It's time to lock and load with Contra 4, a 2D side-scrolling action game for the handheld Nintendo DS system that marks the 20th anniversary of this shooter franchise from Tokyo-based publisher Konami Digital Entertainment. Contra started as a Japanese arcade game in 1987 and became widely popular in 1988, when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the video-game console marketed as Famicom throughout most of Asia.
The original run-and-gun game is best remembered for its successful integration of simultaneous two-person gameplay, which was an uncommon feature on console video games at the time of its release. In the game, a player controls a gun-toting commando who battles waves of enemies - including robots, aliens and mutants - on every level.
Contra 4, created by California-based game developer WayForward Technologies, takes place two years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. Special Forces soldiers Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, joined by hard-boiled mercenaries Mad Dog and Scorpion, must save the world again, as they battle an army of alien invaders led by the terrifying Black Viper.
The game uses a dual-screen presentation so players can jump, shoot and dodge oncoming hazards in more expansive battle environments. This setup takes advantage of the Nintendo DS' two displays, as players contend with bigger obstacles and fiercer enemies from every direction.
Gameplay is essentially the same as in the original: a player controls one of the hero soldiers and shoots everything that blocks his character's path. But this is the hardest Contra game I have played. I could finish the original game in less than 20 minutes, without losing a life. But in the new game, I used up all my in-game lives before reaching the halfway point of the first level - and that was in normal mode.
Contra 4 is not easily accessible for newcomers; even die-hard fans of the franchise will find it challenging. But like in all Contra games, enemies are always positioned in the same place at each level. Memorise that and gameplay ought to become less difficult.