"A game that you'll only continue playing to stab citizens"

Contact is one of those Atlus games that'll end up being rare within a year of it's release and will become a respected cult classic like all Atlus games right? Nah. All across your local area Wal-Marts, Targets, or whatever they ares lie copies of Contact. Not even the diehard eat'em up audience of Atlus was buyin' this game. Why? The game generally makes you muddle through without knowing what the latest point of advancement is while the gameplay bores you to death with it's lack of variety.

Graphics: 6/10

The graphics are reminiscent of Golden Sun and Mega Man Battle Network. On the top screen you'll see the appropriately named Professor and his pet companion Mochi inside the lab where they direct you. Everything within this screen is contained in black outlines, including the Professor and Mochi themselves. On the bottom screen you'll see the characters throughout the world have no outlines and the backgrounds are really well done. The characters on the other hand lack definition. The enemies, even the main ones are fairly generic. The only way you'd know you're facing a big baddy is if he/she tells you. You'll find yourself looking at Terry on the cover, in the manual, and in his numerous costumes and seeing no relation to any of them.

Gameplay: 6/10

This is where the game really tries to stretch it's legs but instead falls flat on it's face. Contact is an action RPG that tries to give you a broad amount of weapons to fight with. In addition to the weapons you receive costumes in a sort of non leveling job system that allows you to learn new abilities. These costumes often times give you stat increases for using a certain type of weapon along with them. You probably won't bother with most of the costumes though, and honestly there's too many stats to care with a battle system as boring as this one. Speaking of boring battle systems, Contact for all it's effort in using a job system and multitude of stats ends up being a game where you A) smash your enemy with your choice of weapon and B) heal yourself. There is basically no sense of strategy in the game. It boils down to being a hack and slash action RPG even when engaging bosses and this makes the fighting horribly boring.

Story: 6/10

It starts fairly interesting with the Professor's ship crashing down where you live or something or another. He makes contact with you hence the name contact, and you start to control Terry. Some bad guys are pursuing the Professor, blah blah blah. The game for what it's worth is actually funny pretty often. It's just that it's short and the main story becomes uninteresting.

Sound: 4/10

I think the composer of this video game sought to incite either fury or boredom into the player. Seriously, all of the themes used meld into and out of each other without you noticing. It sounds like one long, boring song is strung out the entire time. The battle theme which kicks in when you engage is the only real sonic difference goin' on and I'd rather it was just the other music. Of course there are blips and whatnot for attacking and talking, but they have a very dated sound about them.

Final Call: 6/10

The game is something to play if you're starved for some action RPGs on the DS, but I'd say pick up Zelda or the latest Mana game instead. Funny dialogue and stacked growth system don't make up for the insipid gameplay, sound, and disappointing story.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/08

Game Release: Contact (US, 10/19/06)