| Contra 4 | |
| |
| Developer: | WayForward Technologies |
| Publisher: | Konami |
| Release date: | 2007/2008 |
| Genre: | Run and gun |
| Presumed Game modes: | singleplayer |
| Rating: | ESRB: T CERO: B (12+) |
| Platform: | Nintendo DS Mobile Phone |
| Media: | DS Game Card |
| Game engine | |
Contents
Release
Release date for the game Contra 4;
NA 13th November 2007 JP 13th March 2008
Plot
Contra 4 is a 2D action game for the Nintendo DS and the eleventh original installment in the Contra series. and the first original Contra game for a portable platform since the 1991 Game Boy game Operation C. As the game's title indicates, Contra 4 was designed to be a direct sequel to the Contra games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES (Contra, Super C, and Contra III: The Alien Wars), with a gameplay model similar to those games, and was also in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original Contra.
Contra 4 features the return of the original Contra duo, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, and two original characters were also introduced named Mad Dog and Scorpion. Mad Dog and Scorpion, being Bill Rizer and Lance Bean nick names in the earlier contra series, and wear green and purple, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean colours in the earlier contra games.
The plot is set in 2638, two years after the events of Contra III and three years before the events of Contra: Hard Corps.
Gameplay
In addition to the standard side view stages, there are also tunnel stages similar to the two "3D view" stages from the original Contra, in which the perspective shifts behind the character's back. The action in these stages is displayed solely on the upper screen, while the bottom screen is used to display the stage's map and the locations of power-ups. Other than using both screens, Contra 4 makes no usage of the DS special features such as touch screen (besides navigating the main menu), microphone, or multiplayer modes.
Arcade Mode is the main portion of the game, which is composed of six standard stages and three tunnel stages, for a total of nine stages. The stages pay frequent homage to Contra, Super Contra (Super C on the NES), Operation C and Contra III. Three difficulty settings are available: easy, normal, and hard. Easy is intended to be accessible to novices by providing the player with plenty of lives and credits, as well as making all power-ups upgraded by default, but does not give the player access to the final two stages nor the ending. Normal is a moderate setting described to be "as difficult as the original Contra", whereas Hard features faster moving enemies and enemy fire, with fewer lives. Hard mode also features a different ending from Normal.
Challenge Mode after completing the main game (Arcade Mode) once on any difficulty setting, a Challenge Mode will be made available in the main menu. This game mode is composed of forty different challenges in which the player must complete a certain level from the main game while fulfilling certain requirements.
The player's default weapon is a "pea shooter" type rifle similar to the first two Contra games, as opposed to the autofire machine gun that became standard with Operation C and Contra III. The player can upgrade to the machine gun or any of the other following weapons, by picking up the letter-based falcon icons hidden in flying capsules or on sensors of the wall (enemies in the base stages will also drop weapons). Picking up the same power-up twice will yield the player an upgraded version of the same weapon. In Easy mode, all weapons are upgraded by default. Along with Contra III, Contra 4 also stopped using the 'R' powerup, which boosted speed and power of the current weapon. As introduced by Contra III, Contra 4 also had two weapon slots, from which only the currently being used weapon disappeared if the player died.
Game modes
You can play in the following modes;
Easy
Normal
Hard.
Gameplay modes
Singleplayer
Arcade Mode
Challenge Mode
Characters
Mad Dog
Bill Rizer
Lance Bean
Scorpion
Maps
Arcade Mode - nine stages
Challenge Mode - forty different challenges
Weapons
Equipment
Enemies
Vehicles
Publishers
Konami Corporation is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games. Konami is famous for games such as the Metal Gear series, Dance Dance Revolution series, Castlevania series, Contra series, Pro Evolution Soccer series, Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Silent Hill series, Gradius series, and Frogger series.
The company was founded in 1969 as a jukebox rental and repair business in Osaka, Japan, by Kagemasa Kozuki, the still-current chairman and president. The name "Konami" is a conjunction of the names Kagemasa Kozuki (current chairman and president), Yoshinobu Nakama, and Tatsuo Miyasako.
Developers
Wayforward Technologies is a game development company based in Valencia, California. Founded in 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis,
Awards
Releases
Contra 4 is available for the Nintendo DS and Mobile Phone.
Reception