Looks like Konami finally heard the fans outcry and delivered a true Contra game for the first time in years.
Lows: Very difficult, too short, how many times can I complain about those cheap deaths?
Verdict: Konami, for the first time since 1994, has finally made a Contra game worth buying.
Contra. One of the defining franchises of the 8-bit era took off with classics like the original Contra and it's much harder sequel, Super C. Then when it went into the 16-bit era, everything just got better with ther releases of Contra III: The Alien Wars for the SNES in 1992 and Contra: Hard Corps for the Sega Genesis released in 1994. The series was in it's prime in the late 80s and early 90s, then it began it's fall from grace with the release of the atrocious sequel Legacy of War for the PS1 and Saturn and C: The Contra Adventure, which were horrible follow-ups to some great games. Then came Contra: Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra, which were(from what I read) were somewhat workable comebacks for the PS2, but the series didn't truly rise from the ashes with this amazing, action-packed masterpiece: Contra 4, released for the Nintendo DS in 2007. In Contra 4, you play as Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, as they must stop an evil alien race called Black Viper from putting humanity to an end and bring peace back to earth...again. Playing Contra 4 is like playing the greatness found in past games in the series mainly from the 8 and 16-bit eras, as it goes back to it's roots: 2D. The gameplay is excellent, as it is very similar to Contra III, and it also has an excellent selection of weapons to choose from as well, ranging from the usual spreader, to an improved laser gun, to a rocket launcher and homing missiles too. Contra 4 is an excellent tribute to the series 20th b-day as it combines elements from the old-school Contra games on the NES, SNES and Genesis, adding in the graphics from Contra 3, a setting from the original on NES, and the difficulty from Hard Corps, to make one excellent comeback for the ages. There are flaws however. For newer Contra players, 4 is a tough game to access as it is a very tough game to play and you will have a hard time playing it. The game is pretty short as there aren't that many levels in the game, so it feels a little unfinished. However, Contra 4 is a great game and a must-have for any DS owner. Contra 4 is the most worthy successor to Contra: Hard Corps and is excellent side-scrolling action. Pick it up.