Contra: Shattered Soldier

"Not one of Konami's best shows"

Sure, I am a big Contra fan. I'm not ashamed of that. I love almost all of the Contra games, but this one was quite disappointing. Why? You ask. Well, I think that the sound was pretty bad (even though I am a rock fan) and the sound effects weren't that great also. I'm not bothered by the graphics, but the game play is what got me. There is set weapons that you can loose and the bosses and levels were WAY to similar to Contra III.

The first new feature in Contra: Shattered Soldier is the weaponry. Unlike in previous Contra games, there is a set of weapons that you have with you even when you get hit. There are three main weapons that you can fire and then each of them has a charge shot. A charge shot takes time to warm up your gun that are more powerful than you normal weapons. This feature was kind of the first bummer because there is really no point in trying you keep your weapons. In the other Contra games, you would loose your weapon and start with your default weapon.

Another new feature that I still can't figure out is that in this game you are given continues and eight lives at the start of each game. This just ate a big bite out of this games score. For most games you would need a code to get that many lives! Why they did this, I have absolutely no idea. In previous Contra games you were given about five lives and three continues, then you would have to start over at the beginning.

Like in previous Contra games, this game has no system of level codes or any way of saving in this game. This isn't new to Contra fans and adds a level of difficulty, but then with almost infinite continues, saving or codes doesn't serve much of a purpose. If you get a game over, which means you loose all of your lives, not continues, you start from the beginning of a level. If you are halfway through a level, which is a predetermined part, you can start from there.

Probably the newest yet most annoying feature of this game is the ranking system you get at the end of the level. During the game you will see a percent at the top of the screen. This is determined by the amount of enemies you kill. At the end of your level the number of lives lost and continues you used is subtracted from the percent of enemies you killed. This will determine your final percentage and your rank. The system itself is a good idea and adds a level of challenge to the game, but the thing that annoys me is this: There are usually five levels in a normal game in Contra: Shattered Soldier but there is a hidden sixth. To get to the sixth level, you need to get an overall ranking of B or A. This takes away from the game play because some who aren't as good and can't get a B or A ranking can't play this stage.

Graphics
The graphics are possibly the best thing in this game. This game is still a side-scrolling 2-D run and gun, but the graphics are much improved since the last Contra games. Any explosions are very detailed and very well drawn. The animations are also very good, but since when can Lance do a double front-flip in the air? Well I guess forever but that is still pretty cheap. There are a few FMVs in this game. They aren't horrible and are better than GTA: VC's FMVs but still aren't that good.

Sound
As you will notice, the sound in this game is very different than we have seen in the past. The music takes on a metal/punk sound throughout the whole game. This is great at first, especially if you like that music. Then after a while your saying, “Shut Up!” I definitely like the music from the previous Contra games a lot better than this one. The sound effects are more innovative than the last few games. The explosions and gun shots are very loud and clear.

Story
If you know anything about Contra games, aliens have invaded the Earth and you need to save it. In this game you play as Lance once again, but Bill was killed in the previous war. The story doesn't play a major role in the game but plays a larger roll than in other Contra games. There are a few FMV's that have a few plot twists but still not that impressive.

Game Play
Like I said, this game isn't up to par with the other Contra games. There were new features added that may be for the worst. I don't like the ranking system and would rather have the game play more like older Contra games. Konami may have taken a turn for the worst with this game. The one bad thing about this game is that it is way too much like Contra III. The levels are pretty new but the bosses are basically just improved graphics. For example, the final boss is just the same as in Contra III except it is on the bottom of the screen. And the first level boss is basically just an Alien Tortoise.

Replay Value
Games with bad game play usually have low replay value. So does this one. I played this game a few times just until I beat it. Haven't played it since.

Overall
Overall, I was disappointed with this game. It was way too much like Contra III. The sound was disappointing, and the replay value is low. The story is the best in a Contra game and the graphics are pretty good but alas, this is definitely one of the less impressive Contra games.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/06