Contra 4
Year Produced: 2007
Publisher: Konami
Developer: WayForward (Holy Shit, someone other than Konami actually developed this game?!! Or is this another one of Konami's shell companies...like Ultra)
Game Style: Side-scrolling shooter
NOTE: I have not played Contra 3, so some of the things in this game that were in Contra 3 are new to me

Plot: Much like the previous Contra games, you're out to stop the evil Black Viper and his alien baddies from taking over the world. (By the way, I'm not going to give you the usual "of course" gag this time, but I will give you this instead) Admittedly, I originally thought you were fighting the Red Falcon again, but after reading the Wikipedia article I discovered it was someone else. Though it might as well be the Red Falcon considering some of the enemies you have to fight in this.

Personal Experience: If you don't know how I feel about Contra already, then please go see my review on the original Contra game. As for this game, my purchase of this was based solely on how I felt about the franchise, both Contra and Super C were enjoyable games to play when I was growing up and still are today, so you know I was excited to see they came out with a DS version.

>: Contra 4 has the following upgrades to your gun, most of which are from past Contra games. All of the weapons here have two levels, you have to collect two of the same letter (unless you're playing in easy mode) to have the upgraded gun.

Machine # Continuous stream of bullets from your gun...upgraded gun has double the bullets

# Shoots out flames in a circular fashion (Contra version)...upgraded version shoots fireballs that explode on contact with an enemy or object (Super C version)

# Shoots a beam of energy from your gun at a rapid pace...upgraded version has a larger beam

# Shoots three shots at one time...upgraded version is the same from Contra and Super C (5-way spread)

# Fires high-explosive rockets from your gun...upgraded version has bigger rockets

# Fires rockets that seek out targets, much like the similarly titled item from Thunder Force III...upgraded version shoots three rockets at once

What works with the game

+: Being able to have two guns at once and being able to easily switch between them by pressing the L button (comes in handy for preserving better weapons for when you need them)
+: Contra and Super C are unlockable in this (see below for more details...you can also do the Konami code in Contra, just remember that instead of pressing "B,A"...you'll need to press "Y,B" since "Y" is "B" and "B" is "A"...ironic that "B" would be "A", isn't it)
+: The Crush Rockets (they can help you make shorter work of tough opponents)
+: The upgraded Hunter gun (it's like the Spread gun on steroids)
+: The laser in the game is much improved from that in the original Contra (being able to fire rapidly while also being fairly powerful)
+: The gameplay (while it isn't quite as good as Contra or Super C, it's still pretty easy to pick up on)
+: Variable Difficulty (whether you're like the Irate Gamer or are a gaming god, there's a difficulty level in this game that's ideal for you)
+: Challenge Mode (you can play these to unlock content, including Contra and Super C)

What doesn't work about the game

-: They murdered the sound in Contra on this game (it doesn't sound the same as it would on the NES...granted the DS is a whole different animal from the NES, but some of the sounds from this version of Contra sound a bit grating)
-: Getting used to wall climbing and using the grappling hook (this is a minor issue, but it was still a bit difficult for me to get used to at first)

Things that have me asking questions about the game

?: Could the aliens in this game look any more like the xenomorphs from the Alien movies?!! (I'm serious here, you could almost slap the word "Alien" or "Aliens" here and it would almost be an accurate title. I see creatures that resemble xenomorphs and face huggers, as well as face hugger eggs. Yeah, I know I commented about this somewhat in my first Contra review, but I felt I had to say it again)

CONCLUSION: This looks like a cheap cash-in game. To be honest, I've seen worse games of this type, but this is not very good. Plus, there are better versions of American Gladiators out there...like the Amiga version for example.

Graphics: 8 (Looks pretty good, and takes advantage of the dual-screen design of the DS rather well)
Music: 7 (Some of the Contra 4 music sounds reminiscent of the original Contra, which is done pretty well...but as far as the sound quality in Contra goes or at least THIS version of the game, it could've been better)
Story: 6 (Copypasta from Contra and Super C...not bad per se, but not entirely original)
Gameplay: 8 (Using the grappling hook, wall climbing and the dual screen format take some time to adapt to...but everything else is solid)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 9 (Contra and Super C are huge pluses to this game, plus the fact it has a challenge mode also helps replay value.)

FINAL GRADE: 7.6/B+ (Not quite as good as the original Contra, but it is a reasonable facsimile, plus you can always complete enough challenges to unlock the original if you want to play it on the go. Overall, it's a good game to have for your DS)


Next Review (on New Year's Day): Howard the Duck and Wolverine (NES)...DOUBLE REVIEW!

2011 Year in Review
As 2011 comes to a close, I figured I'd do a little something to look back on the past year, featuring the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

>: I finally got to head out to Albuquerque to see my girlfriend IRL (even though I had to endure all the bullshit in OKC along the way)
>: Minnesota Lynx = WNBA Champions (unlike the Wolves, who haven't done a damn thing right since KG left, the Lynx did exactly what they needed to do with the first pick in last year's draft...PICK MAYA MOORE! That aside, it wasn't just the addition of Maya Moore that helped the team win the Championship, it was also a total team effort as the collection of talent finally lived up to their true potential)
>: No more Osama Bin Laden (Good riddance to bad rubbish...though there's still a lot of other snakes in the grass that need to be weeded out.)

The Bad

>: Learning that my grandmother passed away...THREE MONTHS AFTER IT HAPPENED. (I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, but it wasn't until a stroke of chance occured before I learned the truth)
>: Super Outbreak 2011 (Normally, I'd be all excited about a huge ass severe weather outbreak, but not when it involves seeing hundreds killed and cities getting raped by EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes)
>: Michelle Bachmann (Seriously, she needs to shut the fuck up...I'm an independent and I think that her words about how 'disasters are a sign from God that we need to stop spending money' is bullshit and her comment about it being a 'joke' is even worse. God does not play favorites, God will do whatever the fuck God wants to do and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do to keep it from happening. Personally, I think using God as a political tool is complete and utter BULLSHIT to begin with)
> The Vikings (normally, I would be one to say that a first-year head coach should not be fired after one shitty season in order to give the coach a fair chance. No, not in this case...Leslie Frasier deserves to be fired because this team has constantly lacked motivation and blown halftime leads on several occasions. I also call to question what the hell compelled the Vikings to draft Christian Ponder in the first place. In fairness to Ponder, he does have potential, but he needs to learn from his mistakes. Still, I think the Vikings could've gotten a better quality Quarterback than they did in the draft)

The Ugly

>: Joplin, MO (I know I could've mentioned it in "The Bad" section, but when an EF-5 tornado tears through a fairly built up area and becomes one of the deadliest in US History, I figured it's both bad AND ugly. Also, this happened on the same day where I had a close call with a (much weaker but still deadly) tornado that tore through North Minneapolis and Fridley)
>: The Twins (Losing 99 games after winning a division title two straight years is not pretty. Granted, injuries did play some role in it and I also think that some players also underachieved, but it was difficult watching them play this season...especially in August and September)
>: Congress in general (This congress makes the "rubber stamp congress" of the "W" era look efficient in comparison. Almost nothing got done aside from both sides bitching at each other and trying to make the other side look like an ass...which is why I became independent to begin with, I'm sick of all the bitching. Meanwhile, people remain jobless and hoping that their elected officials do something to help them. I personally hope that as many of these people in Congress get the pink slip that THEY deserve in November, I don't really give a rat's ass what the result of it is as long as the message is sent loud and clear to congress that they are put there to work for THE PEOPLE...not the lobbyists or special interests)