Konami’s Contra has been synonymous with arcade shooting action since its debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The gameplay was fast and unforgiving – you get hit once, you lose a life. Luckily, players had the ultimate cheat – the Konami Code – that gave them tons of extra lives to get through the game.

Contra 4 for Nintendo DS, a true homage to the original, takes that fast-paced side-scroller and makes it playable on two screens. In the E3 demo, it didn’t take long to tell that the grappling hook would play a key role in winning at Contra 4. The X Button activates the hook that can attach itself to ledges appearing on the top screen, enabling the player to freely move from one plane to the other.

Latch onto helicopters with the grappling hook.

The new Contra is loaded with power-ups, but you’ll need to train your eye to look at the second screen – where most of the action isn’t taking place – to catch them as they fly by. Outside of the dual-screened gameplay and some slick animations, Contra 4 looks very similar, graphically, to the original trilogy.

Double the screens, double the danger.

Two-player co-operative play is also making a comeback, allowing players to connect wirelessly and battle Black Viper’s army together. It was obvious from the demo that players will need to sharpen their old-school shooting skills if they want to make it through this game alive!