Contra 4 lends itself to the DS brilliantly well, by the DS two-screen interface perfectly clipping Contra action.
Two years after the events of Contra III, and three years before: Contra: Hard Corps, in the year of 2638, Bill Riser and Lance Bean return to discover a new race of ailens named: Black Viper, launch attacks on the human race, and strange readings are detected back at Galuga archipelago (the setting in the first Contra game), that these ailens mean business. It's up to Bill Rizer and Lance Bean to put a stop to the deadly Black Viper. Looking at the storyline of Contra 4 in a non-critical light, it is a uninteresting, cliche B movie plotline, and is the usual story of the Contra games, but Contra 4 approaches its narrative with the same dramatic, dark and cinematic bite that made Contra classics like Contra III such a hit. Contra 4 sucessfly reincarnates the big, booming sound effects of Contra III on the NES, and the text-based dialouge of the NES adds more to the punch. It's nice to know Contra 4 hasn't forgotten a compelling way to add life to a plain story.
Contra 4's core gameplay is classic run-and-gun Contra, and the unique DS touch screen interface adds to the intesity of the action. Contra 4 does raise some new ideas which were not in the orginials, as the pick-up-new-weapon, drop-new-weapon mechanic. Contra 4's gameplay restores everything that made Contra so great, and puts the player on the edge of their seat, focusing on everything and trying not to get hit. There are some aspects of Contra 4's gameplay which do feel a bit dated and old, but, for the most part, Contra lends itself to the DS well, making it arguably the most rivetting DS title yet. Contra 4 nails the fast yet strategic gameplay, that Contra will continue to be rewnowned for.
Overall, Contra 4 is pure Contra, and puts a considerably dying franchise back on it's feet. There are some areas of Contra 4 which feel clunky and old, but, Knoami have provided the biggest thrillride on the DS yet with Contra 4.