E3 2007: Hands-on with Contra 4
Tucked away in the middle of a cluster of gaming stations in the Barker Hangar was one solitary DS Lite. On that DS Lite? Contra 4. That was one of the more remarkable things about the Barker Hangar this year, the best games could just be sitting there, waiting for someone to play them, no lines. All my previous worries about Contra 4 were laid to rest after actually getting to experience it - this is certainly the Contra we all know and love. It's still SUPER hard, I could hardly get past the first level (by hardly I mean I didn't). The addition of a grappling hook feels natural to the series, though it's a bit frustrating it can only shoot straight up and not at an angle a la Bionic Commando. The controls are surprisingly tight for a small third party developer continuing this series, it really just feels natural. The music, the sound effects, everything is meant to harken back to the Contra days of yore. This is going to be an exciting rest of 2007, I tell you what.
