, but so are the weapons. When there are 7 guys coming at you, that good old spread shot is a life savor. There is also the laser, fire and heat seeker. Best part, they all upgrade when you get 2 of the same weapon icon. Speaking of weapon icons, they use the Contra 3 system where you can hold 2 different weapons at once, losing the equipped weapon if your killed.
There are about 7 levels in the game. Some new levels with a classic feel and some old levels with new elements. I don't want to give too much away, but yes, there is a Base Level. 3 difficulties in the game: Easy, Medium and Hard. Or as I come to know them by: "Lets see whats ahead. This is really hard and Aghhh, this will be the end of me." This game will test not only your skill as a gamer, but your patience.
Classic Contra multiplayer is available. Remember when you and a buddy would play and one would take high and the other low? Somewhere along the level you both got mixed up and yell at each other saying, "I thought you had that guy" or "too bad I am taking a life". Contra multiplayer has always been great, and this is no exception.
I recommend this game for people looking for a challenge and for us who played the other Contras to the point we didn't need the cheat codes.
| Andre Garcia is a video game fanatic. If your interested, you can check out his gaming blog at http://www.videogamesforus.com If you like the Contra franchise, you might want to check out his recently posted video review of Contra & Super Contra |
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