Neo Contra
Encyclopedia
is the tenth video game in the Contra series by Konami
. It was developed by Team Neo Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the 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.
when the Earth
has been transformed into a prison
planet
, home to criminals and political rebels. 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 Contras (elite warriors), who are called the Four Elite, united under the command of mysterious Master Contra. 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. After defeating the Four Elite, heroes discover the truth behind "Neo Contra", which is a facade for "Project C", a plan to create half-human AI from Bill Rizier's DNA, to be an ultimate weapon, which is now Master Contra. Bill Rizer himself is just a clone of original one, a side-objective of "Project C". With the help of Mystery G, an elder Contra operative, the heroes managed to defeat Master Contra and put an end to "Project C".
, players only need to aim in third dimension upon rare occasions. Additionally, this title eradicates the boss-oriented gameplay of Hard Corps
and the previous 32-bit titles, and seeks a balance more reminiscent of the 8-bit and SNES Contra games; 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. The Type F configuration features the GV Laser and Ripple Laser, both weapons from Gradius V
.
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.
General resources
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
. It was developed by Team Neo Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in 2004. The game is a direct follow-up to Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier, published in Japan as is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. It was developed by Team Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002...
and is another departure from the traditional scrolling shooter formula from previous games.
Plot
Neo Contra takes place during A.D. 44445th millennium
The fifth millennium is a period of time that will begin on January 1, 4001, and will end on December 31, 5000.-Astronomical events:* 4285 : Venus occults Regulus.* 4296 : Venus occults Antares....
when the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
has been transformed into a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
, home to criminals and political rebels. 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 Contras (elite warriors), who are called the Four Elite, united under the command of mysterious Master Contra. Thus, Bill Rizer is partnered with Genbei "Jaguar" Yagyu, a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, and the two are sent to Earth to deal with the Neo Contra threat. After defeating the Four Elite, heroes discover the truth behind "Neo Contra", which is a facade for "Project C", a plan to create half-human AI from Bill Rizier's DNA, to be an ultimate weapon, which is now Master Contra. Bill Rizer himself is just a clone of original one, a side-objective of "Project C". With the help of Mystery G, an elder Contra operative, the heroes managed to defeat Master Contra and put an end to "Project C".
Cast
- Bill Rizer (Bob BuchholzBob BuchholzBob Buchholz is a voice actor, writer, story editor, and voice director. He is also known as Robert Wicks, Robert Buchholz, Bob Bucholz, Robert Bucholz, and Robert Wickes.- Anime roles :* Akira - Ryu...
) - Bill, the supreme Contra warrior, is once again awoken from his cryogenicCryogenicsIn physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
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. He is, in fact, a clone of original Bill Rizer, a side result of military "Project C". - Genbei "Jaguar" Yagyu (Beau BillingsleaBeau BillingsleaBeau M. Billingslea is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Jet Black from the popular anime Cowboy Bebop. In addition to voice acting, Billingslea has appeared in many popular TV series as a prolific guest actor...
) - A samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
Contra, who is Bill's new partner. A mysterious humanoidHumanoidA humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
alien in the forty-fifth century who follows the code of the Samurai. He is the only character able to wield Katana, the most powerful weapon in the game. - The Four Hell Warriors of Neo Contra - The four elite members of the "Neo Contra" organization:
- Guerilla Contra (Bob PapenbrookBob PapenbrookRobert DeWayne "Bob" Papenbrook was an American voice actor. Fellow voice actors often nicknamed him "Pappy". He was very well known in the worlds of anime and video game voice-overs for his voice acting of "gruff" characters...
): the pipe-smoking military commander. - Plant Contra (Kirk ThorntonKirk ThorntonKirk Thornton is an American voice actor.-Bio:He is known for playing tough or grouchy men in English-dubbed anime and video games. His career includes Hotohori in Fushigi Yūgi and Jin in Samurai Champloo...
): the plant/cyborg hybrid. - Pheromone Contra (Wendee LeeWendee LeeWendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
): Lucia (aka Bionoid LCR), who once assisted Bill during the events of Contra: Shattered Soldier. - Animal Contra (voice unknown): the talking bull terrierBull TerrierThe Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...
.
- Guerilla Contra (Bob Papenbrook
- Mystery G (Doug Stone) - A mysterious elderly Contra operative.
- Master Contra (Steven Jay BlumSteven BlumSteven Jay Blum is an American voice actor known primarily for his work in anime dubs and video games, using his distinctive deep voice. Among his credits include the voice of Spike Spiegel of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and Mugen of the anime series Samurai Champloo...
) - The leader of "Neo Contra" and threat to humanity. He is, in fact, the main result of "Project C": ultimate war machine, a bionic AI, which consists of original Bill Rizer's DNA and consciousness combined with cybernetics and weapons of mass destruction.
Gameplay
Neo Contra once again brings the games arena back into three dimensions. However, unlike the titles developed under Appaloosa InteractiveAppaloosa Interactive
Appaloosa Interactive is a corporation, founded in 1983 in Hungary, that produced numerous console games, computer programs and Hungarian TV-commercials during the 1980s and 90's. The company's headquarters are currently in Palo Alto, California, and it is the parent company and owner of two...
, players only need to aim in third dimension upon rare occasions. Additionally, this title eradicates the boss-oriented gameplay of Hard Corps
Contra: Hard Corps
Contra: Hard Corps, released in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Probotector, is a side-scrolling run and gun-style shoot-'em-up video game released by Konami for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in...
and the previous 32-bit titles, and seeks a balance more reminiscent of the 8-bit and SNES Contra games; 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
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
perspective, but portions are side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
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
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier, published in Japan as is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. It was developed by Team Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002...
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. The Type F configuration features the GV Laser and Ripple Laser, both weapons from Gradius V
Gradius V
Gradius V is a Japanese-developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004. Gradius V was largely developed under contract by the Treasure team responsible for Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga under supervision of Konami's internal development...
.
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.
Reception
- GameDaily: 6/10
- Kikizo: 7.8/10
- Pelit (Finland): 85/100
- GamesTM: 4/10
- GameInformer: 7.75/10
- PALGN: 6.5/10
- Play UK: 60/100
- PSW Magazine UK: 7/10
- PSX Extreme: 7.2/10
- NTSC Uk: 4/10
- HonestGamers: 7/10
External links
Official websitesGeneral resources