Konami has announced that Contra Rebirth is now available on Nintendo's WiiWare service for 1000 Waggle Points.  The game features brand new graphics and art as well as two player local co-op play that made Contra so popular.   Once again you'll be tasked with saving planet Earth and blowing up everything you see on the screen.  

Sounds simple.  Then the bullets start flying.  I wonder if you can Waggle Up-Up, Down-Down, Left-Right, Left-Right, B, A, Select, Start.

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We've had our eye on this article for quite some time, and since our resident classic co-op guy (that would be me!) has been away from his beloved MAME cabinet this week, the time is now right.  TechRadar's The History of Co-Op Gaming is an excellent read for any fan of co-op.

Gauntlet, Contra, and Smash TV are all discussed, which pleases us since we've covered all those for Co-Op Classics in the past in some form.  Gauntlet is cited as one of the earliest co-op games, and the lessons learned from that game even effect modern co-op games.  The article doesn't follow a strict chronology, instead focusing on innovations like the MMO and voice communication.

Hopefully sometime soon, we'll have a more detailed history of co-op gaming here at Co-Optimus (yeah we should have thought of this first).  In the meantime, head over to TechRadar and tell us what you think! 

Source: Link

It's a good week to be a fan of old school co-op!  One of the most beloved franchises in co-op history is headed to the Wii.  The appropriately titled Contra Rebirth will be released on Japan's WiiWare service next week.  As you can tell from the screenshots above, Contra Rebirth is quite retro, looking like it popped up out of a Super Nintendo cartidge.

As a classic game fan, I love to see new entries in old school series released on download services.  Mega Man 9 seems to have gone over well, and I am sure Contra Rebirth will too.  No word yet on when, or if, Rebirth will hit other regions, but we sure hope it's soon.  In the meantime, check out the first gameplay footage.

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One of the best things about video game customization, is our ability to pay homage to our favorite things. Since the games release, Little Big Planet has been huge on player created content reminiscing the side-scrolling classics, including Mario, Mega Man, Sonic, and even (kind of) Tetris to name a few.

As the challenge to create impressive stages increased after, someone went above and beyond to put together all of the stages from Contra, in it's beautiful 8 level glory, with specific details to knock your socks off. To watch the video 30 times, hit: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start! (Or just push play 30 times.)

That's right two of the greatest co-op games of all time Little Big Planet and Contra together at least. 

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