The laser beam isn't the most powerful of weapons, but it will shoot through enemies, while the homing missiles will automatically target the closest enemy, which is handy for many a boss battle, despite on occasion frustratingly targeting something lower down on the list of priorities. Unfortunately, there are only a few weapons, but all of these are authentic Contra blasters, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. You start with a fast-firing machine gun and make your way through the levels dodging every bullet in sight, while also attempting to pick up new weapons and defeating the onslaught of mindless grunts, intelligent and deadly plant life, as well as test your mettle against the game's huge bosses. The gameplay is also predictably basic, but fans wouldn't have it any other way. Lots of Konami references are also present, the names Plisskin and Salamander tipping the hat to other famous Konami franchises. That's pretty much it, although there are a few anime-style cutscenes between the levels, which introduce other characters - with an old Contra favourite showing up in drag towards the end. The plot, if you could call it that, sees Bill Rizer and Neo Contra's Genbei Yagyu attempt to repel an invading alien hoard helmed by the evil Colonel Salamander. The latest instalment, Contra: Rebirth, pays homage to the series' roots, while also presenting a fresh challenge (with an emphasis on the word challenge) for Wii owners with a penchant for retro-inspired downloads. Never one to shy away from a challenge, the game's ever-present hero Bill Rizer has battled alien hoards numerous times, despite the player in control more often than not running to the hills after failing countless attempts against a particularly pesky and powerful boss. The title also offers two player co-op for double the damage.The scrolling shooter has always been a staple of the hardcore gamer's diet, and none more so than Konami's classic Contra series, which has managed delight and destroy even the most hardened of players over the past 20 years. This is Contra, for better or for worse, and it’s easy to notice just how much care developer M2 took to retain the same old school feel for the title. At any given time, with Wii’s extra horsepower, there are tons of enemies on-screen, all firing lasers or jumping around in unique patterns, or doing something that could possibly be fun to watch, if only it weren’t so deadly. With the same mechanics and graphics comes the same insane difficulty as well. While a story is there, it certainly was not high on the list as to what the programmers– or gamers, for that matter– felt was important for the title. With respect to a story– well, what story? This is Contra we’re talking about, not The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy. That being said, including the occasional voice-acted grunt of “let’s party” or some other cliched ’80s phrase is campy and fits perfectly with the series. The audio of the game is serviceable, with the same MIDI soundtracks and sound effects that have withstood the test of time. Put quite simply, it’s a wonderful thing. Not only that, but the graphics have the appearance of a Super NES title while this may be a turn-off for some, by developing the title for Wii, characters can have more fluid animations, explosions can be even bigger, and the game can be all the more outlandish. The Wii Remote is held horizontally, with the D-pad controlling the movement of the hero, and the 1 and 2 buttons handle jumping and firing. Konami, with its recent ReBirth series, has done just that, and Contra ReBirth follows suit of a classic being given a new entry while retaining the same simplistic features not only does it retain what made the original titles so great, but it’s also a solid entry in its own right.įor those who have played any Contra title before– more than likely any reader of this review– a comment on Contra ReBirth‘s gameplay is unnecessary, as all of the same mechanics have been maintained. However, developers also saw an opportunity to update classics, such as Mega Man and Blaster Master, by creating a new title that retains the double-digit-bit glory that makes their predecessors so endearing today. On one hand, there’s an entire backlog of classic titles that are loved and adored by millions the world over, made accessible by way of Virtual Console on the other hand, new titles that normally would not be given the green light now have a chance with the lower cost of entry to the market via WiiWare. Upon its release, the Wii Shop channel opened a plethora of doors as to what gamers could experience.
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