[DS] Contra 4

Hur hur press release thread (excite!)

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Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced Contra 4 (working title) for the Nintendo DS™. Marking the 20th anniversary of the quintessential action franchise, the game pushes 2D side-scrolling action in an all-new direction with gunplay that spans two full screens, original gameplay mechanics that grant players deadlier abilities than ever before, and frantic multiplayer functionality.

Contra 4 takes place two years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. After saving earth from invasion by Red Falcon, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are confronted with a new extraterrestrial menace: the terrifying Black Viper. Joined by hard-boiled mercenaries Mad Dog and Scorpion, the warriors must once again wage war against an entire army of invaders.

Refining the 2D side-scrolling genre the series established 20 years ago, Contra 4 delivers pure action at a fever pitch as players jump, shoot, and dodge oncoming hazards. Utilizing a new dual screen presentation, the action spans both screens of the Nintendo DS, giving players the opportunity to battle across expansive environments in which death can come from any direction. The use of both screens for the game’s core action also allows for massive boss battles as players try to seek and destroy the weak points of sky-high enemies. A first for the series, Contra 4 introduces a grappling hook accessory that lets players grab onto elements of the environment directly above them. Whether using it to avoid oncoming dangers or attack from a strategic vantage point, the grappling hook allows for new combat situations and dramatic set pieces that underscore the game’s adrenaline-soaked pedigree.

Continuing the multiplayer tradition of previous games in the series, Contra 4 lets two players battle together against Black Viper’s army of vile alien forces and reclaim Earth for mankind.

Developed by WayForward Technologies, Contra 4 is planned for release on the Nintendo DS in 2007. For more information on the game and the Contra franchise, please visit: www.konami.com.

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.

internet.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Rock

Childhood memory engage:

Originally Posted by Qwarky

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



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

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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



If I use the magic of computers..



MMM BLUR!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by virt

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!

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

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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



The sprites are sexy-o!

FELIPE NO

EVOLUTION OF MAAAAN.

How ya doing, buddy?

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.







Jam it back in, in the dark.

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

There's nowhere I can't reach.

YES. GAME OF THE FOREVER.

Quote:

BONUS CONTENT AVAILABLE FOR CONTRA 4

20th Anniversary Virtual Museum, NES Versions of Contra and Super C,
Unlockable Characters and More

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the popular Contra franchise of video games, Konami Digital Entertainment plans to incorporate a wealth of in-game bonus content into its latest entry in the run and gun action franchise, Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS™. The content includes:

• 20th Anniversary Virtual Museum – this museum provides a virtual history of the Contra franchise since the early 80’s, including box art, screen shots and information on every version of Contra from the US, Japan and Europe. The museum also features an unlockable gallery of bonus art.

• Unlockable Games – The NES versions of the classic Contra and Super C are now unlockable.

• 5 unlockable characters, including the Probotector from the European version of the Contra games

• 2 unlockable digital comic books from longtime Contra artist, Atsushi Tsujimoto

• An interview with noted Contra Producer Nobuya Nakazato
Set after the events of Contra III: Alien Wars, Contra 4 follows hardened mercs Bill Rizer and Lance Bean into battle against a new extraterrestrial threat, complete with larger-than-life-action, massive enemies, fast paced run ‘n’ gun combat and mind blowing set pieces. The unique dual screen presentation of the Nintendo DS™ allows for frantic action and mammoth boss encounters, and a grappling hook allows players to access hard to reach areas, or dodge that pesky attack from a foe.

Contra 4 features a variety of game modes, including 40 Challenge Modes that will test the limits of even the best Contra veterans, as well as full cooperative play through the main story mode, where two players can take up the fight for mankind and destroy the evil forces of the Black Viper.

PLAY AS PROBOTECTOR. MY BLADDER!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

IGN preview! :]

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Contra 4 is, literally, a true-to-life follow-up to Super NES. It's an over-adrenalized shooter platformer with tons of bad guys to blast and even more bullets to avoid. It's as if the game really does pick up where the Super Nintendo version left off. Apart from the increased color depth Contra 4 looks and sounds like it was lifted right out of the 16-bit era, with tremendously difficult, challenging, almost unforgiving gameplay to match.

The Super NES design has been updated with a few key elements. Weapons now have a multitier system: snag a power-up that's the same that you're currently wielding and it'll upgrade it to a more powerful version. Already have a cool weapon in-hand? Tap the shoulder button and switch over to the second weapon slot. You can switch back and forth between the two weapons on-the-fly

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On top of all this, your character now has a limited grapple system. It's not as versatile an item as the one that Bionic Commando utilizes, but it's enough to grasp onto platforms high above and pull yourself up out of the fire and onto higher ground.

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The thing is, even on Normal difficulty, Contra 4 is brutal. It'll take a dozen tries at least to get through the first level and defeat the boss, and by then you'll be down too many continues to get through the rest of the insanely difficult challenges. Don't think for a second that this game will be a cakewalk to plow through - it took us an hour of practice to snag a somewhat clean runthough of Level One in video.

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

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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!



I was speaking idiomatically.

UghGN review is up!

8/10

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

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7.5 Graphics
It looks good, but It's a step backwards in visual appeal from other Contra sequels with its pixel art focus...intentionally so since this is meant as a follow-up to the 16-bit games.

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

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Qwarky

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

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

FELIPE NO

Ahahaha oh wow.

Spoiler:

Apparently inputting the Konami Code (only works in normal and hard mode) when the game is paused will upgrade your weapon to the next level, if you try it again though, you instantly die when you unpause.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?