OK, I'm in the middle of a hot date, so I really have to make this quick. Yeah, that's right, I care more about telling you guys about Contra ReBirth than I do about getting some action. That's how much I love you!

* The graphics are early SNES quality throughout. Sometimes they are a little better than Super Contra, sometimes a little worse.

* There is a lot more humor this time around. There were three or four moments when I actually lol'ed. The comedy is done with a totally straight face, which makes it all the better

* The game only have five levels. They range from Super Contra size to about half that. By far the game's weakest trait is that it's too short.

* Unlimited continues are nice. The game is still tough on Hard and the unlockable "Nightmare" difficulty setting, but it's much less frustrating that Contra 4 even at it's worst, because you never have to play the whole game over again. Well, I guess you would if lose all your lives on the first level on the first level, or if you have to turn off your game for a hot date or something.

* There are mid-level checkpoints now, even if you continue.

* The first boss is awesome, the second boss is funny, the third is pretty crazy with some quick deaths, the fourth is bizarre, the fifth is traditional, and the sixth is completely original and amazing. I love the sixth boss of Contra Rebirth very, very much.

* I recognized the first, second, and last stage music from prior Contra games. Like with Gradius ReBirth, the whole soundtrack may consist of remixes. I'm not sure.

* The storyline is awesome. It finally explains what a "Contra" is.

* There are two secret characters. They both rule. One of them yells "Let's attack aggressively" when you select them. Very awesome.

* There is Japanese guy now. He's awesome too.

* This game is AWESOME.

* The harder the difficulty you beat it on, the more of the ending you see.

Overall, this is the Contra game I see myself picking up and playing just for fun over the next few years. Technically, it's not as good as Contra 4, but I think ReBirth is more my speed. It's just easier to get co-op going on the Wii, and the difficulty of ReBirth isn't quite as ridiculous as Contra 4. Super Contra is great too, but I've played that game so many times by now that I pretty much have it memorized. I've beaten Contra Rebirth twice so far (once on Easy and once on Normal) and I'm still excited to play it again.

If you ever thought to yourself "I wish that Konami would put out five levels of DLC for Super Contra for $2 a piece..." then today is your lucky day. That's exactly what Contra ReBirth is; more Super Contra, with a little more comedy and craziness thrown in.

Ok, back to my date!