Contra: Shattered Soldier

"A better Contra-trap"

Alas after many years of wait for a game worthy of the Contra name, Konami delivers a commendable successor to the contra throne. Contra: Shattered Solider is a great throw-back to the 16 bit era, effectively duplicating everything you loved about the original Contra, yet changing the formula enough to make it feel like a whole new gaming experience.

A game about killing massive numbers of aliens in a violent rage doesn't necessarily need a story, but Konami through in one for good measure. Essentially Bill, or player one, has recently been awakened from some sort of cryogenic sleep to rid the earth of rapidly overtaking aliens. Lucia, or player 2, seems to be along for the ride as well.

Although the game is a side-scroller anyone would agree that this game looks great. The frame rate is unflinching during even the most congested of times and particle effects look sharp and dazzling. Flame effects, in particular, look especially good.

The sounds, while not as impressive as the visuals, get the job done. The music consist of adrenaline pumping techno, with occasional metal riffs. Sound effects on the other hand are decent , but are mostly forgettable.

Of course the Contra roots center around shooting and blowing things up, and Contra: Shattered Solider is no different. Sense you have unlimited ammo throughout your adventure you'll pretty much be holding down the fire button at all times. If there's one major gripe I have with this game is the weapons, or lack there of. The original Contra games featured a large array of weapons and weapon power ups to collect. In CSS you have your standard machine gun, a flame thrower, and a grenade launcher. Each also has its own special power up attacks as well. However, these are the only weapons you'll be seeing throughout CSS. As sad as that sounds it does give CSS a much more strategic feel. You'll have to use each weapon for each different kind of situation and enemy.

Speaking of which you'll be encountering hordes of enemies at all times. Which brings me to the point of dying. You will die, you will die a lot. In fact this is one of harder games you'll probably ever play. If you are to survive, you'll have to memorize every level perfectly. The Contra games are notable for their boss fights, and CSS is no exception. In fact about two thirds of your playing time will be boss battles. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if the game were a little longer. There are only seven levels, four are open from the beginning, and actually beating the game won't take you longer than two hours. Saving your game can also be a hassle as there is no in game save feature available.

As I stated earlier, this game is much more strategic than the original Contra games. Using different tactics is vital when it comes to boss fights as well. Playing with your friend in two player mode is even better. Planning out attack strategies is much easier with an extra gun handy. Controls are dead on as well and never miss a beat during the action. You can now lock your gun position in one direction so you won't constantly be trying to reconfigure your exact shooting style.

If you're a die hard Contra fan than you owe it to yourself to pick up Contra: Shattered Solider. It blends the on stop action and fast paced gameplay that action junkies are sure to enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/02, Updated 11/16/02