Neo Contra

Neo Contra
The North American and European packaging artwork for Neo Contra was drawn by comic book artist Jim Lee.[1]
Developer(s)	Konami TYO
Publisher(s)	Konami
Designer(s)	Takayuki Ando (director) Nobuya Nakazato (producer)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	NA October 26, 2004 JP November 3, 2004 EU February 25, 2005
Genre(s)	Run and gun
Mode(s)	Single player, Cooperative
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature CERO: 15+ PEGI: 12+ OFLC: G 8+
Media	1 DVD
Input methods	Gamepad

Neo Contra (ネオコントラ^?) is the tenth video game in the Contra series by Konami. It was released for the Sony PlayStation 2 in 2004. The game is a direct follow-up to Contra: Shattered Soldier and is another departure from the traditional scrolling shooter formula from previous games.

Plot and setting

Neo Contra takes place during A.D. 4444 when the Earth has been transformed into a prison planet, home to criminals and political rebels (contras). From this underworld society rises a new order called "Neo Contra". This government quickly showed its true colors, as it has other plans than bringing back normal civilization. Carrying out this new threat are four renegade contra, who are called the Four Elite. Thus, Bill Rizer is partnered with Genbei "Jaguar" Yagyu, a samurai, and the two are sent to Earth to deal with the Neo Contra threat.

Cast

Protagonists

• Bill Rizer (voiced by Bob Buchholz) - Bill is once again awoken from his cryogenic sleep of nearly two thousand years. He is now ordered to destroy the Neo Contra threat, a new organization that poses a much deep threat to the world.

• Genbei "Jaguar" Yagyu (v.b. Beau Billingslea) - A samurai, who is Bill's new partner. A mysterious humanoid alien in the forty-fifth century who follows the code of the Samurai. He is the only character able to wield the Katana, the most powerful weapon in the game.

Antagonists

• Pheromone Contra (v.b. Wendee Lee) - Her true identity is that of Lucia, also known as Bionoid LCR, a red-eyed female cyborg who first appeared in Contra: Shattered Soldier as Bill's parole officer and partner, where she was sent to accompany and assist Bill's endeavors. She has now sided with the enemy and attempts to destroy Bill and Jaguar.

• Plant Contra (v.b. Kirk Thornton) - A robot/plant hybrid who can take the form and shape of a huge plant.

• Animal Contra - A canine with human intelligence.

• Guerilla Contra (v.b. Bob Papenbrook) - A mad pipe smoking general.

• Master Contra ((v.b. Steven Jay Blum)) - The leader of Neo Contra and threat to humanity. He is a weapon comprised of Bill Rizer's mind, inside of a new body. Aside from that not much is known about him.

Supporting character

• Mystery G (v.b. Doug Stone) - Very little is known about him, although he wears a Contra uniform. He seems to see Bill as more of a friendly rival, and less of an enemy. An old war veteran who knows a lot about why Bill was brought back.

Gameplay

Neo Contra once again brings the games arena back into three dimensions. However, unlike the titles developed under Appaloosa Interactive, players only need to aim in third dimension upon rare occasions. Additionally, this title eradicates the boss-oriented gameplay of the previous 32-bit titles, and seeks a balance more reminiscent of the 8-bit and 16-bit Contras; long free-form shooting sections, interspliced with boss encounters.

Additionally, gameplay varies depending upon the level and camera angle presented (the camera cannot be user-controlled). Most of the game is played in an isometric perspective, but portions are side-scrolling or overhead-behind. The player cannot jump. Instead, two new defensive moves are added that allows the player to effectively evade in the new dimensions: dash and spin. Dash gives the player a quick burst of speed to evade hostiles, while spin gives the player an instant of invulnerability. The hit-ratio system that was introduced in Shattered Soldier has been kept in this title.

The game uses a modified version of the three-weapon configuration from Shattered Soldier. The player has two types of firearms used against ground-level targets, one with regular ammo and the other with flammable rounds, and a third weapon used to lock-on airborne targets. The player can choose from one of the three initially available weapon sets (one which includes the famous Spread Shot from the earlier Contra games, which was missing in Shattered Soldier), with three additional sets that are time-release.

There are a total of seven stages in the game. Like Shattered Soldier, the four initial stages can played in any order and be replayed anytime for higher grading. The fifth stage can only be selected by clearing the first four stages, while the sixth and seventh stages are only available if players maintain an above average grade overall. There is a difficulty setting in the options menu, and playing on Easy difficulty grants players 30 lives to beat the first four missions, but on this difficulty it is impossible to view the game's ending. Normal mode offers players 5 lives and 7 continues to complete the seven missions of the game.

References

External links

Official websites

• Japanese website

General resources

• Neo Contra at GameFAQs
• Neo Contra at MobyGames