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Zepy
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"Contra 4" , posted Thu 21 Jun 23:37post reply

Contra 4

Man all the sites received the press release and wrote an article faaaaaaaast.






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Gojira
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"Re(1):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 09:33post reply

*sees Wayforward Technologies is the developer*

*sweats profusely*





Maou
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"Re(2):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 12:11post reply

quote:
*sees Wayforward Technologies is the developer*

*sweats profusely*

Who is this....Wayforward? Is this a good or bad omen?

Also, speaking of 1990 mayhem, someone should resurrect Toaplan and Compile and make them make a sequel to MUSHA Aleste~Full Metal Fighter. Best music I've ever heard in a shooter...recommended for Sega owners of yesteryear.





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"Re(3):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 12:16post reply

quote:

Also, speaking of 1990 mayhem, someone should resurrect Toaplan and Compile and make them make a sequel to MUSHA Aleste~Full Metal Fighter. Best music I've ever heard in a shooter...recommended for Sega owners of yesteryear.

Toaplan is sort of still around, they're Cave now (almost all the same people... isn't the first time they went out of business and came back, before Toaplan they were called Orca.) That link is a massive link of goodness in my book, I love almost all of those games in there to death.

Also, I am actually kind of impressed with the way the new Contra is looking so far, so I will give it a chance and "wait and see". http://www.filehive.com/files/0621/contra.png





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TiamatRoar
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"Re(4):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 12:22post reply

quote:


Also, I am actually kind of impressed with the way the new Contra is looking so far, so I will give it a chance and "wait and see". http://www.filehive.com/files/0621/contra.png



Wow, is it four-player?





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"Re(4):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 13:12post reply

quote:
That link is a massive link of goodness in my book, I love almost all of those games in there to death.

We're even, then, since I used your great Contra link not too long ago when I couldn't remember which the hell Contra was which since Super Contra was not in fact on SFC and I was trying to talk Contra with kids who'd played Super Contra on FC when I was actually remembering Contra III.





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hikarutilmitt
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"Re(3):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 13:13post reply

quote:
Who is this....Wayforward? Is this a good or bad omen?


They made/make a lot of shovelware and licensed games, but once in a while you get a good idea (Sigma Star Saga) or a fun game (Mickey's Ultimate Challenge) or something really, really good (Shantae).

Sadly, only the last 2 games I specifically mentioned were particularly good.





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"Re(4):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 13:16post reply

Yrgh, so we're getting a game "based on boxoffice smash Contra?" Hmmmmm. At least it's not the fiendish bastards who made the "Contra" "games" for Playstation, right?





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hikarutilmitt
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"Re(5):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 15:11post reply

quote:
Yrgh, so we're getting a game "based on boxoffice smash Contra?" Hmmmmm. At least it's not the fiendish bastards who made the "Contra" "games" for Playstation, right?


We shall not talk of those 2 Contra games, for they were blasphemies unto themselves.





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"Re(4):Contra 4" , posted Fri 22 Jun 17:56post reply

quote:
Also, I am actually kind of impressed with the way the new Contra is looking so far, so I will give it a chance and "wait and see". http://www.filehive.com/files/0621/contra.png

I hope that'll be as hard as the old ones, and that they won't censor it this time, with robot as player. I Never understood the probotector things....






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shindekudasai
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"Re(5):Contra 4" , posted Sat 23 Jun 01:00post reply

I always thought that Lance and Bill were Mad Dog and Scorpion. Was this a retcon in a recent Contra game? I haven't played any since III.





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"Re(1):Contra 4" , posted Sat 23 Jun 02:26post reply

I saw the konami-side producer yesterday while walking back from lunch. He assured me WayForward will do a good job! So uh...hooray! hehe.

I trust Matt Bozon at WF to at least care enough to make the art and 2D animation really good.





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"Re(6):Contra 4" , posted Sat 23 Jun 06:06post reply

quote:
I always thought that Lance and Bill were Mad Dog and Scorpion. Was this a retcon in a recent Contra game? I haven't played any since III.

They were just the changed names for Bill and Lance for the U.S. tongue-in-cheek NES version manuals (which also describe Red Falcon teaming up with "Jagger Froid" and describe the... "Mobile Artillery Spider" as a "Babaloo Death Machine". Ricky Ricardo built a death machine? That's news to me, but it makes sense to me in a way. Guess Lucy just got to him.) But I guess they're NOW being retconned in to being different people, anyway...





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Abster
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"Re(7):Contra 4" , posted Sat 23 Jun 06:42post reply

I remembered Mad Dog and Scorpion being the names of your guys in Super C (Contra 2) Since this is the first real Contra game in more than a decade I'm jacked for this game.





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"Re(1):Contra 4" , posted Sat 23 Jun 11:58post reply

after Odinsphere, I wanted a Contrasphere

hope its a Contrasphere

after that, they can make Actraisersphere





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"Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 24 Jun 04:53post reply

-No touch screen controls for this one

-Takes place at Galuga island, setting of the original Contra.

-Machine gun is a separate power up again.

-Not only can you hold 2 weapons at once, but you can collect duplicates to power up that weapon further.

-There will be twists on classic Contra elements, like exploding bridges from the original Contra are now destroyed by suicidal enemies, and the end level bunker will have additional armaments to surprise you.

-The aforementioned grappling hook system.

-Simultaneous 4 player mode in the works.

-The 3d tunnel stages from the original Contra will also return.

-Additional modes to be unlocked after beating the game.

-You can also discard powerups you picked up to give to your buddies.

-Bill and Lance return to their NES shirtless ways.





hikarutilmitt
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"Re(1):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 24 Jun 07:20post reply

quote:
-No touch screen controls for this one
-Not only can you hold 2 weapons at once, but you can collect duplicates to power up that weapon further.
-Additional modes to be unlocked after beating the game.


Oh shit, these make me happy.

I still think we should just get a usable Shantae in her normal outfit or in camo gear as an unlock.





Freeter
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"Re(1):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 24 Jun 08:19post reply

quote:
-The 3d tunnel stages from the original Contra will also return



booooooooooooooooooooo

Can't they just keep Contra as a sidescroller for once?





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"Re(2):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 24 Jun 08:46post reply

quote:
-The 3d tunnel stages from the original Contra will also return


booooooooooooooooooooo

Can't they just keep Contra as a sidescroller for once?



I actually liked the tunnel levels from the original Contra. If you need to dodge bullets just crouch for a long time :P





crazymike
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"Re(1):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 25 Jun 00:18post reply

Nintendo Power is honesty, truth, and free of reactionary lies. Nintendo Power is Pravda!





Black_Hayato
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"Re(2):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 25 Jun 14:35post reply

A new classic style Contra would be nice, but I'm gonna try to not get my hopes up for this one. I've let old school hype get to me in the past.

~rant~
For instance one of the worst "reborns" I've ever played was Gunstar Super Heroes. I love original, but GSH was just a severly gimped rehash/remake. I read previews & interviews (like from that awful PLAY mag) stating over and over; how awsome the SEGA homages are and how its not a remake. All complete BS, after the first stage its down hill (MineLVL. WTFH?!). Its also a shame cause they absolutely nailed the controls for a portable version(aside from ducking). Its truly fun to play but an empty event all together. I ended up enjoying Adv. Guardian Heroes much more, because it offered a new experience.
~rant~





Maou
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"Re(3):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 25 Jun 14:45post reply

Jeremy Parish, my favorite Toasty Frog and new games journalist outside of Brandon and co., seems to do a pretty good job of cutting through old school hype surrounding revived 2D franchises. You could probably give some of his 1UP reviews a spin to avoid getting burned...he saw that the new Makai Mura/Ghost and Ghouls was garbage, that the new Yoshi's Island was super-weak, things like that. Nostalgia for old good things should be all the more reason to not stand for shoddy new things masquerading as good old things, yet it's easy enough to get fooled (game magazines specialize in it, it looks like from your example). "Any ____ is good ____" is the exact opposite of the way I think when I hear of classic or dormant (say, SF) franchises reappearing, but hey...





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Freeter
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"Contra 4ever" , posted Sat 30 Jun 09:53post reply

Video

Ignore the stupid side banter between the editors and marvel at the footage.

CONTRA IS BACK.





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"Re(1):Contra 4ever" , posted Sat 30 Jun 10:59post reply

quote:
Video

Ignore the stupid side banter between the editors and marvel at the footage.

CONTRA IS BACK.



Well, that at least somewhat alleviates my concern that they were 'remaking' the first Contra. They could still stand to show something more original like the water stage they showed with the fish thing, because they pretty much showed stages we've all seen before with a new dressing.

Although they could stand to fix that split screen action going there; watching the top of a tower lag behind the scrolling of the bottom is a little disconcerting.





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hikarutilmitt
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"Re(2):Contra 4ever" , posted Sat 30 Jun 11:26post reply

quote:
Video

Ignore the stupid side banter between the editors and marvel at the footage.

CONTRA IS BACK.


Well, that at least somewhat alleviates my concern that they were 'remaking' the first Contra. They could still stand to show something more original like the water stage they showed with the fish thing, because they pretty much showed stages we've all seen before with a new dressing.

Although they could stand to fix that split screen action going there; watching the top of a tower lag behind the scrolling of the bottom is a little disconcerting.



It looks like they're still adjusting it some, because later in the video with the other stage it shows the two halves working at the same time. I'm glad, though, that they at least compensated for the space between the screens themselves.





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"Re(2):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sat 30 Jun 17:58post reply

quote:


booooooooooooooooooooo

Can't they just keep Contra as a sidescroller for once?



I loved the heck out of Contra: Shattered Soldier, but the one gripe I had was that it was pretty much just side scrolling shooter all the way through. I really lilked the variety that the top-down stages in Contra 3 provided.





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Red Falcon
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"Re(3):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sat 30 Jun 23:50:post reply

quote:


booooooooooooooooooooo

Can't they just keep Contra as a sidescroller for once?


I loved the heck out of Contra: Shattered Soldier, but the one gripe I had was that it was pretty much just side scrolling shooter all the way through. I really lilked the variety that the top-down stages in Contra 3 provided.

I prefer the overhead stages of Super Contra, but then again the arcade version of Super Contra is my favourite of the four originals (can't forget Operation C now, can we?). Can't say I dislike the ones in 3, though... 3 is a great game too.

Edit: Oh yeah, those vids are pretty nifty.





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[this message was edited by Red Falcon on Sun 1 Jul 00:05]

Iron D
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"Re(4):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 1 Jul 17:52post reply

quote:


I prefer the overhead stages of Super Contra, but then again the arcade version of Super Contra is my favourite of the four originals (can't forget Operation C now, can we?). Can't say I dislike the ones in 3, though... 3 is a great game too.

Edit: Oh yeah, those vids are pretty nifty.



I will freely admit to never having played Super Contra or Operation C, so there's not much I can say in response here.

As far as the video is concerned, it was only mentioned briefly but those guys almost completely overlooked Contras Hard Corp and Shattered Soldier, both of which rocked hard. The fact that they ignored them makes me wonder if they even played them.

I also noticed that neither the guys in the video, nor anybody here, has mentioned the sequel to Shattered Soldier that had an isometric-ish viewpoint, but I can remember Red Falcon saying it was okay and worth buying (man, that seems like it was so long ago)...I guess the game wound up just being forgettable or something...

And yeah, the new game is looking good. In fact, I think I've finally been convinced to get a DS (with the first temptations being New Super Mario Bros., Sonic Rush and it's recently announced sequel).





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"Re(5):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Sun 1 Jul 18:43post reply

Neo Contra is a nice game, much much easier than Shattered Soldiers, which may be a good thing or not depending on each own. I never completed Shattered so it was good for me, although I didn't have to try very hard to beat Neo Contra.

It has many lame cinemas when talking to other characters and bosses. I remember that when you do not pass the requeriments to reach the last stages of the game, you meet a certain character and tells you just that, then he turns around and starts walking, you can clearly see he is going to hit a wall! Where was he thinking he was going?

Also, Akira Yamaoka is not composing the music, Sota Fujimori who did an awesome work on Shattered along Yamaoka, does all the music himself. Unfortunatly, it's not as good as it should have been.

I don't have many more complains about the game, it was fun.






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Amakusa
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"Re(5):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 06:59post reply

quote:

As far as the video is concerned, it was only mentioned briefly but those guys almost completely overlooked Contras Hard Corp and Shattered Soldier, both of which rocked hard. The fact that they ignored them makes me wonder if they even played them.



No, it's pretty apparent they have. Just from the videos everything is going back to what made Contra fun as opposed to what made it really frustrating. One of the biggest failing I felt in Shattered Soldier was there was a lot more emphasis on just plain memorizing the stages just to get by, which is pretty much just like Battletoads. Once you get into that stage you've pretty much stopped having fun and are going through the motions of an elaborate puzzle.

As things go I always felt that Contra did its best when you ran around and blow shit up.





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"Re(6):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 08:43:post reply

quote:

. Once you get into that stage you've pretty much stopped having fun and are going through the motions of an elaborate puzzle.

As things go I always felt that Contra did its best when you ran around and blow shit up.

I disagree, memorization is the key to every Contra, at least the parts that are actually challenging. The "run around and shoot random guys who run at you" was always filler between the actual meat that were bosses or mini-bosses, with a few exceptions (Stage four of the arcade Super C comes to mind, with the multi-hit orians who often overlap each other..) and the last stage which has that brutal part with the bugs that come out of the side walls... that, to me, is an example of how randomness can be "frustrating", because you really CAN'T memorize it and get through, and unless you saved some of the shells from earlier in the game, you're probably going to die at least once. It's the only spot in any Contra game which genuinely can get on my nerves.





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[this message was edited by Red Falcon on Mon 2 Jul 08:46]

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"Re(7):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 12:03post reply

quote:

I disagree, memorization is the key to every Contra, at least the parts that are actually challenging.



Beat me to it. When has Contra, any Contra, not been about memorization?





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TiamatRoar
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"Re(8):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 13:27post reply

quote:

Beat me to it. When has Contra, any Contra, not been about memorization?



I don't recall having to use memorization very much for either the first Contra or Super C. Sure, it did help to know some things in advance, but it wasn't anywhere near the amount of memorization I had to do for Shattered Soldier and Hard Corps, where the attacks would often times come out so ridiculously fast that you generally HAD to know they were coming in advance or else you were dead. Neither the first Contra nor Super C had any attacks from enemies that came at you in the blink of an eye (or if they did, there weren't many of them that I can recall).





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"Re(9):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 13:31:post reply

quote:

Neither the first Contra nor Super C had any attacks from enemies that came at you in the blink of an eye (or if they did, there weren't many of them that I can recall).

Play the arcade versions. The NES versions are very easy, the arcade games, not so much. Admittedly some of them aren't lightning fast (although the metalien from stage four of SC sure can be...) but you definately need to know what they're going to do and when so as to react to it. Same with the Deathgrome or whatever it's called in stage 3, knowing the shot patterns is a pretty good idea. Besides, I just see Hard Corps and Shin Contra as an evolution of the series. Just as Gradius 3 and 4 are much more difficult than 1 and 2, the latter Contra games have more intensive memorization involved. Except Contra 3, it's by far the easiest Contra if you exclude the NES games. Speaking of Hard Corps, I made several no-death playthough videos of it a while ago with the Magician Lord one CC vid, I should upload them sometime.
Oh yeah, just remembered too, there's also the issue of the abuse of the spread shot in the NES games; while it is still an abusive weapon in the original arcade Contra, in the arcade version of Super C it is absolutely awful, both levels 1 AND 2. Level 2 machine gun is the way to go. The spread shot really removes the need to try and remember what a lot of enemies do in the NES games, but hey, it's so good, why not use it?

edit: Tiamatroar did get me to thinking, though... I think the Contra games just got progressively faster moving in a general sense as the series went on. Going back and playing the original arcade Contra tonight because of this thread, it seems very slow moving.





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[this message was edited by Red Falcon on Mon 2 Jul 14:07]

Amakusa
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"Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Mon 2 Jul 15:22post reply

quote:

Oh yeah, just remembered too, there's also the issue of the abuse of the spread shot in the NES games; while it is still an abusive weapon in the original arcade Contra, in the arcade version of Super C it is absolutely awful, both levels 1 AND 2. Level 2 machine gun is the way to go. The spread shot really removes the need to try and remember what a lot of enemies do in the NES games, but hey, it's so good, why not use it?



Funny thing was, I practically never used the Spread shot. I was always specifically going after the flamethrower weapon in both the original Contra and Super C (Contra 3 not so much; I was liberally using everything as they came up with emphasis on the hunter). They changed that weapon in like every game.

Well, beside that, I never heard of Contra being an arcade game (no, actually, I probably have, but since I never seen it I don't have any frame of reference for it).





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"Re(2):Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Po" , posted Mon 2 Jul 15:38post reply

quote:
Well, beside that, I never heard of Contra being an arcade game (no, actually, I probably have, but since I never seen it I don't have any frame of reference for it).

Well then, my friend, check out the link in my sig, ha ha.





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"Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Power" , posted Wed 4 Jul 03:03post reply

quote:

Play the arcade versions. The NES versions are very easy, the arcade games, not so much. Admittedly some of them aren't lightning fast (although the metalien from stage four of SC sure can be...) but you definately need to know what they're going to do and when so as to react to it. Same with the Deathgrome or whatever it's called in stage 3, knowing the shot patterns is a pretty good idea. Besides, I just see Hard Corps and Shin Contra as an evolution of the series. Just as Gradius 3 and 4 are much more difficult than 1 and 2, the latter Contra games have more intensive memorization involved. Except Contra 3, it's by far the easiest Contra if you exclude the NES games. Speaking of Hard Corps, I made several no-death playthough videos of it a while ago with the Magician Lord one CC vid, I should upload them sometime.


I wonder if your name is "Eddie" by some chance, as I know only one person who has 1cc'd Magician Lord (without cheating).

Back to Contra, I admit never having played Contra 3, so I don't exactly know what ideas were introduced there.





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"Re(2):Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Po" , posted Wed 4 Jul 05:44:post reply

Any of these vids been posted yet? Click the... menu bar on the side, there are a couple of them.

Looks like they've added a bit of Bionic Commando action in. I want to see an actual boss battle.
edit: New video, with some of the music. Don't much know if I like the music. Whoever is playing is awful, too. Fuhwah





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[this message was edited by Red Falcon on Wed 4 Jul 06:14]

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"Re(3):Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Po" , posted Sat 14 Jul 09:39post reply

quote:
Any of these vids been posted yet? Click the... menu bar on the side, there are a couple of them.

Looks like they've added a bit of Bionic Commando action in. I want to see an actual boss battle.
edit: New video, with some of the music. Don't much know if I like the music. Whoever is playing is awful, too. Fuhwah



Music is being done by Jake Kaufman a.k.a. virt, who also did the music for Shantae.

I guess his style doesn't fit here. I like Vomitron's rendition of Contra music more...but that's just me.





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"Re(4):Re(10):Additional info from Nintendo Po" , posted Sun 15 Jul 01:17post reply

quote:

I guess his style doesn't fit here. I like Vomitron's rendition of Contra music more...but that's just me.



Seconded! That is freaking amazing.





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"bipbipbipbip*BUMP*" , posted Thu 15 Nov 09:34post reply

It's out now, got my copy right away.

Feels like the SNES era all over again, which is a good thing. The jungle level has some well camouflaged enemies, which resulted in some nasty surprise attacks.

Focusing on the two screens takes some getting used to, especially when the heat is pouring at you from all angles. The wider playing field certainly makes the action more intense.

Cool thing is, you can sacrifice a continue to start from a level if you quit mid-way through. Of course, real Contra vets start from the beginning and tough it out to the end.

Definitely a must-buy if you're a Contra fan.