Review: Contra 4 (DS)
Back in my day, our video game console playing machines only had 8 bits! If we were lucky! We had to walk up a hill both ways through the snow just to get to a store that even sells video games! Most stores just sold chalk, and that's how we liked it! Kids these days, they just don't know what true video gaming is all about! Why, back in my day when we played Contra, we got our asses handed to us and we liked it. Hey! You over there! Pay attention! Get off my lawn! Etc! So forth! Old people words! Contra 4 for the DS reminds me of the glory days, back when games taught you a lesson! None of this Super Mario doodad shootin' Wii remote shakin' bull honky. That's right, I said bull honky! No, video games need to be hard core! Video games need to hate you with every fiber of their being! Even if they don't require quarters to operate anymore, they need to act like they are sucking you dry of every last cent you own! Contra 4 is just as punishing as I remember the series ever being, with a ton of additions that make me all warm and fuzzy inside. Ahh, nostalgia. Those were the days...
It's Contra's 20th anniversary, can you believe it? After a long string of horrible sequels, Konami along with WayForward technologies decided to un-crap the crapfest that had ensued over the past two decades with a return to the classic. Contra 4 is nostalgia pandering at it's best. Imagine the SNES heyday, when every game seemed the most polished piece of artistic perfection you had ever seen. The games themselves compelled you to complete them, just to experience the whole thing. Landscapes are pixellated masterpieces, animations are crisp and smooth, and the music is driving and cheesy, just like you remember it. Contra 4 wants to be the definitive version in the series, and arguably it is. Few things have changed about the controls: they are just as tight as the original, with the addition of a grappling hook to reach the top DS screen. The grappling hook feels like it's always been in the series, which is a great credit to the developers. They did a fantastic job.
The 20th anniversary brings us not only an excellent game in its own right, but unlockable versions of the NES original, along with the sequel Super C. The unlockables just keep coming in the form of playable characters, art galleries and even an interview with the creator.
It's interesting to me to play this game right after completing Super Mario Galaxy. Both are incredibly nostalgic feeling to me. Both tackle this nostalgia in different ways. While Super Mario Galaxy holds your hand on a guided tour of a familiar setting, Contra sticks to the formula. One hit kills you, and you only have a couple lives. Run out of lives and you only have a couple continues to progress with. Lose all your continues and start over. It's true that video games are too easy these days, and Contra proves it. It's on par with the difficulty level of the NES original, which is to say it is an incredible challenge. Sure, you may play a game from this generation and call it a challenge, but you are pretty much assured to complete the game. Even on easy mode Contra 4 is difficult. That's not to say it isn't any fun, it's the kind of difficulty that compels you to try harder. Just like the original, you can even bring a friend to join in your suffering (though your friend needs a copy of Contra as well).
The art is fantastic, the music is nostalgic, and the new boss battles are inventive and exciting. The massive amount of unlockables and extra games brings replay value to a new high, and for my money you can't get any more fun than getting horribly mangled in Contra.
And yes, you can use the code.
Score: 5/5 The best Contra yet, and a jewel in the DS crown.
What say you?!