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New Wii Ware game LIT revealed
A fresh title for Nintendo's upcoming download service Wii Ware has been revealed in LIT, a title from WayForward Technologies. The title is a 3D horror puzzler (yes, you read that right) that is set in a high school overrun by monsters. It stars Jake, your average "everyman" youth, as he moves from classroom to classroom, creating paths of light that will save him from the dangerous situation he has found himself in.The title promises environmental puzzling action, along with a little horror-based combat and boss battling tossed in for good measure. Sadly, there's only concept art available as of now, but you can bet we're interested in the game. It's not every day you come across a horror puzzler. Hopefully WayForward will ensure that this isn't the last horror puzzler we'll hear about.[Via Go Nintendo]
Rumor: Shantae on Wii Ware?
Back in December, Contra 4 developer WayForward asked the entire internet for its thoughts on a new Shantae game. Smelling an opportunity to help play a part in reviving a fantastic franchise, we shamelessly begged readers of DS Fanboy to vote for a sequel on the DS. Being the magnificent people they are, they lent us their clicking fingers!Alas, it now looks as though our efforts were in vain, but there's no need to be glum, folks. WayForward founder Voldi Way told Siliconera that the next Shantae game was being considered for Wii Ware.Sure, that makes it a lot less likely to be the 2D Shantae that we really, really want but hey, it's Shantae, and it's on a Nintendo system. We'll gladly take it!
GDC08: Shantae summoned for WiiWare
After developing Contra 4 (the first 'real' series sequel since, um, Contra III), you'd think WayForward would be fine leaving behind the memory of its sassy, half-genie Shantae. Alas, it's just too damn hard to let go of the ones who got away (that Shantae sequel never did make it to GBA, did it?). WayForward founder Voldi Way told Siliconera that a long-awaited Shantae follow-up is being considered for Wii. When asked if WiiWare was a possible means for distribution, Way replied, "That's the plan."
Contra 4 sheds six dollars, shirts
Need an extra excuse to pick up 2007's manliest, exploding-est DS game? Amazon has posted a modest markdown for Contra 4, selling the run-and-gun game for a discounted $23.99. Women and men alike will flock to you when they see you're playing such a tough game, smitten with your virility. And, with six extra bucks in your pocket, you could probably take one of them out to dinner. Not to anywhere nice, like Ponderosa, but maybe Burger King. Afraid that all the action will be just too much for you or too difficult? Fear not! There's a little trick you can exploit to steal 99 extra mans. Unfortunately, pulling off the cheat might be harder than the actual game ...[Via CAG]
Japanese Contra 4 tones down boxart, numbers
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo/Japanese_Contra_4_tones_down_boxart_numbers'; Perhaps to distract Japanese gamers from Contra 4's western origins, Konami has replaced the game's cover with art more fitting to the country's sensibilities. Manga-fied and emasculated, our two heroes are mere shadows of the beefy commandos seen on the North American box, the manliest art we've come across since Haggar piledrived a shark. Lance Bean, the former badass on the right, was once pictured hefting up a rocket launcher, sneering at enemy troops while taking aim at their crotches. Now he is shown staying his rifle, a contemplative -- some would even say mournful -- expression on his face.We've heard rumors of other wussifying changes to the actual game, but we've yet to confirm them: Virt's synth-metal soundtrack has been switched out with Air Supply's "All Out of Love" on infinite repeat Tapping in the Konami code halves your manhood and causes nearly all of your facial hair to instantly fall off, leaving behind a pencil moustache The final boss battle has been replaced with a cutscene in which you shake hands with the alien villain and agree to disagree One alteration that we are sure of is that Contra 4's title in Japan will be Contra: Dual Spirits, keeping in line with Contra 3's Japanese title, Contra Spirits. Konami plans to ship the run'n gun game to stores in Japan this March 13th. You can see the US cover and a somewhat bigger version of the Japanese packaging art past the break.
A DS sequel to Shantae rests in our hands
Remember Shantae? WayForward certainly does -- the Contra 4 developer spent two years producing the delightful Game Boy Color platformer, only to see it die a death at retail, its chances cruelly crushed by the increasing obsolescence of its host platform, as well as the rise of the newly released Game Boy Advance. Boasting an engrossing mix of Metroid-style puzzles and neat visual tricks, the game was an unsung gem that emphatically failed to register on the gaming public's radar.A sequel was planned for the Advance, only for the project to be inexplicably shelved with the game 50% complete, but WayForward hasn't forgotten about the series entirely. With the all-conquering Contra 4 now out on store shelves and begging to be bought, the developer has posted a poll on its site, asking whether or not we'd be interested in purchasing a Shantae follow-up, and what platform we'd like it to appear on.Hence, we implore all of you to hit the link below and get your vote on. If you're still wavering about giving thirty seconds of your time to one of the best DS-related causes we've heard of in ages, go past the break for footage of the canned GBA title.Then go and get your vote on.
Five gifts that PAL gamers should import this Christmas
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Five_gifts_that_PAL_gamers_should_import_this_Christmas'; Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. Nintendo's indifference towards PAL regions is infamous, but there's arguably less room for complaining when it comes to the DS. See, the DS is (and we do not use this phrase lightly) an importer's dream. It doesn't faff around with region-specific software, there's a huge library of diverse and interesting NTSC-only titles, and the games themselves are cheap. As in, cheaper than they'll be when they arrive in the UK/Europe/Australia six months from now. Frankly, we can't think of a good reason for you not to import. Which brings us to our latest anti-guide, featuring the five DS-related gifts that PAL regions won't be seeing until 2008 at the earliest -- if ever. All deserve to be imported without hesitation, so read on fellow PAL folk, and prep that credit card!
Five gifts that are Contra 4
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. All year, we held out vain hope that the American-developed DS Contra sequel wouldn't be terrible. We tried to put our memories of Appaloosa Interactive's two PlayStation failures out of our minds and have faith in WayForward. We did our best to believe that a new 2D Contra had the potential not to be a crushing disappointment. We were rewarded with one of the best games on the DS, and possibly the best game in the Contra series. It's hard to think of a better DS game than Konami's mind-blowingly manly Contra 4. So we didn't try. We've put together this guide to five of the best gifts you can give this holiday season, all of which are Contra 4. While it would most certainly be enough to list Contra 4 five times, we thought we would break it up by listing five different ways to package the gift of Contra.
Contra 4's 99-extra-lives cheat doesn't come easy
Has Contra 4's grueling difficulty kept you from even seeing its second stage? The Konami code, while useful, only upgrades your weapons instead of rewarding you with the extra mans you need to die-n-gun your way past enemies and their scattered shots. During the throes of one of his many deaths, GameFAQs poster Empty2002120141 stumbled upon a neat, albeit elaborate, trick for getting 99 free lives in Contra 4. First, you'll need to make sure you currently have zero lives. Next, you have to die at either the exact moment or right after you kill something that pushes your score up high enough to get an extra life. Those who've pulled off the trick suggest trying it with the first level's mini-boss. This should work across all three difficulty modes!We're not sure if WayForward programmed this as an intentional cheat or if it's actually a game glitch, but it sure sounds helpful (if you can actually execute the maneuver). [Via GameFAQs]
More Contra 4 footage to nudge you in the right direction
The "right direction" being your nearest games emporium to pick up Contra 4. If you missed the perfect score we awarded to Konami's brilliant shooter earlier today, or just need a little more gentle encouragement, we'd advise watching these videos of the title in action. Both the first and second stages (the latter of which had this writer tied in knots for close to an hour) are featured here in their entirety, including the frankly nasty boss at the end of the Laboratory stage. Take your ripped physique past the post break for a second video.
DS Fanboy Review: Contra 4
The first time I played Contra 4, I died within a few seconds, having ignored the bullet that sneak-attacked my ankle. I remarked at the accuracy of the death sound and at the humorous Duke Nukem-style taunt that my dude issued afterward, and tried again. The same result. During that first session, I lost all of my lives before the halfway point of the first level. You have probably read about Contra 4's difficulty in previews. If you thought that those writers were inflating the game's difficulty because of suboptimal trade-show settings or lack of familiarity with Contra, allow me to disabuse you of that notion. If anything, they have undersold the game's difficulty. Contra 4 is hard. It's probably the hardest Contra game ever made. After that first trip through ... part of the first level, I tried again and made it through more of the first level. Then I made it to the boss before losing all my lives. I found that I could get a little further. As I replayed the levels, a combination of memory and improved response time had me sailing through the early levels like a badass. I was very rapidly getting better at the game, and, because it's so frenetic and twitchy, being demonstrably better at it made me feel awesome. %Gallery-4738%
Contra 4 owns your face even more with its official site
Rather than throw together the usual, predictable site for Contra 4, Konami and WayForward pulled out all the stops and packed the official page with everything fans could ever ask for -- ridiculous explosions with every clicked link, remixed music from Virt, and hilarious descriptions for different game elements. Check out the text for random lackey Dirk McShooter:"Dirk thought he was the luckiest alien humanoid around when he saw the job posting: good pay, benefits, free trip to Earth, stand in place, decent aim preferred. In the moments since the shirtless super-commando opened fire, he's begun questioning that decision."You'll also find five wicked wallpapers, seven video clips for the different weapons, and twenty new screenshots at the site. Contra 4 kicks down the door and guns down your family this November 13th, the same week Super Mario Galaxy hits stores. Make sure to mark that date on your calendar; it's an important one.
GamePro agrees, you need Contra 4
If it's one thing we can't stress enough, it's that Contra 4 is the kind of game that can change your outlook on things. It can alter your state of consciousness and very much improve your love life. It can give you the moon and the stars and also fill in scratches on your car. This game can give your life meaning.So, we were glad to read GamePro's article on their top five lesser-known titles at E For All. Why? Because their best game in the piece was none other than Contra 4.
'Even on Normal difficulty, Contra 4 is brutal'
Normally, we're too weaksauce for exceptionally difficult games, but we want Contra 4 to be hard. Maybe that's because we want it to last for a long time (ideally the rest of our lives.) According to IGN's Craig Harris, it took over an hour of retrying just to make it all the way through the first level of the game while recording video. And the video is split into two parts, which makes us suspicious that developer assistance did not occur around the midpoint. The video depicts most of the first level, if not all of it-- we can't tell with the split. It really seems to capture the same feeling as the Jungle level of the first Contra, but with the level of red guys running at you ratcheted way up. We can't believe we're really going to get to play this game soon. It'll be sad to stop posting news and previews about it, but on the other hand, we won't care about our jobs anymore.
Contra in LEGOs is formula for greatness
When two beloved things like Contra and the DS collide, it's hard not to feel giddy all over. As the release date for Contra 4 gets closer and closer, we thought there was no way that our lust for this game could grow even stronger. Well, as it turns out, we were dead wrong.Upon viewing an image of this NES classic in LEGO form, we were forced to schedule endless sobbing into our daily routines until Contra 4 is released. Since we'll be able to play the original game on our Contra 4 carts, we wonder if we'll be thinking of LEGOs now as we take advantage of that glorious feature.As an added bonus, skinny coder's flickr gallery has pictures of other NES classics that he made in LEGO form, including Duck Hunt, Castlevania, Metal Gear, Excitebike, and Bionic Commando. We absolutely recommend checking them out. Which "LEGOed" classic is your favorite?
DS Fanboy Review: Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck
Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck is a very rare game: it has mostly mediocre minigames, and yet is one of the most compelling games released this year. It absolutely triumphs in most aspects not related to gameplay and a few that are; most notably-- and this isn't the boldest thing I'll say in this review-- it is the best Looney Tunes material created in any of our lifetimes. It completely redeems a license and character that have fallen into obsolescence. Forget that Back in Action ever happened. (Sorry if I reminded you that Back in Action happened.) This is a Daffy who can genuinely get away with a Captain Picard reference.
Contra 4 packed with extras, shirtless robots
Ever the fan pleasers, Konami has loaded Contra 4 carts with enough bonus features to make you completely forget about that fiasco with the cancelled preorder set. Bask in the invigorating glow of unlockable content done right: Original NES versions of Contra and Super C A 20th Anniversary Virtual Museum (box art, screenshots, and info on every Contra title from all territories) Two digital comics from Contra artist Atsushi Tsijumoto An interview with Contra Producer Nobuya Nakazato Five hidden characters, including a Probotector model We have a long-documented distrust of robots, especially humanoid ones armed to their android teeth, but we're sure that European gamers are rejoicing over the return of their reskinned heroes. Just don't be surprised when they burn down your homes and subjugate the entire human race the first chance they get.[Via NeoGAF]
The Duck Amuck/Esurance/Leapster connection
Can we admit to something? It's not that bad, but ... we kind of like the animated Esurance commercials. They're shrill, and senseless-- why is she stopping to get car insurance while being chased? And why is she being chased? And why is she always meeting that one David Seville-looking guy for the first time? But we overlook all of that stuff, because the geometric art style is brilliant, and the commercials are gorgeously animated. Whenever we watch one of those commercials, we hope that they are leading the animators into fantastic new opportunities.We were then pleased to learn that the Flash animation for Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck was being done by Ghostbot, the company responsible for the Esurance ads. We don't know if a DS game is really a step up in prestige from a national advertising campaign, but at least the subject matter isn't horribly banal. Besides, doing official Daffy Duck animation for Warner Bros. seems like Real Prestige as far as the animation world goes. So, good for them! They're using the original 1953 "Duck Amuck" model sheets, too, which shows some wonderful attention to detail. This information comes out of an interview between Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and WayForward designers Rob Buchanan and Jeff Pomegranate. Apparently WayForward and Ghostbot already had a connection, after Pomegranate worked on a Batman game with them for the Leapster. Which means that something good came of the Leapster after all.
Contra 4 boxed, dated, and ready to own your face
Every single step Konami and WayForward take in their march towards Contra 4's November 13 release seems in service to the series' fans, the faithful run-and-gun followers. From its recent Nintendo Power poster to rumors about preorder gifts and bonus retro titles, our excitement, long-thought dead after the Bioware/Sonic debacle, grows stronger with each news item that comes in. NeoGAF forumite The Main Event posted a press sheet revealing Contra 4's packaging artwork yesterday, and we couldn't be more pleased. It has everything we could ever ask for -- extravagant explosions, guns firing at unseen enemies, and a menacing alien watching over the entire scene. All Konami needs to do now is bundle a bottle of baby oil with every purchase so that our shirtless muscles can glisten while we play the game. Flex and shine past the post break for a look at the scanned pages.
Ping Pals as springboard to Contra 4
How do you make us suddenly love WayForward's maligned Ping Pals? By portraying it as leading directly to our probable Game of the Year 2007, Contra 4, and the surprisingly interesting Duck Amuck, that's how. MTV's Stephen Totilo interviewed Matt Bozon of WayForward about the doomed project (which turned out not to be so doomed-- it went on to sell over 90,000 copies despite being totally redundant), discovering that what seemed like an inconsequential chat client was an extremely intensive undertaking. ""We had to prototype the game in the first 24 hours, having never seen the hardware, which is a huge testament to our programmers," Bozon said about the period immediately following their discussions with THQ. Bozon had to abandon his original concept of a DS game-- two gameplay tasks in two screens-- in order to fast-track Ping Pals. "The design doc for that thing was actually a bunch of sticky notes on a dry board, and about every four hours we would redesign the entire game for that entire five-week span because the technology kept shifting. We were working 24 hours a day. There was no point locking the door because there was always somebody in there." Hearing about the hardships involved with the development of that game, we actually feel pretty bad about making fun of Ping Pals all the time. They didn't want to spend so much time making Ping Pals. Nobody wants to make Ping Pals. The good news, of course, is that WayForward got DS development tools and official DS developer status out of the deal. And, with the experience of Ping Pals and a number of no-doubt lucrative licensed games behind them, they've achieved a level of success that allowed Bozon to successfully pitch a minigame collection based on the "Duck Amuck" cartoon to Warner Bros. And their abilities got the notice of Konami, who handed over a very important franchise to the Shantae creators.
