Neo Contra: what does the 3rd generation have to offer?

17 years ago you were frantically tapping up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, (select), start.  My how things have changed. Well, it's still one hit kills, and you're still packing serious heat, but this is the 3rd generation, what's new? Neo Contra expands on the series' fast-action gameplay by offering an ever-changing view of the action. From the start, players will have a choice between four levels. The one Konami has been showing off features a top-down perspective and has players blasting away in all directions, pausing only to dodge enemy fire by rolling to the side or erecting a temporary energy shield. Instead of grabbing power-ups throughout the level, you'll choose your weapons at the beginning, assigning them to three different slots. There's a fairly limited selection to start, but rest assured you'll be unlocking the big guns sooner or later. So while the basic run-n-gun premise, featuring hordes of enemies and ginormous boss fights, is unchanged, the newest generation of Contra looks to add a fresh flavor to the franchise (is that a samurai sword on his back?).