Contra 4 review

In case the difficulty gets a bit too rough, the original %26ldquo;Konami Code%26rdquo; makes a re-appearance. Pause the game at any time and enter %26ldquo;Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, B, A, Start%26rdquo; to upgrade your special weapon to full power. Don%26rsquo;t get greedy though - a second use means instant death.

After completing the single player adventure, Contra 4%26rsquo;s challenge mode automatically unlocks. Consisting of 40 different deviously designed challenges, this mode is a cross between advanced tutorial and pure torture. Each challenge forces you to discover the ideal route through to the goal and to execute it perfectly. There%26rsquo;s zero room for error here, because unlike in the main game you get no extra lives. Every run has to be a perfect run.

Completing the challenges unlocks a number of impressive goodies including alternate character models, Contra digital comics and the original NES versions of Contra and Super C. Never fear: the two NES games are the first to unlock so even average players should get to see them. The emulation appears to be spot-on, with the only problem being a lack of two-player support. The main game, for the record, does support two players.