Contra 4

"Footballs are back, but Contra 4 misses the mark"

This game has many great parts, but unfortunately, is outweighed by many bad parts. The good parts are mainly what most would call "classic" Contra. The bad parts come in 2 varieties: 1st, complications due to the DS lite system itself. 2nd, design flaws of the game. Let's get into the review:

I will list a strong point of C4, and then follow it with a negative...

>> Footballs are back, Classic weapons such as spread are back, and the ability to hold 2 weapons at once are back. These were staples of the famous Contra III The Alien Wars.

The bad thing is that due to the dual screen, the environments are longer vertically. So if a football is flying in the top DS screen, it is more difficult to hit. Also it takes longer to go up and get the gun if it accidentally lands on a platform on the top DS screen.

Classic weapons such as spread are back. And Machine gun is an actual power up in this game, rather than being your standard/default gun, which is a good thing. But guns such as flame, laser, and homing just don't work well at all. They are hardly an upgrade over your regular gun. Even fully upgraded (done by grabbing another Flame power up, for example, while you are currently shooting Flame) these 3 guns are duds. Upgraded Laser is a huge disapointment.

Upgraded Crush gun is very good because it gives you extra range to reach the top DS screen. Upgraded Machine gun is by far the most powerful weapon in the game. Upgraded Spread shot is an absolute necessity in this game because it is hard to aim at times to hit enemies in the top DS screen without being directly beneath them.

One last point here about footballs in this particular game is that because F, L, and H are so awful and weak, you find that you will accidentally shoot one of those footballs, see that awful gun hit the ground, and then you are still trying to fight/advance forward, but you know you need to avoid that gun like the plague. So you will haphazardly try to get around the gun and them BAM you get hit by a stray bullet or enemy that would NEVER get the best of you if that dang gun wasn't impeding your path.

Also there are no bombs in this game, which is a shame because in Contra III, that was your one positive part about dying and losing your guns--- you came back to life with 1 bomb.


>>>Because C4 is only for DS, it is very hard to play in 2 player mode, which is how all contra's are designed to be played. Normal mode is immediately equivelant to Hard mode if you are playing solo. It is hard to give this game a great score because of this.


>>>>The stages are excellent. The boss fights are impressive, but as with all contra's, as you play it again and again, you will find enemy weak spots, notice their patterns, and experiment with different guns against them. I played through on normal up to stage 4 and died numerous times before getting it all right. The reasons I stopped playing is because A) playing solo feels weird, B) playing on a small screen handheld is not satisfying.. and most importantly C) the DS lite's D-pad (directional pad) is a little too "thick" and not wide enough. Compare this D-pad with an NES or SNES d-pad and you will see and FEEL the difference.

A big part of Contra is being able to jump and frantically wiggle the D-pad to make your character jump in the air, dodge 3 different bullets, and land back in the same spot. This is extremely difficult to do.. and makes you very frustrated because I can beat Contra, Super C, Contra III and Shattered Soldier barely using a SINGLE continue, but I die time after time, and use continue after continue on C4 all because of the short comings of the D pad. Also the other buttons (ABXY) are very small, so much smaller than an NES or SNES button.

The last problem with being on the DS is the line of plastic which separates the 2 screens. There is still part of the level there which you cannot see. Enemies are there and the bullets they shoot are already coming towards you, and you have less time to react when you finally DO see them. "Where is that coming from?" you will ask frequently.


>>>>>> Konami needs to make another Shattered Soldier game, in which the game play, graphics, and design were excellent. The only problems with Shattered Soldier was A) No footballs, B) No bombs, and C) Stages not long enough, no "Base" stages and a very short lived alien "lair" stage.

If you combine the best parts of Shattered Soldier with the best parts of Contra 4, you will have the best Contra of all time, no questions asked. Konami please, think harder before you distribute your next Contra game. You have to put together a masterpiece. Contra 4 has some new and fresh ideas, they just need to be fine tuned... Upgraded guns (good idea).. half the guns, regular or upgraded, suck (bad)... Long stages with a mini boss and boss in each one (good)... the design flaws inherent with the DS D-pad and other buttons (bad).

All in all, I think that if you like playing the DS itself, you should get this game. at a good price. But for a old school classic Contra fan, you will be too used to a different remote.. and will experience the same undeserved frustration I have. Decent game, good ideas, but falls short of previous contras.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/29/08

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