"Eww, it's 2D so it must be bad, right?"

WRONG.

Let me start with saying that this game is incredibly hard even on the easiest difficulty. If you are not very good at video games, this game is probably not for you. Although of course, you could just practice.

Another thing to note, this game hardly uses the touch screen at all. If that's the reason you bought a DS, then the only fun you'll have with this game, will be navigating through the menus. Ooh, fun..

One of the best things about Contra 4, is the amount of unlockables, ranging from a Challenge mode in which you must complete certain objectives like beating a portion of a level with limited ammo or using a prototype weapon to beat the stage. There are even Contra comics and unlockable Contra games (Original Contra and Super C).
More on Challenge mode, there are 40 challenges, each one harder than the next and even the best Contra players will have trouble with this.

There are nine levels, seven on easy mode. Also, there are two types of levels, the standard side scrolling type, and a pseudo-3D type in which you try to destroy switches to progress through without dying. There are not many of the Pseudo-3d type (I believe there is three).

This isn't a game where you normally pay attention to the story. Actually, it can be summed up in two lines: Aliens have attacked. Destroy them.

The graphics are probably the worst part of the game but WAIT, there still good. That doesn't make sense, does it? I said it was the worst part of the game, but they're good? This game is so good, that when I say "worst part" it hardly means anything because everything else is THAT good. The graphics can be compared to a GBA game, and if there weren't so many unlockables, you'd think this was a direct GBA port.

The game play, I'm sure you've seen this kind of thing a lot, Metroid (sort of), Mega Man, Castelvania, etc. But, Contra 4, perfects this system. You can hold two weapons at a time, and can alternate between the two whenever you want. Dying causes you to lose whatever weapon you were using, but the on you were not will be saved. Weapons are obtained by shooting er.. I'm not sure what they're called. We'll call them blimps for lack of a better word. They float around in the air and cannot hurt you in any way. In Normal and Hard modes, the weapons you pick up start at level one and are obviously a downgraded version, picking up the same power-up again will give you the level 2 version. This system does not exist on Easy mode.

Another new addition to the series is the Grappling Hook. They're are certain ledges you can hang on to. If these ledges are out of arms reach, use the Grappling Hook and you'll make it up to the ledge. This is normally how you get to the top screen. Another thing you can use the Grappling Hook for, although not intentionally put in the game, is to sometimes evade enemies. If you are in the air and are about to fall on an enemy, you can use the Grappling Hook to pause in the air and hopefully it'll pass by before you land.

The music in this game is insane. Not like you'll really listen to it because this game is so intense, but if you take the time to, it's amazing. Nothing orchestrated obviously, it's still beeps and boops, but they sure are catchy!

Although I did cover this a little at the beginning, the difficulty is just brutal. The higher the difficulty, the more enemies and the less lives and continues. And the gun upgrading system I talked about earlier is put in on Normal and Hard. The average gamer SHOULD be able to beat easy mode after a few tries and some practice. But you really should try the harder difficulty, the learning curve isn't too bad. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out on the final two levels now would you?

The controls are the same as always and should give you no problems. If you don't like them, then you're up a creek without a paddle, because you can't change them. They aren't bad though, so you should not have this problem. The only new addition to the controls is the Grappling Hook, which is used by pressing the X button.

This game has excellent replay value, whether you want to unwind after a hard day by playing easy mode, testing yourself with some of the challenges, playing the Classic Contras, or just looking at the museum showing Contra's history.

Like I said, this game's difficulty can be overwhelming for the casual gamer. But anyone can play this game and have fun.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/19/08

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