Wii Critic Reviews

Contra ReBirth is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, titles to hit WiiWare this year.

If you love Contra games, chances are you already know that Contra ReBirth is worth the 1000 points. But if you’ve never played a Contra title, and want to see what the fuss is all about, Contra ReBirth is an outstanding example of why so many gamers consider Konami the masters of runnin’ and gunnin’.

Contra Rebirth doesn’t represent a revolution in the actual gaming scene. Just because it doesn’t care at all. Contra is here, with its destruction, challenging gameplay and devastating fun: perfect for those who can appreciate it, the others could as well seek for something else, but not without knowing that they’re throwing away an option to see how much fun a good game can deliver.

Any retro gamer will want to download this one. Like last year's Mega Man 9, this is both an homage to classic gaming and a respectable new entry in a long-running series that can stand on its own.

Despite some shortcomings, Contra Rebirth is a fantastic download for Wii owners and at just $10, it provides a lot of fun at little cost.

Gradius ReBirth was a bit too short and easy compared to previous Gradius games (especially because previous games in the series already were pretty short), but with Contra ReBirth, Konami has struck the balance just right: there's only five levels, but they're all decently sized and quite challening to get through.

The run-and-gun shooting holds up extremely well to this day, and the level design is almost pitch perfect. However, it's an incredibly short romp, offering only a smidge of the variety that's locked up in the annals of the series. The lack of online co-op is a real bummer, too.

You can tell Konami has learned and knows how to pick up the elements which are really classic, restructure and focus them in a downloadable game, with classic style and direct action.

The only real problem with ReBirth is that the quantity of content doesn’t quite justify the $10 price tag. Other than that, it’s another fantastic download from Konami and perhaps one of the best Contra titles yet.

A brand new game lovingly crafted in a retro style. [Nov 2009, p.101]