Contra 4

"Rated 'NCG' for Not suitable for Casual Gamers"

It has been a very long time since the release of the first Contra many years ago. I admit my first playing experience with Contra that many moons ago was never really that enlightening. The enemies were tough, there was no health bar, one hit and you're dead, and there was just not enough continues. It frustrated me to no end. The latest Contra offering on the DS makes me relive those experiences again.

Let it be known that this review is written by someone whose only previous attempt at playing Contra ended in frustration that almost hurled the controller at the CRT TV some 20 years ago. The controller wouldn't have made it far, though. There was still something called a cable back then. Ah, but I digress.

Plot

It is only fitting that the remake of this classic game resembles the story of that era. But then again, the original story was so lame that it is almost embarrassed to think aloud. But in the beginning, it was the time when James Cameron's Aliens ruled the planet (or the movie box office). And since Contra 4 is a remake (or sort), keeping the story would be the appropriate thing to do. So what's the story about?

Well, let's just say that it involves hordes and hordes of aliens trying to take over the world, while you trying to save it from the said alien. Simple, eh? Who really cares about the plot. There is no character or story development whatsoever. You do not need to know who you are, why you are here or what it is that you need to do. Just shoot anything that moves and anything that doesn't move and you will be fine.

Game play

For those uninitiated, Contra 4 is a side scroller shoot 'em up that requires you to kill the enemies on screen while advancing to the end of the stage where a boss awaits you and would happily crush you into titbits.

Along the way, you will encounter different kinds of enemies that will charge at you, shoot at you, throw grenades at you, just do anything that will cause you death. If you are ever so slightly being touched by an enemy element, you will die immediately. There is no HP, no recovery item, no bomb, nothing that will save you. You are literally a one-hit wonder.

To help you ease your pain, you can collect weapons upgrades. There are a variety of weapons to choose from, ranging from lasers, to homing missiles to spread shots. All are upgradable by collecting multiple upgrades of the same weapon. You can have a maximum of two weapons slots (changeable on the fly). If you die, only the current equipped weapon will be taken away, unless you ran out of lives, in which case, both your weapons will do a Houdini and disappear upon your next continue, if you still have enough continue left.

Control is elementary. D-pad to move your character on screen, while the face buttons do different things, the most of which you would be doing is shoot and jump. Not difficult, right? Well, the control is not difficult, but the game play certain is.

Contra 4 has the hallmark of everything I hate about the games back in the 90's. First, the one-hit-and-you-are-dead really upset me to no end. Hit by a bullet? Dead. Touch an enemy? Dead. Miscalculated a jump and ended in the pit? Dead. It only adds to the frustration when you realised that the game makes full use of the dual screen. Too much of it, I'd say. The two screens don't actually join. It acts as one giant continuous vertical screen, except you know that little bit of plastic where the joints are on the DS that separate the top and bottom screen? It is still considered as part of the screen that YOU CANNOT SEE.

Bullets and enemies alike will still go on their happy ways towards you in this unseen territory. If you stay too close to the edge of the screen, it will be too late when you finally do see the flying bullet or the enemy coming.

Contra 4 is all about action, and the difficult settings certainly delivery all the action you need. Even on its easier level, you are treated with the kind of hostility that will make you want to throw your DS out the window or at your siblings just because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bullets are everywhere and there is no way of dodging them other than jump, duck or otherwise get away from them.

The one saving grace is the pattern of attack. Most enemies are quite predictable. They shoot at a regular interval, they stay at the same place, they eat the same food and they go to the same "How to become a Brainless Villain Training School (TM)". Contra has been, and still is, a game of 'practice, practice, and more practice'.

Once you know the pattern, it becomes a matter of dispatching them with your pea shooter (or whatever it is that you have equipped). That is not to say the game is easier, though. It still fills with action and will require a great deal of focus. One lapse in concentration and it is goodbye to your butt.

With a storyline that any Grade Four student could come up with, it is only natural to see a giant monster storms across the screen as you battle the Boss at the end of each stage. Yes, it is this big ass alien that treats you like pest. And yes, you will die many times over before learning its moves. If you run out of lives before defeating it, you will have to use one continue and start from the last checkpoint. If you run out of continues, then may God have mercy on your siblings, for you will most certainly want to throw the DS at something or someone that moves. You will have to start all the way from Stage 1.

This game is not designed with a save function in mind. It is as if the designer expected you to finish the game in one sitting. That becomes quite a challenge when you are mobile, and your DS is running low on battery. You can quit anytime and resume play at the last checkpoint at a cost of one continue, but with continues and lives both in the lower end of the scale, you would be hard pressed to move away from your DS.

Graphics

Graphically speaking, Contra 4 never pushes the DS hardware nearly hard enough. After all, it is a 2D side scroller. That said, the graphics is solid and smooth. The colour is vibrant, as are the action. Even though there are hordes of brainless enemies running around and bullets flying, it never feels claustrophobic. The background is just as solid as the foreground. Unfortunately there are a lot of colour swaps. Even the initial four characters that you can choose are basically colour swaps (with some minor difference).

Sound

Sound effects are what you would expect from Contra. The cry of death and / or the sound your weapons rule the day. Each weapon sound is different, and you should be happy that it is, because it will be the sound you hear the most throughout the game. That, and the sound of your own death.

Music is nicely rendered. While they are not memorable, they are catchy and adds to the overall game play.

Replay Value

Contra 4 not only just serve up a game, it serves as a reminder of what make this game so great over the past 20 years. Bonus materials include a museum and plenty of unlockable upon the completion of the main game. Museum will certain bring back some fond (and not so fond) memories of the game past. Upon finishing the game, challenge mode is unlocked where more insane tasks await. Finish a certain amount of them, and you get to play the original Contra and Super C.

Other extra features include extra characters, comics, interviews and sound gallery. There are certainly lots of replay value to be had.

Overall

Contra 4 is not for the casual gamer, as anyone who has played Contra before can attest to. This game is really best left to the experts, or those who have the will and patience to go through with it. It is not a bad game, it is just hard and frustrates easily and regularly.

The inclusion of the original Contra and Super C are a plus for those looking for real nostalgic gaming. The Contra series is no doubt a very popular franchise, and a very successful one at that. Contra 4 went back to what made the series so legendary, but at the same time, brought back all those 'features' that frustrate me till I stopped playing it.

I never liked the original Contra. And I didn't like Contra 4 all that much, either. But that's just me. I know there are plenty of gamers who love Contra to death. It was a challenge back then, and it is still a challenge now. The only difference is, I have more patience now that I had 20-odd years ago.

Good:

* Colourful graphics
* No story to follow, just shot anything that moves
* Plenty of extra content
* Inclusion of Contra and Super C
* Challenging

Bad:

* Challenging to the point of frustration
* No story to follow, just shot anything that moves
* Not for the casual gamer
* No save function

Score (out of 10)

Plot: 1
Game play: 6
Graphics: 8
Sound: 7
Replay: 9

Overall: 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/09

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