Set after the events of Contra III: Alien Wars, the game follows mercenaries Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they battle to save the world from a new extraterrestrial threat. Contra 4 takes advantage of the dual screens of the Nintendo DS to deliver larger than life action, with massive enemies, detailed platform gaming and mind-blowing set pieces. Using a variety of upgradable weapons, take the fight to the alien army of the Black Viper and reclaim Earth for Mankind in single-player or 2 player co-op mode.

User Reviews about Contra 4

As others have said, this game is HARD. It's not frustratingly hard though. It's a lot of fun, and it doesn't get old. It has a great challenge mode, which allows you to unlock various things upon completion. The best part about this game is you can unlock the original Contra (NES) and Super Contra (NES) by completing challenges. To me, the game is worth purchasing just for that! -- Awesome Addition to Franchise

Well a little while ago I got this game for my birthday and I didn't even ask for it. I wanted to return it but then I decided to play it and I got hooked. This is a blast from the past that takes the concepts from the early games and give it a complete makeover with better sound,music and graphics. I noticed that some people in the one star section mostly just bitched and moaned about how hard the game is well don't listen to them this is a great game,but it is really hard and you can't beat the whole game on easy mode. If you do beat it on easy mode you can unlock this thing called Challenge mode where you do certain challenges. If you beat enough of them you can unlock some really cool bonus content like new charcters,interviews with the game designers,comics and my favorite is you can unlock the orginal nes games Contra and Super C. So in my finally thoughts a good game for the nintendo DS but a hard one,but its a Contra game what do you except. -- A blast from the past

I have played most of the contra games and this one is way up there. It is a mix of the original NES contra and contra III for SNES. The best part is you can unlock the original and super c nes titles. Yes it is hard but that is the way contra is meant to be. There are three difficulty level easy, med, and hard so you cant compain too much about its difficulty. I have had it only for a few days now but love it so far. The only thing I dont like is on vertical levels the enemys somethimes get lost in the hinge area and pop up on the bottome= screen to kill you. I think it just takes some getting used to having the split screens. I'd have to say overall this is a great game for 2D fans. -- Instant Classic

I purchased this game like two moths ago and have played it non-stop. Good graphics,good music. Tight play control and is pretty easy to learn for first time contra players. I love how they used sound effects from the earlier games. You can also carry two weapons like alien wars and power up your weapons by picking up the same weapon twice just like the arcade version of super contra. Both Ds screens are used to give you a much larger view of the action. You also have a grappling hook that allows you to get up to hard to reach places and avoid getting hit at times. The game is very hard,but that's what fans of the series like myself expect. I've never used any codes to beat a contra game and never will. You have the ability to discard a power up and try out another one quickly or give it to another player. You can pick four different characters to play with. The game also has a lot of extra content to unlock, stuff such as the nes versions of contra, a listing of the history of the series and a challenge mode and you can even unlock different character sprites from other contra games to name a few. I've found so far that I really enjoy playing the challenge modes very much. The 3d over the shoulder stages from the first game are back which I loved and you can of course play this game two players as well. The game doesn't use the stylus or the mic which is a big plus to me as I feel many games have tried to shoe horn those features in when they weren't needed or played better not having them.

Now on to what I didn't like which isn't much. The graphics are good,but don't really push the ds in my opinion. Not a big problem,but graphic whores might not like it.I really like the grappling hook and wish you could have used it more in the game. The four different character you can choose are just different colors using the same sprite. The challenge will turn off wimps and a decent portion of modern day gamers who like easy games. The game really doesn't have much of a save option. You can continue were you left off,but have to give up one of your continues which I don't like. Many people play portable games for short periods and a better save option would have helped the accessibility for some. I understand that it's supposed to be a direct sequel to earlier contra games,but I really would have liked some game play elements taken from contra hardcorps. The branching paths and ability to carry 4 weapons were great.Not to mention that all 4 characters had their own weapon set which was pretty cool. Also I'd really like to see more contra games use the slide move from hardcorps which was a minor,but nice addition to the series. Also people who love using the stylus and mic might not like that these features were not used any and the game is bare bones in that area. I love the game,but don't think it's the best contra game. I'd have to say that hardcorps is still the definitive contra in my opinion.

I highly suggest buying this game if your a fan of contra or shooters. It's the only true contra game released in years and hopefully they will will release another one at some point making use of game play elements from hardcorps. -- My favorite hand held game ever.

When I was a young child in love with my NES I was introduced to Super Contra by my cousin's family. Although my cousin was too young to have a clue, I was at the age that I could enjoy quality gaming. My brother and I borrowed Super Contra over and over again. Unfortunately, we never got our own copy.

Finally that oversight has been amended. Not only can you unlock the original Contra (which I've never had the opportunity of playing) and Super Contra in this game, Contra 4 is an excellent game in itself. Yes, it's brutally hard at times. I see several reviewers complaining about this, so it needs to be addressed. As hard as it is, it's not really any more difficult than Super Contra, IMO. Anybody who knows anything about Contra should expect this kind of difficulty from a game with its legacy. People should be happy that they allow you to choose your difficulty (even though Easy doesn't let you play through all the levels). I appreciate the challenge, but if you don't want a game that you will die in A LOT then you shouldn't buy Contra 4.

One of the coolest additions is the Challenge Mode. You can unlock it by beating the main game on any difficulty. There are 40 challenges (many repeat the same concept, but occur in a different level) that require you to make it through levels with limited ammo, at a certain speed, not shooting any hostages, etc. The later challenges get extremely hard to the point that I thought some were impossible. I eventually succeeded, however, through practice. If you can beat the challenges you can beat the main game on Normal and Hard mode. Really I consider the challenges to be training for the main game on Normal and Hard difficulty. You will learn how to dodge enemies on the fly, destroy numerous enemies swarming you from all directions, and zoom through levels by finding shortcuts. This also adds plenty of extra play time to an already beefy game.

Multiplayer co-op is also an option, although I have yet to try it out. I don't know anybody with a copy so I am unable to enjoy the fun of blasting enemies with a friend. Also, one feature that I really like in Contra 4 is that you can carry 2 guns at a time (you switch between them with the L button), and if you get two of the same weapon it powers up (in Easy all guns come powered up).

Take the time to die a few hundred times and you will eventually become Rambo in this game. You'll be dodging bullets, blasting enemies, and making jumps like a pro. Satisfaction will fill your senses as you effortlessly flow through mind-numbingly difficult levels. What else would you want from a Contra game? -- Beyond great!