"Shoot first, shoot some more, and keep shooting until the questions are no longer relevant..."

When you hear the word "Contra", there are only two responses.

The ones who have never played a game in their life, or are bunch of little young kids respond with "Wut iz Contra? Is it uny gud?"

The ones who do know about Contra, the ones who actually care about nostalgia and who actually honor their video games give a simply reply. "Awesome"

That's what Contra is. Awesomeness.

If you don't know what Contra is, you should be ashamed of yourself. It is the quintessential Shoot Em Up video game that solely judges you on one thing, your ability to play video games. It tests you on your dexterity. Your hand-eye coordination. Your quick reflexes. Your ability to rapidly push buttons. Your ability to multitask. Your ability to pay attention to your surroundings. And your patience.

At every moment in every stage, you will be tested on all of the above. At the exact same time. And it never lets up.

If you ever thought to yourself that you were good at video games, that you were a professional, this is the perfect game to test that theory. Because this game is only for those that can do all of the above. Professionals.

Only games called Contra will test that. And others need not apply.

Story: 1/10
Contra games don't give a crap about story. You're not here for the story, you're here because you felt a need to blow aliens up because they're trying to take over the world. That's all you need to know.

Gameplay: 9/10
There's only two things to do in a Contra game. First, you kill everything. Simple enough, I wouldn't be too happy at an alien takeover. I'd only feel naturally inclined to kill them as well. Secondly, you don't die. You can't save the world if your dead. Again, that another simple task, right?

Nope.

Everything that moves, everything isn't your friend on the screen is your enemy. And they are all trying to kill you. And you only need to get hit once to die. Heck, even just touching an enemy will mean your death.

But don't fret. There are many things that can prevent death. One is the weapons. You have to get new weapons, because your starting weapon will get you killed pretty fast. Something new is the fact that you can power up the weapons you already have by collecting the same powerup. This will help you in your quest of not dying.

Another new feature is the grappling hook. This helps you to not die by quickly escaping upwards, usually to hang on to something on the top screen.

And speaking of the top screen, make sure you pay attention to it. Only half of everything happens on the bottom screen. If you don't pay attention to both screens, you chances of dying increase.

But unfortunately, you will die. Whether it's now or later, you will eventually die. But that doesn't mean it's over. That means you use that to your advantage. The entire game is also based on your ability to correct your mistakes, something that doesn't happen often in life. You died at one point? Good. Now make sure to make a note of that and don't die there again. And you will be doing this a lot. Because playing Contra trains you for one thing. Perfection.

And perfection is a good feeling. That great feeling of accomplishment you get when you do everything perfectly and actually beat the game. This is what games are all about.

Sound and Graphics: 10/10
Even though you're concentrating on blowing everything up, take some time to enjoy the scenery and the music. Because that scenery isn't going to last much longer. And the music has epicness written all over it. It completely matches the mood of blowing everything up. And doing it with style.

Replay: 10/10
For the first time in a Contra game, there's actually something you can do beside playing the game over and over. Sure, this is a game that you can play regardless how many times you beat it, just to sharpen your skills, but now there actually a challenge mode. As if you thought the game wasn't challenging enough, there's 40 challenges to accomplish to test your Contra skills. And these are much harder than the game itself. It tests you on whether or not you can beat a level really quickly or if you can beat a level without shooting a single alien. Yeah, one of tests means you're not allowed to shoot in a game that requires you to shoot. The ultimate test in skill.

And just for kicks, you can also play the game with others, assuming they're also as skillful as you.

Extras: 9/10
Even more surprising are all the extras included. The creators are really giving Contra so much respect after 20 years. You can unlock extra characters, listen to music, or even play the original Contra games from the original Nintendo. It is a game that keeps on giving, and you can feel firsthand the perfection that is Contra and Super C.

Overall: 9/10
I'll be perfectly honest with you. I've never actually beat a Contra game in my entire life. Ever. Until Contra 4. I finally give the Contra game the respect it deserves. And I finally understand that there are games for those who are willing and wanting a challenge. Because there aren't very many games that challenge the player as rigorous as Contra.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

Game Release: Contra 4 (US, 11/13/07)