Contra IV is probably the toughest Contra game since Hard Corps. It took me at least eight hours (over the course of two days) to finish the game on normal mode. Seriously, even the first level is totally brutal -- the pop-up turrets remind me of those in the first level in the original Contra, but they're so fast in Contra IV that I sometimes die even as I anticipate them.
Admittedly, there is some rather unnecessary difficulty associated with the dual screen layout, but it's very rare and I'm glad for that; I was amazed that the dual screens didn't bother me much at all. In fact, most levels cleverly take advantage of the setup, especially where the grappling hook is involved. The grappling hook is vital for some of the bosses as well, but like all boss fights in the game, some are very well designed and others fall flat. I was particularly disappointed with the Contra III Terminator homage -- it's super cool how he chases after you in the hallway, and the ensuing decapitation is even cooler, but the method for killing him is totally vanilla, especially if you have a machine gun. Speaking of which, the stacked weapons were a great idea (and occasionally create some great risk/reward dilemmas), but the double machine gun is just broken. I mean, with it you can't even enjoy the second boss fight (one of the best in the game) because you kill the alien almost as soon as it starts. That boss's entry was awesome though -- the creepy shift in music totally took my mind back (once again) to the Contra III Terminator boss.
As for the music, there are definitely some good tunes but it was nowhere near as impressive as Contra III's amazing soundtrack. The way the music slowly crescendos as you move from miniboss to miniboss on the last level is one of my favorite parts of Contra III. I do know that the music on hard mode in Contra IV is different, and from what I played of it (the first three levels), it is better than the normal mode music. Oh, and I don't know jack about the DS hardware, but the audio quality sounds worse than the Super NES.
Finally, the challenges are a sweet addition, although I only completed enough to unlock Contra and Super C. It's my little sister's DS, not mine, so I had to grudgingly leave it behind when I left home last weekend. This was the first game that ever made me seriously consider buying a handheld for myself though, which is something I've never done because I dislike playing games on such small screens and I generally think the games are well below the standards of the best home console games anyway. Handheld or not though, Contra IV is the real deal.
