Konami went back to it’s roots and released Contra 4 on the Nintendo DS in mid-November 2007. How does it stack up to the originals? In this first-ever AbG TEAM UP!, Axel Night, J.D. Kenzan, and Brick Prior investigate to determine if it’s worth the pickup.

Axel Night: Greetings, gentlemen. I assume you know why you’ve been gathered here?

J.D. Kenzan: You have pictures of my family in improper and illegal positions.

Brick Prior: Wanted again, got damnit.

Axel Night: Yes, yes, that business will, indeed, be covered, but I meant something more pressing. I mean, of course, the AbG TEAM UP! review of Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS.

J.D. Kenzan: My fingers are numb from playing it.

Axel Night: My eyes are bleeding from their sockets, and I couldn’t be happier.

Brick Prior: It’s hard out here for pimps, and it’s even harder for old gamers used to 3D platforming, sneaking, and shooting.
Brick Prior: Contra 4 hurt me in a good way.

J.D. Kenzan: I think the first thing we should emphasize is that Contra 4 is definitely a return to the Contra series that we all loved (to throw controllers over) as kids, but there are some slight flaws to the game that I’m sure we’ll address as we come to it.

Axel Night: Because we’re critical bastards like that.

Brick Prior: Yeah- I mean, Konami isn’t fooling around- from the get-go, they hit you with the classic opening bars that let you know that the old familiar "Goddamnit, I just died again" feeling is back.

J.D. Kenzan: Even reading the manual lets you know that you’re going to be in for a rough time. The manual itself was a joy to read… it’s nice to see a game almost taunt you for daring to buy it.

Axel Night: They knew, straight up, what Contra used to be, and went back to it, dropping the gimmicks and flashiness of years of side-stories. The title says it all. "Contra 4." It means "we’ve just been fucking around since Contra 3."

Brick Prior: I still want to know what happened to the samurai dude from Neo Contra. Jim Lee did some character designs for that, you know!

J.D. Kenzan: One of the things that Axel and I noted when we went through the multiplayer run was that the game almost felt more like a tribute to the original Contra than a new experience… each level has the familiar Contra feel, but with a new, almost sinister twist.

Axel Night: A few side characters do make a comeback as unlockables, but I don’t think he’s one of them.

Brick Prior: Yeah, I noticed that too. The first stage is an ultimate throwback… except for the addition of the grappling hook… but the constant dying is just like it was back when I was seven!

Axel Night: The grappling hook helps out nicely, given that you play on two screens. It’s no Bionic Commando line, but it gets you up top quick. One less thing to worry about when trying to watch bullets coming at your from twice the screen real estate.

J.D. Kenzan: That’s one of the new elements to the game that really added a frustrating challenge to it; the two-screen format and that you actually play on both screens. A lot of each level is laid out on one screen, but suddenly the second screen comes into play and BAM! You’re dead. It does add an extra challenge but it just feels cheap sometimes. Not like Contra needs MORE challenges.

Brick Prior: Yeah, I agree on both counts, but at least Konami’s giving you something to do on the other screen besides look at a map and wonder when the fuck someone’s gonna do something else with the other screen than provide a… map.

Axel Night: And it’s the only DS feature they made use of. Yay, no touch screen mini-games!

Brick Prior: Could you imagine that? "KILL 300 ALIENS WITH YOUR STYLUS IN 30 SECONDS!"

J.D. Kenzan: That actually made me really happy. I love the DS, but the touch screen aspect feels forced in a lot of classic games revived for the DS.

Axel Night: Of course, it has its flaws. Mainly in a strip of plastic that hinges our DS together.

J.D. Kenzan: Oh, the gap. Let me sing a song of hatred about the gap. The gap should not have been a playable area in the game, period. The fact that enemies can hide in an invisible strip between screens and snipe you off was infuriating. It added nothing to the challenge or the actual fun gameplay, it was just a way to irritate you and make you want to throw your DS.

Brick Prior & Axel Night [together]: FUCK THE GAP.

Axel Night: But, to roll back to what you said before, yeah, it really feels like more of a tribute than a sequel. The moment the helicopter drops you into the jungle, and the remixed jungle theme kicks in, you can’t help but remember the classic stage that started it all for so many of us. And, upon reaching the boss, you realize it’s the same boss from Contra 1. You’re stoked. You’ve killed this pulsing tower a hundred and eight times and counting. It kills you once with its new laser power, but you know you got this shit. Then, upon your victory, the tower rumbles, rises to cover both screens, and then you know you’re in for it. It’s nostalgia, wrapped in that familiar, intense experience.

Brick Prior: It’s truly a moment of "What the fuck, I hate this but this is awesome!"

J.D. Kenzan: I did enjoy the new twists on the classic bosses, which is one of the many redeeming factors for the absolute frustrations that litter the game.

Brick Prior: Yeah, if it weren’t for the homages, I wouldn’t give a fuck about the game, to be honest. Let’s face it, if this were anything but Contra IV, we’d probably be pissed right now. Modern gaming might have done a number on us in that regard.

J.D. Kenzan: I don’t know. 2D side-scrolling shooters aren’t exactly a common genre nowadays, and a modern game paying homage to a classic is often smiled upon. Anything that makes me have a warm feeling that takes me back to when I was a kid playing video games is a good thing. The reason why I love Contra 4 for returning to it’s roots is because Konami strayed from them for so long. It’s nice for them to finally get it right again after years of misfires.

Brick Prior: Yeah. If only other franchises (Sega, you know what to do with Sonic now, wink wink nudge nudge) could do the same…

J.D. Kenzan: The hell with that. I want another Double Dragon game.

Brick Prior: Streets of Rage, please.

Axel Night: Or a River City Ransom sequel.

Brick Prior: I call a tie!

Axel Night: Agreed. I’ve already praised the music, but I have to again. The composer, Jake Kaufman, was a guy I’d been watching since his work in a little film, Press Start. He’s been doing music for shit-games since the Gameboy Color, but he’s finally been given a chance to shine, and my god, does he. They conform to the classic tunes, but they’re masterpieces of bullet-slinging all their own.

Brick Prior: Konami should pull a Nintendo (i.e. the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack) and release it on CD.

J.D. Kenzan: Not only is the music on par with the first Contra, but for Konami to use the classic sound effects really made me feel like it was a true Contra experience.

Brick Prior: Indeed- I mean, I hate dying in video games repeatedly because it gets my blood pressure up, but that familiar Contra sound made it alright with me.

J.D. Kenzan: Not that this has anything to do with sound, and I really hate to sound like I’m the only one knocking this, but why exactly can’t you pause the game itself in multiplayer?

Brick Prior: That is ass, just pure ass.

Axel Night: I had to piss so badly.

J.D. Kenzan: The worst part is that you can pause, and it freezes you, but the environment continues behind you and you’re a sitting duck. Even if both players pause, you’re eventually dead, which is the only multiplayer game that does that.

Axel Night: That and Mortal Kombat ports for crappy systems.

Brick Prior: I’M TRYING TO FINISH HIM BUT THE DAMN GAME GEAR WON’T RECOGNIZE MY INPUTS! …my bad. Had a moment.

Axel Night: Speaking of bad ports, who wants to hear about the unlockable classic Contra in this game?

Brick Prior: I do, I do!

J.D. Kenzan: Since I haven’t unlocked it yet (the fucking giant tick to end level 7 is unbeatable for me), go for it!

Axel Night: Yes, for you see, when you finally beat the game, whether it be straight through the nine levels of masochism on normal or hard, or take the cheap way, and do the sevel levels on easy, you unlock challenge mode. Challenges are short segments of the existing levels, sometimes with the enemies changed, or other limitations (such as a certain or even no weapon) and some goal to complete, whether it be killing certain enemies or just surviving to the end. You get one life, and if you make it, you win that challenge, unlocking a new challenge in the list. Win a few of them, and you unlock a feature, such as new characters to play as from older games, promo comic books, and character art. The first things you can unlock are Contra and Super C for the NES.

Brick Prior: Gah. I like the Contra and Super C for the NES part, the rest not so much. That must mean I’m American due to my willingness not to work for achievements.

J.D. Kenzan: I disagree, just because this game is clearly meant for Contra nerds, and I would love to see some of the old promo materials. I love the gallery feature in the museum simply because I can pore over old materials.

Brick Prior: I’m not knocking the inclusion of the material- I just don’t want to break a DS trying to get it.

Axel Night: Oh, but hold on, friend of friends, you would think having the two classics added onto this a grand reward, but no. No, sir. Rather than port these titles to the DS or in GBA format, like is common, they took an existing, community made software package known as PocketNES, made to load NES titles onto a GBA with those expensive flash packs. Because it’s a GBA application, that means no multiplayer. It also means the unedited NES rom content doesn’t quite fit the screen, and has to be either squished down slightly, or scrolled up and down using L and R during play, your choice.

Brick Prior: Hrm. Right now, someone is shitting on that… but oddly enough, it’s not me. You had to do the same crap with Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color, so it doesn’t sound too bad.

J.D. Kenzan: It sounds visually disorienting, to be honest, just like SMBDX was.

Brick Prior: Yeah, but just think- the slight pause while you adjust will do your fingers good! And not in that way, you Perverted Gorilla Attackers.

J.D. Kenzan: It just seems like lazy programming by Konami… they had a couple of years to put this out and to not give a perfect port on a system that is essentially a mini-N64 is inexcusable.

Brick Prior: I understand. I hate playing Devil’s Advocate when I don’t intend to.

Axel Night: I suppose they took the out that it was either this, or not provide the content at all, but the result is still shoddy, however you look at it. I’ll forgive it, only because the main game is as fun as it is. The pre-order box did hype the Contra and Super C content, which I find a bit underhanded, but anyone who hasn’t been duped by it then won’t find any such mention on the actual game box.

Brick Prior: I think this game proves that there’s still a market for 2D gaming, and once again, the DS is where it’s at. Contra IV is pretty much what all the fans of Bionic Commando have been waiting for, except the game quite blatantly tells you "Fuck you, this is Contra!" from the get go. It’s a nostalgia trip, a blast, and quite the fucking headache all in one. Good job, Konami!

Axel Night: If nothing else, it makes my heart race. Little things aside, I find myself shaking when I put the DS down. Yeah, it’s hard. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have earned its title. The DS and Konami have each let me down a lot recently, but this one does it for me.

J.D. Kenzan: I think, overall, what Konami gave us for a mere pittance of thirty bucks is acceptable. It gives me a good feeling to be able to play such a challenging Contra game, but the flaws, such as awkward respawn points (I died in the waterfall level because I respawned on a floating rock that dipped below the screen before I could jump off of it) and the aforementioned gap really do take away from what almost felt like a perfect experience. It’s a good, solid game, worth picking up, but prepare to be frustrated. And with that, we take it to the Joelometer…

 

 

J.D. Kenzan: I… imagine that means it’s good.

What are people saying about "AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4"?

Axel Night Re: AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4 Quote from: J.D. Kenzan on December 05, 2007, 11:02:10 PM - Get a double laser and hold onto it.  As I'm sure you've read, you can stack weapons of the same type in this game (except in easy, where all weapons are auto-stacked for you), and the most punishing weapon is actually the double laser.  The laser was always a rough weapon to wield in the original because it had a small range.  While you could pile hits onto enemies with it, you had to put yourself at risk.  The double laser is as fast as a machine gun and deals out insane amounts of damage.  The second stage boss is practically unclearable with any other weapon, but the double laser annihilates him. I'm a fan of the double crash missile, myself.  In a straight test of damage, I think it does more than the laser.  The laser's advantage is that the crash missile is slow firing, and while each missile packs an insane amount of damage, on bosses that move their weak-point around a lot, like the giant fish in the speeder-bike level, half of your missiles will be missing.  The laser not only fires extremely rapidly, but in it's upgraded form, has a fairly wide bullet, occasionally even able to catch things on the ground without ducking. So, if you can't take a laser, bring a crash missile.  They're extremely common, and can drop most stationary or slow bosses in relatively few hits.

Sasha Kenzan Re: AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4 Nuts to the crash missile.  If you can't get the double laser, you might as well get the double spread.  Think of THAT awesomeness.

Axel Night Re: AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4 It's all about the double homing, when it comes to taking down multiple, weak enemies.  It's also how I finally beat the level 7 boss.  Took a long time to take out his head, having to sneak them under his shell from up top, rather than facing the frantic mess on the speeder bikes below. I think this basically speaks wonders of the design in that, unlike some earlier Contras, every weapon has a place and a use.

Sasha Kenzan Re: AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4 I finally beat level seven last night, but I wiped out the speeder bike guys and just jumped onto the bikes themselves that were left behind, and then it was all up to DOUBLE LASER~!

Ryo Re: AbG TEAM UP!: Contra 4 I'm still trying to beat the original Contra. :<

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