"Side Scrolling action at its best"

Contra. The name alone known to hundreds and thousands of hardcore and casual gamers alike. Contra, arguably the best 2D shooters of the 16 and 8 bit era's now comes to the PS2. Konami had a lot of pressure to make sure this game stayed true to the original classics both in quality and gameplay(unlike the PSX versions). So is the PS2 version up there with the original? oh yeah.

Contra's graphics are nothing short of astounding. Incredibly smooth framerate that simply does not drop, gritty dark and stylish level and character design, and breath taking scenes make this one of the best looking PS2 games out there. Shattered Soilder's graphics accompany its beauty with detail, from cracked concrete to the wiring in some machine SS really has a great graphics department.

The music, though not as epic as the orignal themes were, still has some tunes that'll make you wanna torch the next poor bastard that gets in your way. All the guns, flames, explosions and other sounds of combat are executed well, as well as the noise of moving heavy machinery. The mix of heavy rock and heavy machinery blend well together to make you turn the volume up.

Contra plays like a dream. The refreshing gameplay certainly lives up to the name. This game is a good old fashioned side scroller, and it is simply THE BEST side scroller ever to be released. Now this may be because of the graphical acheivments possible today but hey, graphics and control make a great side scroller and this game definatley has some tight handling. You have your typical jump, duck, and run as well as being able to jump while on certain vehicles, Contra by no means is easy, this game is TOUGH. Even on Normal, this game makes you utilize the simple movement controls and basically forces you to perfrom matrix-like moves to avoid fire(and explosions). But i can garuntee that the first time you play through ANY of the levels, the gameplay twists are sure to have you react in awe.

Contra: Shattered Soilder definatley succeeds the name Contra, this game has the ability to reach legendary status and falls short to no action game out right now, this is definatley gonna be among the top 3 games this month(second to possibly Vice City).

How it stacks up:
Max Payne - 8
Dynasty Warriors 3 - 9
Contra III: Alien Wars - 9

Graphics: 9
Music/SFX: 8
Control: 10
Replay Value: 9
Overall: 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/23/02, Updated 10/23/02