Contact

"Quirky game by Grasshopper & Atlus"

Contact is one of the most far-out, original games I've ever played. It's unexplainable in easy terms such as "3D RPG Game". It just doesn't work that way for Contact. However, I could quote the back of Contact's box and it would be a perfect explination:

Things you WON'T find in Contact:
A dull moment. Normalcy. A guy with spikey hair and/or amnesia. Dramatic monologues. The same battles you've been fighting since the 16-bit era.

Things you WILL find in Contact:
Monkeys. Cosmic terrorists. Powerful attack stickers. Fishing. Cooking. Humor. Fun with Nintendo Wi-Fi. Deeper meaning in life.* Costumes that increase your power and make you more fun to be around

*Results may vary.

That's a perfect explination of Contact. A fun game- that's near impossible to not like. After all, it is translated by Atlus.

Storyline
Imagine this: You are yourself. You first make 'contact' with a Professor from outerspace as he is crash landing on a planet. The Professor then 'kidnaps' the main character (Terry, name is customizable), and you're off on your adventure. You're the link between the Professor and Terry once the adventure starts. However, even though you play as 'yourself', you still control the main character and play it as a regular RPG game.

Gameplay
There isn't much to explain about the Gameplay of Contact. It's like any regular RPG game, you use weapons and kill the baddies. Typical monsters can be found on Contact, such as snakes, mummies, blobs, sheep, cow & much, much more. However, you do get some awesome 'stickers' in this game. Using these, events happen that can help you on your quest. For example, a sticker summons the Professors dog to help you kill some of the baddies. There are 'mystery' stickers which are randomly given to you when you defeat a monster. Costumes also enhance your experience by allowing you to train with them.

There are multiple costumes, each with its own ability. For more information on these costumes, I would advise you to head over to the Message Board and read the pinned topic on Costumes. (Not going to link just in case the topic changes)

The status system is quite different in this game. Each stat has it's own level and every monster you kill increases the stats experience. You level up your stats randomly throughout battles, and the effect immediately comes into play. Weapons will increase stats, and decrease them just like any other game.

The battle system however is not that different. You take turns in a sense battling a monster. Whenever you press "B" you enter battle pose. This slows you down, but is the only way you can strike back an opponent. After that, it's just the same old hitting and taking damage. It's a 'turn base' attack mode, which sort of gets annoying. Most of the time, I end up mashing my A button. Pressing "X" allows you to bring up the Menu, and "Y" is your technique option. Skills & the such are accessible here, and can be used in battle. "R" allows you to use your decals (stickers) and you may, again, also use these in battle. Pressing "L" changes the target of the monster you are attacking.

Miscellanious Info
There's a pretty good replay value in this game. However, you won't be playing this game over ten times or the such. There are things to unlock in previous dungeons with new costumes, mini-games to play, cook more food, and more. It's just like any other game- if you enjoy playing it, you'll be playing it again for fun.

The game is quite hard to find in stores due to the fact that it's an Atlus game, so you'd want to make sure it's in store before taking the trip over. I ended up getting it only an hour after shippment, and when coming back ten or so minutes later, the store clerk informed me they were sold out.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/06