"Retro gaming at its finest"

Along with Castlevania and Metal Gear, Contra is one of Konami's most cherished franchises. However, while Metal Gear has gone on to greatness on the PSX and PS2, Castlevania and Contra stumbled badly during the 32-bit era. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of the best games ever, but the Nintendo 64 versions were pathetic. The Contra incarnations on the PSX were just disastrous and an insult to anyone who loved Contra and gaming in general. However, Konami has done an excellent job restoring the luster of Castlevania on the Gameboy Advance, and now they look to do the same with Contra on the PS2. The result is a game which will please old-school gamers and dishearten new-generation gamers who grew up on the Playstation.

Graphics:
As with all games, the gameplay is the most important thing when considering the merits of a game, but I must say that the graphics in Contra: Shattered Soldier are gorgeous. There is just so much going on in these screens that you'll probably never catch it all. The game is set up in the typical Contra 2D side-scrolling tradition with the new addition of 3D graphics. The result is awesome to behold. Player characters and enemies are very detailed, and the bosses are very intimidating. The FMVs which tell the story are not quite up to the quality of Squaresoft's, but they are also very nice.

Score: 10/10

Sound:
Contra has a great, driving soundtrack to get you in the mood to kill aliens. The music really fits the scenes and the boss battles. The sound effects are also well-done and add to the chaos present in the game.

Score: 10/10

Gameplay:
Ah, yes, the traditional Contra gameplay makes a much-welcomed return. Gamers who got into playing in the Playstation era may become quickly discouraged here. Make no mistake, this game is HARD. At times you'll have so many enemies coming at you that you won't know what to do. The key to conquering Contra is trial and error and knowing when to use each of your weapons. In fact, the weapons are the only thing I find at fault in the gameplay. You receive three weapons, each with infinite ammo, and each also has a secondary firing function, making for basically a total of six weapons. You must master the uses of these to complete the game. However, I wish that there had been additional weapons you could pick up on the fly, giving you even more ways to kick butt. This is a small quibble, because this game is just super fun to play and offers plenty of replayability with plenty of unlockable bonuses. I just hope most newbies to gaming will give it a chance before returning it to the store for a refund because of its difficulty.

Score: 9/10

Storyline:
The story in Contra is really not the main focus of the game, but it is fairly entertaining nonetheless. You have two main characters: Bill, one of the heroes of the original Contra games, and Lucia, his android overseer. Bill has been in a cryogenic sleep for crimes committed during the Alien Wars. However, the Triumvirate is forced to revive him because of the threat of a terrorist organization. Sure, it's not the greatest story ever, but it can be interesting.

Score: 8/10

Overall impressions:
Simply, Contra: Shattered Soldier is one of the finest releases on the PS2 to date. Konami has truly returned the series to its roots and produced a gem of an experience. Contra has it all: great gameplay, awesome graphics and sound, and replayability. I strongly urge all gamers to take the plunge and purchase Contra to experience some old-school gaming. If the challenge is too much, just go play a Mary Kate and Ashley game instead. For true gamers, this is a very special game and one of the best releases of the year.

Overall score (not an average): 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/02, Updated 10/27/02