I’m running terribly behind on this GameSpite update, because I’m a scatterbrained doofus, mainly. So I’m breaking up this week’s update into two posts…which isn’t actually a bad idea in general, as it gives each article a little more breathing space. And breathing space is what this article truly deserves, because by the end of it you will be breathless from the indescribable affection and sheer, uh, grokery Kishi displays for the subject.
Contra 4
It’s a shame Prop 8-4 passed, banning people from marrying retro-style video games, ’cause Kishi + Contra 4 is a match made in heaven. But maybe it’s just as well, because that unrequited passion has been transmuted into a great read. If ever you’ve wondered what it’s like to read something by someone who really gets the subject matter, this is it.
I don’t think I can bring myself to love anything half as much as Kishi proves he loves Contra in this article.
Damn you, Kishi, for making me hate this cold, dead lump in my chest that used to be a heart.
This is required reading. No publications I’ve read have made me realize just how amazing the artwork in Contra 4 is. It makes me lustful for that co-op feeling I’ve not had since the original Quake or Gunstar Heroes.
Kishi + Tomm = BFF
Is there any way we can retcon this to be every gaming publication’s review of Contra 4? Kishi has penned the definitive review and commentary on Contra 4, and the unwashed masses must hear of it.
It’s so amazing that the love coming from this piece is palpable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWdxIp6PtbQ is the song Kishi heard when he first played Contra 4.
I have to dissent with the idea that Shattered Soldier is only for action-game savants; I can’t even clear Stage 3 of Hard Corps without judicious cheating but can finish SS with an A rank. The better you understand the weapon system, the easier the game becomes, and it’s every bit as satisfying, to myself at least, as clearing whole stages with the Spread Gun.
Yay! This is great!
I agree on the missile ordeal being the best sequence in the game by far. I think one of the things that’s amused me most is that you only get the “real” Contra music if you play Hard Mode. Contra 4 hates mediocrity :)
Awesome writeup on Contra 4… it speaks to me like no other! ;)