Contra-4
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Virt supplying remixed tunes for Contra 4
We've been in love with Jake "Virt" Kaufman's video game soundtracks (e.g. Shantae, Godzilla: Domination, Scurge: Hive) and micromusic remixes for years now, so it pleased us to no end to hear that he would be working with WayForward on Contra 4's themes. Not familiar with his discography? Here are three of our favorite Virt arrangements and chiptune covers that we grabbed from his site: Contra - "Contravirt" (6.0 MB MP3) Castlevania II - "What a Horrible Night" (2.0 MB MP3) Michael Jackson - "Thriller (VRC6 Cover)" (4.1 MB MP3) How did the Konami fanboy react when he was initially approached with handling Contra 4's music and sound design? "After I got off the phone with the dude I couldn't stop pacing back and forth for like 10 hours. I was afraid I would suddenly grow tentacles and then question reality and then wake up in my bed and it was all a dream ... Alas, my tentacles are REAL."
Konami announces Contra 4
Konami made an announcement today that had better excite you: Contra 4 coming to the DS! The sidescrolling action game will be a direct sequel to Contra III: The Alien Wars and will pit Bill Rizer and Lance Bean (and, confusingly, new characters named Mad Dog and Scorpion, which were the names used for Bill and Lance in the American release of Contra) against the alien Black Viper across two screens of action. And to traverse those new heights, they'll have a grappling hook item. The press release refers to the game as a 2D sidescroller, but we don't know if they're referring only to perspective or to graphics as well. We're hoping for a fully 2D game. There's actually a good chance of it, too. Developer WayForward Technologies is known for sidescrollers like Shantae and Sigma Star Saga, both of which use hand-drawn sprites. Also we must mention Ping Pals, but we hope that has no bearing on Contra. [Via press release]
Contra 4 announced for Nintendo DS, available 2007
Konami just announced that Contra 4, a direct sequel to 1992's SNES classic Contra III: The Alien Wars, is coming to the popular as ever Nintendo DS platform this year. What can Nintendo's handheld offer the tried and true 2D Contra formula besides dual screens and the chance to forget all about Neo Contra? First, those dual screens will allow "massive boss battles" that span both screens. Second, the game will have a multiplayer function that we can only imagine will be enabled by the system's built-in WiFi (but what's Contra without multiplayer?). Third, the opportunity to catch up with Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, who "are confronted with a new extraterrestrial menace: the terrifying Black Viper." And you can do it all on your Noble Pink DS Lite. Contra 4 (just a working title, folks) is being developed by California's WayForward Technologies (they brought you classics such as Ping Pals and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab) and will be available in 2007.
