1up Blows Out <cite>Contra IV</cite>

1up has the Internet exclusive preview of Contra IV for Nintendo DS, and does the job right with a three-page hands-on blowout plus a Retro Roundup summarizing all the previous Contra games (hint: there were a lot after III). Says associate producer Tomm Hulett:

New Super Mario Bros.is a huge inspiration for us. Nintendo looked back and created a game that was based on the original Super Mario, not Mario 3 or Mario 64, and made a game that's feels like the original. That's exactly what we want to do here with Contra. We've gone back to Contra III for the controls, the weapon system, even the platforming, which is something that was lost in the later games.

Contra IV [1up]