"*sighs* No the word "Contact" won't be used overboard in this review."

The knock-out game for the DS in October

This game was definitely a change in direction when it comes to video games. Everything can be a huge mix as soon as you read the back of the box. As for any gamer, the back of the box could be the deciding factor of whether or not you'll buy that game. Okay now to the review.

The game starts out with a high-speed chase with two spaceships. In one of them, we find an old man being chase by the other, and he begins to crash down to a planet. Terry, a high-school bad ass who thinks he doens't have to go to school, skips today and then these two stories combine to form the one you're gonna start. The old man turns out to be a professor. who needs Terry's help.

Contact is a weird one. The leveling system can be very confusing to someone who doesn't take the time out to focus on each aspect on leveling up. *sighs* what I mean is that everything you do can help you to level up, whether you're reading books (which raises intelligence), fighting, (defense, strength, stamina), or simply running, which obviously increases your running speed. This game offers a lot of freedom as to where you can go; once you unlock a level, you can stop what ever you're doing and go there. It's very simplistic, which is great for the DS.

Gameplay, where every game gives the player the choice to either buy or burn. Contact has... wait for it... EXCELLENT GAMEPLAY!!!! Well, not excellent but very intriguing gameplay. As afore mentioned, your status are going up all over the place as you do certain things that raise them. Also, the menu system, allows the player to have over 20 different weapons, items, key items, etc. respectively. This is not the ordinary: 1 menu all the items. This is more: 1 menu for weapons, 1 for food and items, and let's add another just for whatever the **** you find. There's also a decal system in the game, which, as it sounds, allows the player to place "stickers on a menu that boost Terry's stats, depending on the decal. Very nice, but it is minor in comparison of the next factor...

The most important factor of this game is the costume system. You can equip different clothes which give your protagonist different abilities while wearing them. You know, because everyone likes to imagine they are someone else's while wearing different clothes... What, it's true! Certain costumes can put on weapons that others can't, and boost certain stats according to their element. Pretty cool huh?

This game offers jobs (no, you're not getting up at 7am and going to work) that can do a variety of things on their own. You can cook, fish, and even pick locks. The most disapointing thing about this system is the fact that you don't control anything that happens; everything is done random, based on your exp in that area. For example, when fishing, you only press the A button when the bobber goes down, and the computer and you exp takes it from there. It can get pretty aggravating pressing A over and over again because the damn game won't let you catch a fish. This also applies to lock-picking and cooking too, so nothing is excepted from this.

The sounds and music in this game are surprisingly good. It will come slowly, since in the first level, there basically is no music. But once you begin to here the beautiful music in the next island, you have got to put on headphones to full enjoy it. I can't tell you how many times I've destroyed everything, just so I can stand still and listen to the music of the stage I'm on. It's really good trust me.

Well, that about ends my review. You should get this game, or at least rent it from Gamefly.com. I liked it pretty much, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

I give it a 9, out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/06