Contra 4 review

Hot on the heels of Joey's review about how we judge games to quickly as we are to preoccupied with Game A to fully appreciate Game B, I'm going to enlighten you about Contra 4 a little bit, a game that defies these rules of modern gaming and will surely make you ponder "Wow, I guess they really do make them like that anymore." Joey is correct, no doubt. Sometimes we judge a game too quickly and without total completion. But with a game like Contra 4, it is an impossible task because chances are you won't be beating the game soon enough to get a timely review out. But the again...with a game like Contra 4...only the first level is required before you know how you will feel about it until the final boss.

Contra 4 is the kind of game that begs to be played again and again. Not simply because you can beat it in under an hour, but because there is no way you will be able to complete it in under an hour without at least 30 hours of flawless memorization, lightning reflexes, and a developed natural instinct to use not one but both of the DS's screens. In short, this game is not for pansies. It WILL kick your ass. It will curb stomp you. And yes...it will chew you and spit you in the gutter. It will even murder your dog, her puppies, and sell you into ancient Rome's slave trade. I'm out of nonsensical ways of describing how much this game will dominate you before you are able to make a dent in it.

What separates Contra 4 from any other current game on the market is that in order to be successful, you must actually be SKILLED at the game. Save for a few old school titles such as Virtua Fighter and Ninja Gaiden, most games nowadays just require your time to beat. I love Super Mario Galaxy to absolute death (yes, more than Contra 4), but lets face it...it doesn't exactly require that much effort. Even slightly more hardcore games such as Halo and Bioshock require only a modest amount of skill to allow you to become competitive.

What separates Contra 4 and the other aforementioned old school titles is that they require a certain perfection that video games simply don't require anymore. And naturally, the only way to achieve this perfection is not through leveling up, but through old fashioned hard work. I'm talking trial and error of the worst magnitude. Hitting the grindstone with two megaton hammers. After two days of owning the day, I am finally able to beat the first level without using a continue...barely, a HUGE accomplishment. The second level is an entirely different story at the moment...ugh...

Most of us Contra fans knew the hype surrounding the game. It's not secret that Contra hasn't exactly been popular since the Sega Genesis, so Konami did the smart thing. Instead of developing the game themselves, they left it in the hands of fans...fans who know how to program...fans who know how to program who have been playing Contra for 20 years (yes, 20 year anniversary this year. It says so on the box) In the meant time, WayForward Technologies, the game's developers, have just become by new found heroes. Konami left the rejuvenation of one of their old key franchises in the hands of the correct people for sure. Not only did WayForward create the ultimate Contra game, but they completely disregarded the voice of the casual fanbase who wouldn't be able to handle the intensity of this game. Instead, they basically made the game on the demands of the fans rather than the money. If only his game were a hit with everyone though, it would be a dream come true. Along with the game, they have also delivered the joy of horror stories and whiny babies on forums who wish for "save files" and "unlimited continues". Wusses! It's simple and doesn't fall into any RPG element or "2D in a 3D world" cliches. No disrespect to Contra Hardcorps and Contra: Shattered Soldier, both of which are fantastic action games, but this game really is the first true Contra experience since Contra 3: The Alien War.

And why not? We're talking all the manly, shirtless dudes with massive guns, a thirst for alien blood, and a desire to cause everything to explode all on one cartridge. Even the art style is reminiscent of "war in a cartridge" Contra 3. The action is as responsive as it it should be, although the DS' crummy D-pad leaves a bit to be desired. Plenty of new music, as well as remixed version of your old favorites, are here. The games artwork and incredibly awesome box art even scream 1980's action in your face. All the classic Contra traditions are packed in including a waterfall level, a tower boss as the end of the first level, red shirted scrubbs, and of course Contra's two defining trump cards, the Konami code and the spread gun. It's all here, and just waiting for you to dig in.

So with all that said, I simply can't find any flaw in this video game. It has delivered on all counts and everything it promised to be, a very rare thing nowadays. This is true Contra and a flawless run and gun. Anything less than perfect would not be a rating of the game, but a rating of the run and gun genre itself. Not since Contra 3 have we seen a game pull off this long since dead genre so perfectly. True, it doesn't exactly evolve the series in any way and might seem more like a throwback to the old days rather than a new experience, but experiments and new ideas have only ever hindered Contra and its evolution as proven by mistakes such as The Contra Adventure, Contra: Legacy of War, and Neo Contra. Pure unadulterated Contra is the only way Contra should ever be played, and that's exactly what this is. And I just love that box art and would KILL to get a copy of the Nintendo Power poster that came out a few months ago.

The game comes bundled with a fair amount of unlockable content as well, and its enough to make anyone suffer through the grinding process of Contra perfection. After beating the game, you get a challenge mode. However, after beating these challenges, the game unlocks emulated versions of the original (and my personal favorite) Contra and its more-intense-yet-less-satisfying little brother Super C. The European release of the original Contra, Probotector, can be unlocked for those who wish to play as robots, and the only Contra female character, Sheena Etrazi from Contra Hardcorp, is playable as well, although she doesn't differ at all from the others.

If I were to complain about ANYTHING, it would be the discomfort of the DS and how it isn't exactly built for the type of precision this game requires. And I blame the damn Virtual Console for the lack of Contra 3 as an unlockable game.

This is not only the best DS game this year, but I am forced to believe that this game is it. This game is my favorite game on the DS. For what the Castlevania games destroy Contra 4 in with regards to depth and variety, Contra 4 easily beats those two games when it comes to replay value and even fun. I have not touched either of the Castlevania games since I beat them. Contra 4 is a game I will fondly remember until the the day I die. It's that good.