Contra 4
| Contra 4 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | WayForward Technologies |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Matt Bozon ,Sean Velasco |
| Series | Contra |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release | 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Cooperative |
Contra 4 (tentative title) is an upcoming 2D side-scrolling action game for the Nintendo DS. Chronologically, the game will take place two years after Contra III: The Alien Wars and three years before Contra: Hard Corps, featuring a new villain, the Black Viper. Also accoring to the July issue of Nintendo Power the games takes place on Galuga Island, the setting of the original Contra.
The game has taken elements from the Japanese and North American storylines as main characters Bill Rizer and Lance Bean will be joined by Mad Dog and Scorpion in the fight against Black Viper. Mad Dog and Scorpion were the localized names used for Bill and Lance in the American version of Contra for the NES, while Black Viper was a sister organization of Red Falcon's in the localized storyline of Operation C (in the Japanese version, it was an unnamed foreign country).[1]. A promotional poster in Nintendo Power mirrored the NES Contra's North American cover art, Bill resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch in Predator, and Lance resembles Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood. The other characters depicted in the poster (presumably Mad Dog and Scorpion) resemble Vin Diesel as Xander in xXx and Wesley Snipes as the title character in Blade.
The game is planned for release in 2007[1].
Gameplay Details
The game uses both screens of the Nintendo DS. A new grappling hook allows the player to move to the top screen. Besides the grappling hook, the controls are nearly exactly those of Contra III, with the dual weapon system from that game returning. Grabbing two weapon powerups of the same type will upgrade your firepower even further. Powerups can be discarded so that another player can pick them up.
The stages pay frequent homage to Contra, Super C, and Contra III. Third person "base" stages similar to the original game will compromise some of the levels. Three difficulty modes are available: easy, normal, and hard. Easy will be accessible to novices, wheras normal will be "at least as difficult as the original Contra", and hard will be a huge challenge for hardcore players. Nintendo Power has confirmed four-player simultaneous play. While there is no difference between the four playable characters, other gameplay modes will be added for replayability.
Music
The music and sound design is handled by Jake Kaufman, who also composed for Shantae, another Wayforward Technologies game. The soundtrack consists of arrangements of music from previous Contra games as well as new original tracks. [2]