PlayStation 2

Contra: Shattered Soldier

Contra: Shattered Soldier is like crack. Pure, uncut, digital crack. After playing it I realize I have the solution to this country's drug problem. Round up every addict that ever played Contra, even just once. Round 'em up, put 'em in a room, and make them play Contra: Shattered Soldier for like five, ten hours straight. Then go check on them. They'll never touch another drug. They'll never put down the controller, but they'll never touch another drug again. Ever. It's that addicting.

Contra: Shattered Soldier?s combination of old-school shooter gameplay and high-end graphics makes it a blast to play and a worthy successor to the legendary franchise.

So here's the plan: Rent a copy of Contra: Shattered Soldier and get a buddy, some pizza and coke, because you will be able to whip through this game with ease over a weekend. Sure, there are secret levels to be unlocked by your hit rate percentage (there are certain key enemies in a level that give you points on your “hit rate” meter), but the replay value would be best enjoyed if you just rented the game when you want to play it (that way you save about 40 bucks). By all means, play this action packed game and figure out each bosses patterns and cover your buddy as he goes in for the kill. Give 'em hell kid, because that's what's going to rain down on you.

In the end, after its debut at E3 this past May, a worthy new Contra title has finally arrived in the form of Contra: Shattered Soldier. KCET successfully risen this franchise from the pit in which it fell into, during the 32-bit era on the Playstation. Contra: SS looks great, plays like a dream, and controls superbly well. It's challenging for even the most self-proclaimed "l33t" (translation: elite) gamer out there, but at the same time it's also one of the best side-scrolling shooters you'll play in a long, long time. The co-op mode and the rewards will keep you coming back, though regardless of that, you would comeback anyways. Contra: Shattered Soldier is a sure fire hit. Contra fans run to your retailer now and put down the fifty bones with tax for this rare gem. Thank you, KCET!

Contra: Shattered Soldier does a lot of things right, but sadly it is mainly for the purest of pure hardcore gamers. Shattered Soldier’s steep learning curve and INCREDIBLY difficult gameplay, will not please a mainstream gamer too much. The game is hard, the damage is unifying, and the destruction will complete any part of you that you may think you’re missing; I wouldn’t see it any other way. Warning, this game can (and probably will) raise your temper VERY fast. Old Contra fans will probably enjoy the game, and if they’ve got enough patience, I’m sure that anybody who thinks it’s interesting could probably get in to it enough and have enough determination to complete it.

Ca fait tout drôle de revenir en arrière comme ça. Voilà un remake mené de main de maître et qui va faire plaisir aux vieux briscards à qui il s'adresse presque exclusivement. Pour autant, j'avoue qu'au bout d'un moment, ce gameplay à l'ancienne m'a un peu fatigué. Je crois avoir plus soif de nouveauté que de revival. Mais d'autres, comme Romendil, sont toujours sous le charme après des heures de jeu. Un excellent titre d'action pure réservé aux vétérans désireux de revivre leurs premiers émois. Vous n'avez plus qu'à choisir votre camp.

Contra: Shattered Soldier may be destined to become the most noble commercial failure on PlayStation 2. You see, we love this game, and yet at the same time we know that so many modern gamers will hate it. It does everything wrong when it comes to success in the modern market -- it is well-made in a classic style, it has a tight graphics engine with minimal overdone flash, and it is harder than hell.

If you're looking for some good old fashioned, side scrolling shoot 'em up action on your PlayStation 2 then Contra: Shattered Soldier will fit the bill very nicely. Fans of the series will also be pleased with what's on offer here. However the challenge and indeed relative shortness of the title may come as a big shock to those who are unfamiliar with these kind of games.

Contra: Shattered Soldier is a great trip back down memory lane for hardcore gamers and fans of the Super Nintendo game. The biggest problem is that the game is more a test of memory about enemy locations rather then skilled pattern or puzzle solving. It's also pretty damn tough. It only took me about 120 seconds to lose all my lives on the first attempt.

There's no denying that Konami's Contra is a classic. First released in arcades back in 1987 and later successfully ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System, the action-packed shooter featured a mix of side-scrolling and pseudo-3D levels, a number of powerful weapons, lots of tough opponents, and plenty of surprises. Impressive graphics, an excellent musical score, and two-player simultaneous gameplay ensured the game's long-term popularity, and a couple of great sequels--particularly the outstanding Contra III: The Alien Wars--helped turn Contra into one of Konami's best-known franchises. And now, after hitting a couple of bum notes during the late '90s, the Contra series returns in what can easily be described as an homage to the series' roots.

It is often said that a game is greater than the sum of its parts, and this over-used thought is true of Contra as well. All of the above nit-picking aside, Shattered Soldier is one of the better action games available for any of the current consoles. While it does not measure up to its own history or to the current genre champ, Metal Slug, Contra will challenge the best players without frustrating them. That is worth a lot in this reviewer’s book, as it is what action games are all about.

Since it's been some time since the last decent Contra game, Konami could've put out a sub-par game and most fans would've taken it due to "Contra withdrawl." Thankfully, this revival slaughters the previous 2 incarnations of the franchise and brings it to an entirely new generation of gamers. The ridiculous challenge level, grating music, and tough control scheme bring it down from classic status, but it's still a worthy addition to anyone's gaming library.

Maybe their moms didn't hold them enough as children or perhaps they bruise easy, but the seemingly tough Contra soldiers sure can't take a beating. Here they go again, jumping through acres of jungle, diving through the seediest underbelly of a red hot Alien Hell, and then oops, some winged alien accidentally nudges them and they keel over.

I recently watched an .AVI video called Contra in 15 Minutes (available at a Web search engine near you) in which a hardcore gamer rips through the NES classic in a quarter-hour without losing a single life. At the end of the video, I was left with many thoughts: Those pseudo-3D levels always were lame … that spread gun still rocks … those graphics always were gorgeous … and damn, the gameplay still holds up after fifteen years! Simply amazing.

Are you looking for a challenge? Was Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts not headache-inducing enough for you? Were you unsatisfied by Maximo, which only made you lose half of the hair on your head? Then Konami has got just the thing you need to help push you over the edge, kiss your family goodbye and say hello to a mental institution. It's not a drug and it's not another Spice Girls CD -- it's Contra Shattered Soldier.

Att spela två spelare på Contra är en upplevelse av rang, och när jag och polaren gick lös på de ankommande legionerna av fiender så fick man en flashback av den gamla tiden. Men jag kan inte hymla med att jag nog skulle känt mig lite lurad om jag hade lagt ut 600 feta bagare för det. Då spelar det liksom inte så stor roll hur mycket jag gillar det. Ska sanningen fram så älskar jag Contra, men jag kan inte garantera att ni kommer att göra det. Testa innan ni köper det.

Om man vill sitta och minnas hur det var att spela Contra på den 'gamla goda' tiden kan man numera göra det med sin PlayStation 2. Sedan vill man återvända.

Of course there's no guarantee that Contra: Shattered Soldier will be as highly regarded by hard-core gamers, but even if it isn't, this is still a solid little game hat blends today's technology with the simplicity of yesteryear.

Shattered Soldier does have a few things going for it, notably a well designed and responsive control scheme (use the digital pad). The 3D graphics are admittedly well done and don't confuse the action. But it's all just window dressing for a bad game. My friend Steve, a die-hard Contra veteran, even gave this game a big fat F!