Contra 4
 

Hur hur press release thread (excite!)

Oh ho, WayForward is a pretty out there choice of developer. They made uh, Sigma Star Saga, which I kinda enjoyed. They've also made a big sloppy bag of licensed games such as 2006 GOTY 'Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses'. In my dreams Konami will go back to replacing the people with funky robots for Europe and calling it Probotector. :3:

internet.

Awe man... when I saw the thread I was hoping that it would be for the PS3 or X360. Or heck, even a digital title for the said consoles. But for it to be on the DS... this was MADE for widescreen, common... go PSP.

Ah well, still a 98% chance that I'll buy it even if it is on the DS I guess ;)

Sigma Star Saga was actually pretty awesome. They also did Shantae, arguably by far the best gameboy colour game ever. I guess there's not much else to say about this except I really hope virt is doing the music for this. That would rock.

I'm gonna be buying this no matter what. and yeah probotector whats up with that

GIVE US PROBOTECTOR, YES


WEAAUWWGH

The Super Probotector death noises were the best.
BEHOLD THE POWER OF MY METAL ARMOR ::throws himself off a bridge at the touch of a finger:: WEAAOUUWWG


More Contra/Probotector will be awesome, but I kinda wish they'd keep it pure and not feel compelled to implement "Quick! Rub the screen and draw silly letters and characters in order to change weapons and tap twice to jump!" kind of touch screen complications. Wifi multiplayer co-op (and not just haw haw pointless deathmatch and touch screen minigames) would be grand.

OMG MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE

Well okay, I still don't have a compliation pack, but oh well, this is just as good...hopfully...

No screenshots?

Oh now I remember what I was going to put in my post, but in the interest of making this thread look more active, I'll make a separate post. This grappling hook thing, it reminds me of Bionic Commando. That game was cool too, but I'm not sure if Bionic Probotector is such a good idea. Anyway, yeah!

I'm not sure if they're gonna implement any touch screen stuff, but yeah I hope not. Castlevania PoR had no touch screen stuff at all (at least in-game, you could still select stuff in the menu with it) and it was excellent, so I'm hoping that's the model they're going for.

It actually did, but I guess you never used it! If you have both characters on the screen at the same time and touch somewhere on the screen, your partner (the one you're not controlling) will move to that place.

I've never used it either. :\

Oh crap, I forgot all about that! But yeah, I never used it. :D If they put in something like that--that is, something that is in no way necessary to enjoy the game, it will work for me just fine. I mean heck, if they figure out a way to make the touch screen work within the platform setting, I wouldn't mind that either.

I'm just not interested in a "Master of Disguise"-type travesty. D:

^ Also the two sisters in the extra character mode could only be controlled via the stylus.

Gameboy Probotector was one of those games that played a major role during my childhood. Too bad it was way too hard for me to beat at that time. Still, it was inspiring enough for me to build a huuuuuge Lego submarine with missile pods.

Childhood memory engage:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r-gb_front.jpg

Oh yeah, and I will totally get this DS game. Even more so if they decide to name it Probotector for nostalgia's sake.

It was probotector only in Europe, right? Something about guerillas ticking the authorities off or something. And cyborgs happened to be the rage at the time lol. Imagine, Castlevania with robots... omg. It's like.. Rockman!

Get with the times, man. You're not allowed to make 2D games on modern consoles anymore. If that shit doesn't have meticulously bump-mapped models so real you can count the beads of sweat on their skin, you are NOT HARDCORE ENOUGH for this generation. Only kiddy games aren't realistic. gb2nintendo noob lolz

My god Nintendo game covers were so cool (except Mega Man).

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a.../boite_pal.jpg

I doubt they'll go back to Probotector, since they've already released three recent Contra games as Contra here :(

The fact that this article referred to Contra III makes me feel giddy.

Contra III is the essence of AWESOME. There were "bastard" sequels for the PS1 (or was it PS2?) that sucked horribly. Referring to the next installment as Contra IV is proper. And good.

Looking forward to it! Glad to see they're keeping it 2D.

Also, Contra 1 is 20 years old? Fuck. I feel old =(

^^^Agreed all around. I like the fact that Konami hasn't forgotten what a pivotal game Contra III was. I can only hope that the new contra is as groundbreaking and amazing as III was.

So awesome. <3 The cover art kinda fell over when it made its way to THE SEGA. Still rad, buuuut..

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7...ancewhaqe8.jpg

Oh yeah no screens yet, but the new mutated version of E3 is right around the corner. MAYBE MAGIC WILL FLY OUT!

Holy shit - this is an AUTOMATIC INSTANT PURCHASE

I still get chills watching the metal skeleton boss rip through the wall on the 3rd level. :D

I like the grappler hook idea, but I want to at least see some screenshots!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...ra/Contra3.jpg

It's the tortoise/turtle for me. It was great seeing it again in Shattered Soldier.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...rs_snes_02.png

Contra III is still my favourite Contra game. Seeing as it's a direct sequel to this game, I hope to dear god it will be just as good and not another Contra Force. I understand they just slapped the Contra title on a completely different game, but still. Also, online co-op mode would be ubersweet!

P.S. I never played any of the 3D Contras...

Oh hey, this boss looks awfully familiar. Was it in the very first Contra game? I can't remember.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...a/c3_alien.gif

I can't wait for this! I love contra games, and the DS owns!!

It looks very similar to the final form of the Stage 6 boss from Super C on NES. I'd upload a picture, but I don't feel like doing the work.

It reminds me of the first big boss of Contra on the NES. I think that's the first boss anyway, it sort of depends I guess.

http://i9.tinypic.com/62p5j6d.gif

Vile Red Falcon Commander has appeared in various incarnations during the Contra series. In the first Contra game, you battle his heart. His appearance in Contra III is the most terrifyingly awesome, though an honorable mention goes to the Skeleton Alien.

Here's a recent speedrun through that level, complete with the skeleton boss getting dismantled rather quickly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6a12b2s7rk

Now that I think about it, the Contra III port to GameBoyAdvance was awful. I hope that Konami doesn't merely put Contra IV out without first realizing the steps that will need to be taken to improve upon its nearly flawless predecessor.

Ah, I thought that boss looked familiar! Thanks for the help.

Although I don't like to brag, I feel that winning Contra without losing a single life is a cause for celebration.

My cousin and I in our youths had played Contra many times, and after we won, we'd play again from the beginning in a loop several times over. Those were the fun days.

I can't view the video right now, but I will later.

I hope they don't try to whore the stylus in to this game. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I'd prefer for it to be all raw D-pad & four buttons. No stylus plz =(

Well here's the Super C stage 6 boss. As I said it looks much more like this guy.

Ah even better! I don't remember much of Super C to be honest, so I had a memory lapse there.

Super Probotector reminds me of an era when I was good at games. I played it on Hard difficulty because nothing provided enough of a challenge.

If IV can match even half of III's absolutely brilliant setpieces, it'll be a game to reccon with. Lately only Treasure has been able to output so much invention and excitement in the genre.

Oooh, ooh! Someone go buy then scan the latest Nintendo Power plz. :] They have this on their site.

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/9...ntra4npcm0.png

If I use the magic of computers..

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/3375/c41og1.png

MMM BLUR!

"I'd pee in my pants if I wore any!" - Max

OMG old school Contra!! SWEET!

If it doesn't have online multiplayer co-op, I'll kill a kitten!

It's a happy sweet day for me. Does it say when it's coming out?! 2007 is too vague!

Agh, playing on both screens at once is going to be hell.

Also, do I see 4 players? There's more good guys than badguys in that screen.

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/3375/c41og1.png

I just struck up a mighty powerful boner just now. If someone could scan the article, I might just blow a load.

Aw, no love for Mega Probotector/Contra Hard Corps? :(

Anyway, damn I just heard the news today and shit I'm so fucking excited. I've actually never beaten hard mode of Contra III, but my little brother has. I never would've thought that Konami would release another (2D Side-scroller) Contra again.

4 player wireless would be too sweet :_) Dunno about WiFi though, what with the problems with LAG and HACKERS!

Still mostly 2D sprites there (if any 3D), that's good to see. Dual screen action really is going to make this game hell! Konami, you haven't disappointed with a DS revival yet. Here's hoping the ball isn't dropped with Contra 4.

Y for fire, B for jump. Please. PLEASE.

None of this A-B shittery you sometimes favor because of GBA legacy :(

*squiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiints*

... sweeeeet!!
Is that really 4 player action I'm seeing? And and... 2D?!? I didn't quite know what to make of this when I read that they were working on a Contra 4 (what with stuff like Neo), but that beautiful tiny little blurry image has just managed to make me very excited and nostalgic.

In this post, I take information taken from the article in Nintendo Power that someone else took and posted elsewhere and clean it up a bit (wait what?)

- Tunnel stages make a return, sprite based (Mode 7-ish rather than dodgy DS 3D)
- Vehicles, plus able to ride a mini-boss (lolol)
- Everything is being created from scratch, no reused Atari 2600 sprites
- Nakazato, the director of Contra 3 approved of the visual style (thrilling)
- Game will feel very familiar (so no touch screen/microphone/eye-toy/wumble pak/Afterburner arcade machine additions?)
- Soundtrack being done by virt (SUPER ULTRAMAN CONFIRMED NOW!)
- The 'normal' difficulty mode will be harder than the original game. So I guess hard mode will be auuugh
- Four player co-op
- Konami code may retuuuurrrn (guess it's confirmed then)

Oh mah gawd I need this game.

Actually, that was just speculation on my part. I asked him and unfortunately, the in-house composer is Sakimoto doing the music. :(

Unless he's not saying cause he has an NDA to adhere...

Oh no, the NeoGAF goons are saying it's by him. Stupid GAF. >=(

Haha, I bet they got that info from my post. GRATE DETECTIVE WORK

I stole this from the OverClocked ReMix forums:

?!

That's odd! :D maybe I misunderstood what he said. Anyway great news!

http://www.vgmix.com/vg25/viewtopic....d=81006#p81006

On the other hand, it's hard to tell when virt is being sarcastic or not.

Confirmed by virt that he did the music and sound design!

Who's Virt?

I hope the music is as wicked as Contra III. That music is amazing.

Nice remix but why should I know about this guy? I am not a big fan of remixes. I am much more interested how Contra IV's music will benefit from his compositional sense. In the past, the Contra scores have been fairly brilliant. I hope he adds a stellar soundtrack to a rich vgmusical history.

(He's got awesome control over the synths.) Still, I am wondering if his compositional ability for original music matches his arranging skills. I guess we'll see!

This is Jake Kaufman (virt) - Thanks for the buzz, guys. I really hope you'll be happy with my work.

RainMan: Nope, you don't have any reason to know of me, but it's nice to meet you! I'm still early in my career, and haven't done anything big or impressive yet - just a lot of handheld work and a ton of hobbyist stuff.

I humbly present this album as a recent example of what I do. I agree with you that previous Contra soundtracks have been exquisitely brilliant - VERY big shoes to fill. I have spent the past decade studying every technique used by Konami across the NES, SNES, and Genesis, because I believe it's the pinnacle of game music and should not be lost in the sea of Hans Zimmer knockoffs and pop licenses.

I've had to do the work of all 6 sound staff who worked on Contra III, and I've taken it VERY seriously. I don't think there's any working composer in the world - even in Japan - with a greater love for Konami's music, so from one fan to another, I hope I've done it justice. I guess you'll see before too long, huh.

Thanks again for the support, and enjoy the chiptunes!

I would actually suggest downloading everything on both of his sites (virt.vgmix.com and jake.vgmix.com) to get an idea of his style. I dunno if you've heard of Shantae for GameBoy Color, but he was the composer for that. His recent release on 8bitpeoples is well worth checking out as well.

Edit: Dang, ninja-posted.

Hey, nice to see you drop by! There is obviously a reason you are doing the Contra IV score. I am now listening to your stuff. (ALL of IT)

As I listen, I must mention that I am getting deva ju. Your tracks VERY MUCH remind me of the Konami's old nes games, which I played constantly (and STILL play constantly). Need I say that Konami made some of the best tunes for NES? Bayou Billy, TMNT, Gradius, Castlevania...except in many cases, your tunes are much more varied and better developed.
Your chiptunes are stellar for their authenticity and definitely bring me back. :)
The timbres, the instrumentation, the melodic lines, the harmonies, the drum beats... This sounds like it came straight from a Konami game.

To boot, you also have a good handle on composition and understand how to write an engaging catchy melody. Your music speaks well of your ability.

I believe you! I knew this was authentic 'Konami music' the minute I heard it. You didn't even need to tell me that. It sounds like you are even using the same sample types as were often found in the Konami games. Especially in regards to the drums and the leads.

Say no more. :) I am at odds with all the craptastic Hollywood type scores that don't do anything creative but throw a few horns in, a derivative motif or two from Gustav Holtz 'Planets' and call it a finished product. Hans Zimmer knockoffs are far too abundant. Glad to see you are keeping it real. As a musician myself, I also strive to do the same.

You are right. The music of the NES CANNOT die. It would be beyond tragic.

I think I might buy a DS pretty soon. :)

Done deal. ;)

After listening to the examples, I am thinking the soundtrack for Contra IV is in excellent hands.

Good luck with your music! At the very least, you have a new fan.

Cheers

Ryan

Whether this is online or not will determine if this game is a must buy. I'll probably still get it even if it's not (I can always play it with my sister), but having online, four player co-op would make this a game every DS owner should own.

AHHH!!!! AHHH!!!!
HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

virt doing the music?! Game BOUGHT.

This is going to be incredible, and even if the game somehow sucks, you just know that Gamespot/IGN/paper mags are still going to rave about the music, just like they did with Scurge, Legend of Kay, Juka, and your other previous games.

Wow, this could well be your breakout hit! I wish you the best, man! =D

Hey awesome, thanks for posting and ultra confirming. =)
[kisskiss]I loved your Soccer table song in Hardcore Pinball[/kisskiss]

1UP has SCREENZZZ. Their obsession with resizing DS screenshots to ten thousand times forty eight billion confuses me! HERE IS ONE.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1751/89389567de7.jpg

The sprites are sexy-o!

Thanks for the link Infernal, them screens is HAWT.

The preview makes the game sound even better.
Especially the part where the developer is all like

"New Super Mario Bros. is a huge inspiration for us," Hulett explains. "Nintendo looked back and created a game that was based on the original Super Mario, not Mario 3 or Mario 64, and made a game that feels like the original. That's exactly what we want to do here with Contra."

Oh gawd, the sprites are much sexier now that we are getting clearer images. I see an old enemy in one of the grabs! Those flying insect doohickies!

I just hope it's better than NSMB. While NSMB did go back to its roots, it those new useless items and it wasn't as fun as the original games.

Indeed. Thanks for posting that screen Infernal Monkey.

It actually looks like the weapon power up doohickie. :) Its nice to see some of these old elements being restated. I absolutely LOVE the sprite quality presented in the screens.

Um, what? I was talking about the insect doohickies in THIS screenshot:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...lf/contra4.jpg


:3

At least it's shaping up to be even better than NSMB. Now if only 4 player co-op online is confirmed!

It's funny though, taking example from Nintendo going back to Mario 1 instead of 3, yet the sprites/enemies and even the two-weapong switch are definitely Contra III style.

Well, the game is set a year or so after Contra 3, so it's only natural if they kept it in the same style for consistency. It's just fine with me, as Contra 3 is the best game in the series. My opinion of course.

Next to Radiant Mythology, Contra 4 is my most eagerly anticipated game this year. It's about time the DS got Contra!

P.S. I don't know what everyone's beef is with Shattered Soldier, but I thought it rocked. My PS2 can no longer play blue-disc games though >:P

Actually it sort of makes sense--in the 1up Show interview thingie, the guy said that they disregarded anything past Contra III (which they considered the "true" Contra lineage).

By the way when watching that 1up video keep in mind that the music and sound you hear of the game (what little there is of it) is fucked up. There's some kind of echo loop so the sound is recorded twice at 100% volume out of sync, resulting in the mess you hear. Don't trust the media! :tpg:

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/8...ntraruned4.gifhttp://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9...tra3runck1.gifhttp://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6...4runbigzi1.gif
EVOLUTION OF MAAAAN.

^^ Is it just me, or is the original (NES) screenshot the highest quality one?

This devolution of graphics humans is scaring me!

*throws self out of building (i.e. my window; don't worry, I'm fine, it's a single-story house)*

(=D @ news of Contra 4, btw. Go virt!)

It's a well known fact that the more advanced you are, the blurrier you get! I still haven't caught up with all the E3 updates this year, EXCEPT THIS.

http://nihon.se/contra4_04.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-09.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-12.gif

http://nihon.se/contra4-18.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-27.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-21.gif

http://nihon.se/contra4_07.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-16.gif http://nihon.se/contra4-25.gif

Hot damn that looks awesome. Infernal, be sure to check out the gameplay footage on gametrailers.com, the animation is splendid~ <3

Hot damn, those aliens remind me of erm Aliens! Isn't the actual series based/inspired by Aliens anyway though?

All these screenshots just make me want it more.

It's amazing how close the screenshots are to the graphical style of Contra 3. Awesome.

Holy shit, this game looks amazing. I've been waiting for a Contra game like the original, and this one just looks kickass. And hell, 4 player co-op? This game will keep me playing for hours on end.

Note: NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21589.html


Damn that music is fiiine~

Holy shit, is that a remixed version of the original Contra music?! That's awesome! Contra has been revived officially. I'm picking this shit up release day. Good, solid action, blistering fast gameplay, what else is there to ask for?

I really like the way the grappling hook is basically just a means to get to the top screen really fast. So it's "new" and fun and useful, but doesn't get in the way or mess up the basic flow of the game like an item like that usually would.

Ooooooooooohh, that video was so rad. He was dancing in mid air when the ground fell apart beneath him! THE MUSIC. <3

Dear Virt. You suck.

Haha jokes! You rock, truly awesome rendition you've delivered there and I'm sure that's only a taste of what awesomeness is still to follow. I've never been a big Contra fan, but the series has always stuck out in front of me to not not take notice (just like Metal Slug). Probotector was pretty good though (Contra 3, right?) and from the looks of it and by the words of hard core/corp fans, Contra 4 will probably be the best schmup on the DS, aside from Nanostray 2 of course :P

I like how that new remix of the original Contra theme sounds way more rocking than MegaDriver's lame attempt at it.

This game looks so old school it's painful. And from what I saw, they're actually putting the two screens to practical use. It doesn't even feel out of place, given how vertically oriented the original Contra got. This looks gold.

I spy levels based off both Contra's first level, and Contra 3's first level, complete with surprise evil dogs. I hope they don't fall into the trap of making the game 80% "nostalgic" rehashes of all the levels from the previous games.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21925.html

Gameplay footage from the first stage.

I hope the weapon sound effects won't be quite that deafening in the final version. The basic machine gun sounds nicely old school, though they could always go for a more ballsier sound.

oh man. the game play footage looks amazingly difficult.
*goes back to contra iii on ZSNES so i can save state.

What Contra fan wouldn't want to get this? I just saw the gameplay footage and O...M...G, it's so old school that it totally rocks, it's just as hard as the originals (good that they didn't dumb down the difficulty like in the recent GBA rereleases), and the SPREAD GUN! ^_^

Virt, I've never heard any of your music before, but the Contra remix rocks. Hard.

This footage should shut up the idiots at GameFAQS (Then again, it's GFAQS) who think the game's gonna suck just because of the developer.

Edit: Oh hey, the game's only going to be 2 player co-op. I'm slightly disappointed that it's not 4 player, but it's no biggie. No news yet on online co-op.

My only complaints this far are that a full spread should be 5 bullets instead of three. Couple that with the screen being so much larger (vertically) I'd say that it's been a bit nerfed. I'd also prefer the Super C fireball. Lastly the machinegun sfx are terrible. It sounds so wimpy.

Highly recommend you all check out this segment from Gamespot TV, featuring much more Contra 4 gameplay. Apparently all weapons can be upgraded to a second level, though I'm not sure how to obtain them. I'd assume you simply pick up two of the same item. An upgraded machine gun shoots this doubleshot thingy which can potentially do double damage to larger targets; an upgraded crush gun (<3) loses the limited range; the upgraded Fire weapon turns into the Super C Fireball (this one is odd, but most can agree that one is better anyway); the upgraded homing missle shoots in bursts of three like a spread gun (similar to the cheap as hell homing gun from Operation C), and we all should know what an upgraded Spread gun does.

Boss at 6:49 looks awesome. Contra always had more potential being vertically orientated, and it's full potential could possibly be realized by this. Wayforward definitely seems to know what they're doing.

Base stages return from Contra 1, and the bullets move incredibly fast. Hope it's toned down in the final version. I'm also disappointed in the lack of shadows for the bullets that would allow the player to gauge when the bullets reach your area. The arcade original did this, and the Base stages were far better because of it.

God I can't wait; I've been playing the other Contras to death.

Just a small update. Here's what the boxart will look like:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...lf/15p4ky8.jpg
Damn, that looks hella sweet.

By the way, it looks like online co-op is a no-go, although wireless co-op is in. Booo...

The game's coming November 13th, the same day Tale Spin vol 2 comes out on DVD. I can't bloody wait for both of them :3

YES. GAME OF THE FOREVER.

PLAY AS PROBOTECTOR. MY BLADDER!

Wait, so the original Contra and Super C are both on the same cart?

Holy shit, I'm picking this up the day it's released.

That box art alone is so fucking full of win that I would purchase the game based on that ALONE. But to include the NES Contra and Super C on the same cart and all that other unlockable shit?

MUST BUY PREORDERING THIS SHIT

I'm thinking that this may wind up being one of the best Contra's in the history of EVER. When does this come out again? Cause I'm all about that first day pickup right now.

Nov 13. I said that in my post :(

What would have made Contra IV super uber awesome instead of being merely super awesome would be if Contra 3 (my fave Contra game) was included as well. I mean, it's a sequel to that game, so why not add it?

I think Contra IV has the best DS boxart I've ever seen. Who agrees with me?

MINE TOO




HOLY SHIT THERE IT GOES AGAIN





TOWELS!

IGN preview! :]

http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...8052145468.jpg http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...8052145014.jpg http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...8052141124.jpg

YES. DS game of the year, everything game of the year, not as good as Spindizzy Worlds now there was a Contra game alright. 0/10 The music is so rad.

Internet
Hideos

This is easily the best celebration game that Konami has brought out. Why didn't they do something similar for Castlevania? :( I still think CoM's box art was better, but then it's really an entirely different style.

Hopefully they keep the shoulder button keeping your character in place while you aim around the screen thingie!

Wonderfully promising so far! No compromise. I love it <3

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...CL._SS500_.jpg

Website is up! EVERYTHING YOU CLICK CAUSES AN EXPLOSION (OF AWESOME). Has some neat wallpaper, but most importantly, they snuck a screen of Contra 4'd Probotector in the screenshot gallery. =D To the Alt + Prt Scr mobile!

http://i6.tinypic.com/33nyfpg.png

Thanks for the link, man. The wallpaper on there are awesome :3

Now all I need is a Contra game for the PSP for maximum handheld goodness!

Oh, yes! This game is gonna be ridiculous....all that 2-D side scrolling goodness is back!!!

Interesting how all the classic games seem to always be the most hyped up and best selling titles. I mean, look at the New Super Mario Bros. They did the exact same thing...keep the best side-scrolling stuff and add to it. I wanna see more games like this coming out from Konami and Nintendo.

The addition of the Probotector guy is totally awesome, nostalgia all the way! I grew up with Probotector unknowingly it was Contra (thank you Europe) until I saw the amazing similarities later on the interweb. Good thing they leave games intact these days, it sucks when they decide to rape the boxart and game content.

Ditto! I always thought that robots were infinitely cooler than guerillas, but I'm starting to see different these days.

BTW, can anyone tell me if there are any differences between the characters here and what they are??

As far as I can tell they all play the same, except for looks. They are all official characters from the Contra universe though.
I wonder if there's a difficulty mode where the gamespeed gets boosted to play more like Contra: Hard Corps, that would be totally awesome.

UghGN review is up!

8/10 :rock:

I like how they cry over the graphics because it's 2D (??)

Oh well, at least they didn't complain about a game not having licensed music and voice acting for once.

GAY-GEE-EN often don't know what they're talking about it seems :(

Then again, the idea of giving a numerical value for presentation in games is in itself already silly.

It seems as though this really could be the greatest DS game ever (after possibly Ouendan). Proper sequel, true to its roots and predecessors, made by people who love Contra, for people who love Contra. Uncompromising, gimmick free, beautiful.

I'll just order mine from DVDboxoffice in the morning, as should you Infernal :3

They usually don't manage to get you the game by launch date, but it's better than waiting for three years for the European release, and about 300€ cheaper.

That's a good price for nutmeg! I'll hop on the order-mobile sometime soon! =)

I called EB at the Square One mall today at work and they said it's coming on the 19th. 19th?!?! Well that sucks! I wonder if it's the same for all the other stores in Ontario.

Has anyone actually played it yet? Nobody posted anything so I was wondering.

P.S. To unlock Contra and Super C, you have to win the game (use Easy mode for that) to unlock Challenge mode, and then complete several missions to unlock stuff:

UPDATE:

Beat 4 challenges: NES Contra
Beat 8 challenges: NES Super C
Beat 12 challenges: Probotector character
Beat 16 challenges: Nobuya Nakazato interview
Beat 20 challenges: Lucia character
Beat 24 challenges: Contra III comic

I am on the website listening to the music loop over and over. I need a DS. =(

Ahahaha oh wow.

????

That sort of makes me nostalgic for the 90s. "What is this Castlemania game, then? It's not 3D, so it clearly automatically looks ugly, I will go back to giving Battle Arena Toshinden 11 stars for graphics now"

Anyway it's awesome. I never really heard Jake's sound design work (only his music), and it is incredible, it's almost better than the music (ALMOST). They used some of the original sounds (which is clever for nostalgia points, I thought he remade them but he said they're the actual originals) but the new shit is amazing. I think my favorite sound is the grappling hook, MAN that's a satisfying little thing.

Really wish they'd allocated more memory to the samplebank though!

Oh yeah, and the game seems okay too, a bit too hard for me, but super fun. Hopefully more companies will start to make these kinda games, especially if this is a success.

That. Is Freaking. Awesome. XD

And its such a cruel trick too, given that its origins are to help you cheat. XD

Konami loves jerking people around with its classic secret code. On the Super NES, they altered the code to use the shoulder buttons instead of left and right; I think it was one of the Gradius games where if you input the old code using left right left right instead of L R L R, it would just kill you.

I went to the mall yesterday and no store had it. This is getting pretty annoying. Apparently other people in Canada are having the same problem >_>
I'm going to another mall tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find it.

At any rate, if you win all the Challenges, you unlock a sound test and a large art gallery.

Gradius 3 started the bastardized version of it. I believe Gradius Gaiden and Parodius feature evil Konami code as well, with Parodius just stripping you of all power ups, complete with your character exclaiming "OH MY GOD!"

The machine gun is actually good in this game. Homing and Machine Gun combo helps against the stage 2 boss immensely.

Do I have to beat the game in one play through, or are there any save points?

Also, why are the bosses so far ridiculously easy comparing to the actual stages that can be insanely hard :(

You can save midway through at the cost of one continue. I think you start back at the beginning of the level and not at the exact spot where you saved though.

If I don't find the bloody game today, I'll order it on Amazon along with Death Note Vol 1 for free shipping :P

Man, where's all the love for this game?

I finally got the damn game today. I ordered it on Amazon on the 20th. It was out of stock when I came home, but it went in stock later that night. Awesome! It arrived today. Whoo!

I dunno how many other Canadians love Contra, but we had a hideous time getting the game. No stores received any shipments for more than a week, and it's only now that it's starting to appear in stores, and it's only a tiny trickle from what I've heard. I'm glad I ordered it online, so I don't have to deal with all this hassle.

I drained the DS battery today so I'm going to have all the Contra goodness tomorrow on the way to work. Sweet!

This has never been truer in the case of any Contra. Save maybe the Arcade Contras. Also, FUCK THE SPECIAL MISSIONS.

Well I played Contra today on the way to and from work. It ROCKS. I did make it to level 6 on Easy but can't seem to do it again anymore. Wanna unlock Contra and Super C before playing on Normal.

I love how some bosses are homages (somewhat) to Contra III bosses, as far as I recall. Is there any turtle bosses in this game?

Love the alien designs, especially the boss in the second stage. I actually freaked when I thought I defeated it and it came rushing at me as the platform fell.

There's a glitch in the game if you guys want to try it out. If you die at the exact same moment when you lose a life, you get 99 lives. It seems hard to pull off though. I'd like to use it just to beat Easy and get the two games faster.

P.S. How do you beat the level 6 boss?

Well if you haven't beaten it, I'm not sure how I did, but what I did was use Spread or Homing and just keep shooting the hell out of it. Shooting the eyeball did nothing for me, maybe you're suppose to kill the spikes before they shoot up or something.

But what about the flames it shoots out? I can never seem to dodge it. I assume there's a hook on the ceiling to avoid it, but I didn't bother to check last time I fought it.

The level 6 boss? Jump over his low flames, and don't jump when he shoots the high flames. Easiest boss ever.

I really hate having the action take place on two screens. 90% of my deaths come from me not paying enough attention to the top screen and having things fall on me.

The music for Contra IV...is amazing. (Holy crap)

Virt, you are the shit!

Everything seems to be spot on, zero complaints about the game. The only issue I have is that the game does not account for the space, so the majority of my deaths come from shots hiding between the screens. But I don't die too often anyway so it's not a critical issue. Just annoying sometimes.

I just hoe that the DS can do for Contra what it did for Castlevania. ^^

Its hard as !@#$ and I love it. Back to old school.

If anyones looking for the song that was in the trailers, which is a remix of the first stage in Contra, it was released publicly and can be downloaded from IGN.

RIGHT HERE!

I got mine the other day and have been loving it since the first level music kicked in. Fantastic, breathless stuff. The challenge mode is especially fun, pacifist challenges are good practise for the main game.

Hands down best handheld game of the year, if not even overall game of the year <3


EDIT:
Oh and someone kindly ripped the music. Virt did an absolutely awesome job <3

Is the level 6 boss the giant fish? If so, You gotta shoot the eye until it screams and runs away to the other side. This way, the drills on its back won't shoot up. You'll only need to dodge the one or two fishes that jump up to shoot you.