Beats playing Contra: Dual Spirits, as they call it, with two beefy fellas cosplaying Lance and Bill. If photos of ladies carrying guns and pastel Nintendo DSs is your thing, make sure to check out the entirety of Game Watch's coverage of two girls hanging around its offices.

Konami's Contra Girls Visit The Impress Editorial Offices [Impress Game Watch]

Contra 4 [Konami]

After finally dusting off the end-of-level structure in the first stage, one that looks like a carbon copy of the first "boss" in the NES Contra, but with a dual-screen twist, I was taken to the Laboratory. The second stage requires heaping amounts of grappling hook usage, so you had better become familiar with your Y-button if you plan on making it through.

The Laboratory was made extremely difficult by the dozens of creeping aliens that you'll seeing crawling down from the top screen—they're quite speedy and you'll never be 100% sure where they'll reappear on the bottom screen—plus the shuffling zombies that stumble about on the lower screen. The walking dead take a few shots to destroy and, if they come close enough, they'll explode from the annoyance of being undead, launching an 8-way attack of diseased goo. Open holes in the roof and floor add an extra layer of platforming difficulty.

After finally leaving the lab, more classic Contra levels return. The waterfall area from the original, complete with mounted cannons, a constant stream of falling boulders and carefully positioned robo-infantry make upward progress a chore. Still, we're having fun, right? Right. Just not when face with an invincible soldier holed up inside a waterfall, one whose collision detection was frustratingly buggy.

It didn't take long for the waterfall level to take my last Lance Bean and my final credit. It left me wanting more Contra 4, more play time, more punishment. It's the hardcore answer to the question "Where are the DS games for non-casuals?"

The E For All build of Contra 4 also contained the Contra museum, an historical look back on all the Contra (and Probotector and Gryzor) games. Each game in the long running series is represented with screenshots, artwork, box art and synopses, making for a fantastic bonus gallery.

It may be a bear of a game, and you may shatter your DS in frustration, but just because something is hard, doesn't mean it's not worth doing.

Contra 4: Release date, box cover art #1 [NeoGAF]

KONAMI MOBILE CELEBRATES CONTRA® 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW GAME CHARACTER DESIGN CONTEST

Winning Entry to Be Featured in New Contra® 4 Mobile Game Due Out This Fall

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - September 19, 2007 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today its first-ever online design contest for the Contra 4 mobile game scheduled to be released this fall. The competition extends an open invitation to fans of the franchise to design their own Contra character in honor of Contra's 20th anniversary. The winning designer will see their character come to life in the upcoming game.

The promotion runs September 18th through October 1st on the Konami Mobile Web site (www.konamimobile.com/contradesign), and challenges fans to develop a creative new character that demonstrates the true meaning of the classic Contra game.

Contra 4 Mobile is the latest chapter in the popular videogame series and marks the 20th anniversary of the quintessential action franchise. "Contra 4 will once again demonstrate Konami's commitment to bring original branded content to the mobile device," said Joe Morris, Vice President, Konami Digital Entertainment's Mobile Division.

On October 7th, Konami Mobile will announce the contest finalists as chosen by the Konami Contra team. The top 20 designs will all receive an exclusive Contra 20th Anniversary t-shirt, special recognition during Contra 4's credits, and their designs posted on the Konami Mobile Web site. In addition to the grand prize winner having his/her character placed in the game, he/she will also receive a game credit and a Contra 20th Anniversary designer's award.

Contra 4 will launch for the mobile platform on most major carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless in Fall 2007. For more information, please visit www.konamimobile.com.

The addition of a grappling hook won't add much in the way of icky strategy to the successful formula, but it will keep things interesting. You'll want to keep high ground, paying attention to grapple opportunities. You'll need a keen eye and fast reflexes to dodge enemy fire and take advantage of the elevation. Raining spread beam fire or a double machine gun stream down upon hordes of robo-chumps makes your one-man assault a breeze compared to when down in the trenches.

While the first level wasn't on par difficulty-wise with something like Contra: Hard Corps or Contra: Shattered Soldier, few will accuse it of being too simple. It took me six attempts to learn the first levels patterns and play through with the appropriate level of dexterity and control familiarity, but I suspect actually finishing the whole thing will be for hardcore fans only.

Visually, the game looks solid, but at times a bit dry. It's still early and has no release date yet, but I'm hoping that the team at WayForward will find the time to add in some additional, series-appropriate visual effects.

As I said earlier, only the first side scrolling level was available for play at E3, but beyond those six standard run and gun segments, three behind-the back tunnel levels are promised.

At the point, Contra 4 seems to be coming along swimmingly. Control is tight, graphics are sharp and hardcore fan expectations are mostly met. Some odd collision detection curiosities aside and a lack of in-game music, Contra 4 is shaping up to be a surprisingly well-thought answer to Contra fans' years long questions.

Check out dozens of new screens in our gallery below.

1UP squeezes more juice from their exclusive look at Konami and WayForward Technologies' Contra 4, this time with sweet, sweet video. This 1UP Show look at the Nintendo DS sequel reinforces just how closely the development team is sticking to the Contra basics. There are bits of analysis and hands-on impressions throughout making this clip a helpful primer for Contra newbies.

We'd been privy to some Nintendo Power scans of the game, courtesy of some our readers running afoul of copyright, but 1UP have ten in-game shots of the shooter, showing just how solid and old-school it's going to look. In addition to the respectable visuals, it seems WayForward is going to stick to the series roots and are well aware of the Western-developed Contra heritage, eschewing experimental gameplay for meat and potatoes run and gun fun.

It looks like it just might be crazy enough to work. Michael McWhertor

Previews: Contra 4 [1UP]

Contra 4 will take place two years after Contra 3, which in turn took place two years after Super Contra. This time around Bill and Lance find themselves battling the all new menace of the Black Viper, alongside new merc characters Mad Dog and Scorpion, which are incidentally both names of really bad alcoholic beverages.

Konami promises the game will mark a return to the 2D gameplay we all know and love, utilizing the dual screen nature of the handheld to create some truly massive boss battles and high-flying enemies. In addition, Konami has realized one of the universal truths: everything is better with a grappling hook. Players will be able to grab onto the environment to avoid attacks or just hang around shooting all day I guess. It's a grappling hook, dammit. Love it. Michael Fahey

KONAMI ANNOUNCES CONTRA 4 FOR NINTENDO DS™

Explosive Action Series Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Unique Dual Screen Presentation, New Gameplay Elements and Cooperative Multiplayer Mayhem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - June 20, 2007 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced Contra 4 (working title) for the Nintendo DS™. Marking the 20th anniversary of the quintessential action franchise, the game pushes 2D side-scrolling action in an all-new direction with gunplay that spans two full screens, original gameplay mechanics that grant players deadlier abilities than ever before, and frantic multiplayer functionality.

Contra 4 takes place two years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. After saving earth from invasion by Red Falcon, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are confronted with a new extraterrestrial menace: the terrifying Black Viper. Joined by hard-boiled mercenaries Mad Dog and Scorpion, the warriors must once again wage war against an entire army of invaders.

Refining the 2D side-scrolling genre the series established 20 years ago, Contra 4 delivers pure action at a fever pitch as players jump, shoot, and dodge oncoming hazards. Utilizing a new dual screen presentation, the action spans both screens of the Nintendo DS, giving players the opportunity to battle across expansive environments in which death can come from any direction. The use of both screens for the game's core action also allows for massive boss battles as players try to seek and destroy the weak points of sky-high enemies. A first for the series, Contra 4 introduces a grappling hook accessory that lets players grab onto elements of the environment directly above them. Whether using it to avoid oncoming dangers or attack from a strategic vantage point, the grappling hook allows for new combat situations and dramatic set pieces that underscore the game's adrenaline-soaked pedigree.

Continuing the multiplayer tradition of previous games in the series, Contra 4 lets two players battle together against Black Viper's army of vile alien forces and reclaim Earth for mankind.

Developed by WayForward Technologies, Contra 4 is planned for release on the Nintendo DS in 2007.