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Ah, My Bleeding Thumbs!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: October 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Finally, someone listened. What with all the 3D hoopla and the console wars, someone out there hasn't forgotten the pleasures of 2D gaming. Thank you, Konami, for Contra: Shattered Soldier.

After two horrendous outings on the original PlayStation, one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history has returned with a vengeance...and yes, it's in 2D! Old-schoolers rejoice - you've now got a reason to bring those long-forgotten razor-sharp reflexes out of the closet. Contra: SS takes a few liberties with the old formula, but the result is a gorgeous, difficult throwback that will bring back all those memories. Contra is back in a big way. If you played, and enjoyed, any of the previous Contra games, you'll fall for Shattered Soldier big time. Everything's here, and then some.

For those too young to remember: prepare yourself for a gaming experience unlike any other. Contra: Shattered Soldier is a side-scrolling action shooter in which you must survive by destroying everything in sight - in fact, you're actually GRADED by how much you destroy via a readout called Hit Rate %. You control master criminal Bill Rizer (released from a cryosleep prison sentence for killing 80% of the world's population - how's that for over-the-top, eh?) or his female android companion Lucia, sent to save post-apocalyptic Earth from swarms of some of the most disgusting yet glorious aliens to ever grace a console. The set-up is simple: move left to right and fire away at approaching enemies. You can fire your three weapons in any of eight directions, ducking or jumping as the situation demands. You'll hang from ledges, crawl up walls, and be slung airborne underneath a guided missile. You'll ride a hoverbike and ski down a snowy mountain. You'll be attacked by everything from gigantic water-skiing mechs to mechanized turrets to hideous mutant fish to screen-filling monstrosities that almost defy description. The game fits its Shattered Soldier name all too well: touch an enemy - you're dead. Get hit by explosive vomit - you're dead. Get nailed by a bullet, rocket, laser, or explosion - you're dead. Get carried away by giant insects - you're dead. There are lots of ways to die in Contra: SS, and by the time you're done, you'll lose count, it'll happen so often. Play alone or with a friend for some co-op action - you'll need the help. Choose at any time from a machine gun, flame thrower, or grenade launcher (each equipped with a chargeable special attack), and don't worry about running out of ammo - you won't. The name of the game is run n gun. If you're lucky and good enough to make it through all the levels alive, unlockables await. You see, this is how gaming used to be - trial and error, rock-hard challenge, pattern memorization. You'll progress slowly, but each time you'll make it a little farther and be presented with another disgusting alien just begging to be blown to slimy bits. Eventually, with practice, you'll emerge victorious, and wonder why more games these days don't feel like Contra: Shattered Soldier. It's one of the most intense rides you can take on the PS2 - enjoy it, for it may be one of the last.

Enthusiastically recommended - Konami has created one of the best games of the year, and one not to be missed by anyone who craves a masterfully executed, adrenaline-pumping thrill ride. Here's hoping more developers follow their lead!

I played this game till my eyes bled!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: October 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game rocks. Plain and simple. Who cares if it is ridiculously hard? I'm sick of simple games. Trust me, after a couple of hours, you will roll through the first couple of levels. After that? Who knows?

Great graphics, no overhead viewpoint, awesome sound effects that get your adrenaline pumping, and the best game soundtrack ever. Buy it. It's worth it.

I got lucky to play it before the release date, because the video store has them ready to go out on the street date, but when you know who works there you get to take the games on a test run. Way better than Hitman 2 or Headhunter.

Konami took a gamble by going back to the 2D side-scrolling roots of Contra, but it turned out to be one of the top 2 or 3 games I have ever played.

Now, only if they follow up with a great Castlevania.

The Contra we all remember

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: February 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After two failed attempts to bring Contra to the 3-D world (see Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure), Konami finally decided to take the classic series back to its' side scrolling roots with Contra: Shattered Soldier. Even though the game is a side scroller, the backgrounds, characters, and action is all composed with nicely detailed polygons and some great lighting effects. You go through seven insanely tough levels (all of which will bring back fond memories of Contra 3 and Contra: Hard Corps) and you have three different weapons at your disposal. The controls are pretty responsive (thankfully) and you will need precision movement to survive the never ending onslaught of enemies. The hard rocking soundtrack is also worth noting as well, the headbanging music really suits the game well and fits the tone of the game like a glove. The only complaint, and this will be from younger gamers who were deprived from a Contra experience, is that sometimes the game is way too hard and can get very, very frustrating, but for Contra vets this isn't a problem. All in all, fans of the Contra games of old should definitely pick this up.

The BEST, HARDEST Contra game I've ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: November 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Being a more traditional video game lover, I tuned out when every game since '95 went 3D.

Thank God (or should I say, Konami) for Contra Shattered Soldier- I feel twelve years old again and it's great! With few exceptions, the Contra games have been my favorites to play. The only drawback being after a couple days, I'd beat those Contra games and soon after beat them continuously with my eyes closed.

It took more than a couple days with this one. In twenty years of game play, this is the HARDEST game I've played- Be prepared to die many times and play levels many times before improving.

You have three weapons at your disposal, as well as directional-lock control for running and shooting. All of these must be used at various times if victory is to be achieved. There are four initial levels to play in any order you choose (long levels with middle, as well as end bosses), with three further levels to be unlocked later.

It takes about an hour to go through the game on 'normal' mode, which is the only mode you can get to the end of the game on. Moreover, you are assigned a letter grade at the end of each level depending upon your performace, (with a cumulitive grade for all levels beaten) and can only get to the end of the game with a cumulitive grade of 'A'. You're penalized for losing lives, using 'continues' and not getting a 100% hit rate (in other words: for not killing everything, including every vulnerable part on the bosses).

You're given rewards every time you finish each of the bonus levels and the game with an 'A' grade, rewards like more lives when you play again and the ability to chose those bonus levels in practice mode. Be sure to save your progress on a memory card!!!

And if you think you're an expert after clearing the entire game with an 'A' rating, try going through it and getting an overall 'S' rating (which is given ONLY with PERFECT PERFORMANCE: every level must be cleared perfectly with no lives lost and a 100% hit rate). Only tight-rope walking is more challenging.

My only complaint is that there is no real reward given if you beat the game with an 'S' rating. I guess they figure that's an impossible task.

Excellent graphics and sound, excellent integration of all the PS2 control buttons.....this is a refreshing and still totally hip throwback to 2D gaming. It's about time this genre was revitilized with new life, and Konami couldn't have done it better. If only other classics would follow suit.

Old School gaming at its best...and its HARD!...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: November 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

For the first time I've played a game on the PS2 that could possibly be as hard as a game on my outdated SNES! Believe me, the games on PS2 are downright EASY! Well, this gives off some difficulty, and if you can believe it, its harder than that of Contra 3.

It feels good to be back in the side-scrolling realm again. The game has the same classic Contra look that it did even back in the NES days (did anyone else hate the Contra games on PSX besides me?). There hasn't been a good Contra game since Contra 3 on the SNES, and this one is pretty good.

The 2-D graphics are astounding! Well, sorta, sometimes its amazing to believe that there are some old-school gamers out there like myself who actually enjoy 2-D graphics more than 3-D.

The game is very fun but also very hard. However, probably my only gripe with the game is that the soundtrack isn't nearly as good as anything else. It gives that war feeling, yes, but it didn't have that kinda atmosphere of the level like Contra III did.

The game also doesn't present nearly as many weapons as Contra III did, so that makes me wonder sometimes. Overall the game was pretty good though. Nice level of elevated difficulty.

OVERALL:
+Nice 2-D graphics
+Old School rules!
+That good ol fashion Contra Fun
+Nice level of difficulty, first HARD PS2 game I've ever played

-The music isn't as good as past games
-Not as many weapons in Contra 3
-Too short

Great old school Contra Gameplay - May not appeal to all

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off, let me say that I've played every contra since the original NES, and liked most of them. The gameplay was well balanced, and offered superb difficulty compared to other mundane competing platform shooters. That said... I've played enough other games to be impartial about the judgement.

First off; expect the classic Contra gameplay you know and love; there are less weapons then later installments on the SNES, but the controls have been smoothed out and refined to perfection. Use of the analog is more then taboo - it's disabled, and for good reason. You need to have super-human reflexes and an open mind while playing the game to survive more then a few seconds.

In fact, this seems to be Contra's single fatal flaw, and the only reason that prevented me from loving it - the difficulty is so rediculous that I died on Easy in about 30 seconds before I could get used to the controls. Ouch. In fact, a good part of the game is memorizing each enemies attacks and exactly how to avoid them. Too much, in fact. The difficulty is too insane for the casual player, and even a die-hard Contra fan will have a hard time the first play through.

The graphics are a beautiful hybrid 2D/3D set-up; you move on a 2D plain ala Contra classic, but the graphics are all rendered in stunningly gorgeous 3D splender, and pan around to show details. Nice. The panning never gets in the way of the gameplay, I can't stress how important that is. The sound and music are OK, nothing really that new, but sufficient.

However, don't get me wrong. Konami had its heart in the right place with this installment, which was directly marketed to die-hard gamer fanboys, but there's really no room for people who play casually. In fact, 9/10 of the game seems memorization as opposed to required reflexes, and the game's difficulty means a lot of frustration. In fact, after you've finished memorizing the layout of of level, it becomes considerably easier, and the replay value shrinks. Including memorization of the scant few levels (which ARE long, granted,) I give the lifespan about a day. Ouch. If you're not a die-hard Contra fan, I would reccomend this as a great rental, but only the fans who don't mind respawning - a lot- will want to go out and buy the game.

Pros:
-Lush Graphics and nice sound make great atmosphere
-Classic Contra Gameplay. It doesn't get any better!
-Directly marketed for fans and hard-core gamers.

Cons:
-Insane difficulty leaves no room for new gamers.
-Game incredibly short
-Not much replay value

Puts Hair On Your Chest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game will beat the *&$@ out of you. Plain and simple. This is not the kind of game most people will simply be able to pick up and master. You will have to memorize everything, and once you've done that, you'll have to execute every stage, every second so perfect it almost hurts.

Having said that, the new installment of Contra is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences in years. This is true classic gaming at it's best. Don't expect any brilliant innovations that take away from the action, just the same old, great gameplay you once knew and loved with a facelift.

Having said that, Shattered Soldier makes the previous installments, such as The Alien Wars And Hardcorps look like childsplay. This is by far the hardest of the three and may perhaps be the hardest game you can get for the PS2 for the moment. I've played a lot of games for this console and none of them are this difficult, so if you want a game that's a breeze to play through, save yourself the frustration and spend your hard earned clams elsewhere. This game takes DAYS to get good at.

That having been said, this is one of my favorite new titles for PS2. If you're a contra fan from the days of yore, you'll love this, truly.

2D gaming returns and kicks...!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: April 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Contra. That legacy of a series was perfect until the 32 bit era, where Appaloosa screwed up Konami's terrfic series of the run 'n gun shooter. 2 Super Arcade games, terrfic NES conversions, a SNES masterpiece and a Sega Genesis game that made other games run home. Then came the 3D Contras for the PSX and Saturn and the once cherished Contra name went down the tubes.

Enter the 128 bit sequel, Shattered Soldier. Playing as Bill Rizer, who has seemingly murdered his old partner, you are awaken from a prison sentence to once again run to the right, jump, shoot, and blow stuff up. Joining you is a female cyborg who takes Lance's place. With incredible 3D graphics, but tried and true 2D gameplay, this is Contra the way the 32 bit versions should have been done. Many people have blasted this game as being ridiculously hard. For some, it may be, especially those who grew up in the 32 bit era with it's 3D games and easy gameplay. Shooter, memory, and platforming skills are required here if you want to see the ending of this game. And rightfully so, because Contra was and is a tough series.

There are some changes to the old formula, namely:
No powerups: You have 3 weapons at the start...machine gun, grenade launcher, flame whip. You start with them, you die with them, you don't lose them. You can also "charge" up each weapon for a different type of blast. The machine gun launches a pod that spins and shoots out rounds. The grenades wind up turning into homing missiles, and the flame whip lets loose a strong energy blast. Missing in action is the favorite laser and most of all: Spread gun!! Too bad the spread is gone. While the weapons available work well, and each is suited better for certain situations, some will miss the old weapon system.
Many have already reviewed this game, and I took my time getting around to it (had the game for months) so I'll stop here...bottom line is if you want a great Contra game like those of old, you would do well to pick this up.

Shattered doubts

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've been a huge Contra fan since my early days of existence. I loved the NES Contras (Contra, Super C), the Super NES "Alien Wars" entry (which is my personal favorite Contra to this day), the game boy Operation: C adventure, and Sega's Contra: Hard Corps comes so close to beating out Contra III as my favorite Contra game. I was saddened, however, after the PSX "attempts" at recreating the Contra franchise... I didn't mind so much that it was 3-D (well, the second game because Konami had promised a 2-D sequel but only the first level was...), but the Contra feeling was lost in those attempts. It was missing the spark the others had. When I heard Contra was coming for PS2, I was very skeptical.

Needlesstosay, after playing and defeating the game, it was A LOT better than satirical ol' me expected.

THE GOOD
Contra's back with a fusion of 2-D and 3-D elements. The backgrounds are AWESOME and there are several things to watch out for. The enemies keep coming back at you like nobody's business and the multiplayer option makes it all the better. The storyline involves one of the two heroes (assuming two, considering Contra III was two-player) from the Alien Wars going insane and becoming the final boss. All in all, Contra's back with a vengeance.

The best aspect: IT WAS REALLY HARD. No spoonfeeding, no bad voice acting, no stupid plotholes! THIS GAME WAS HARD AND REMINISCENT OF THE OLD SCHOOL CONTRA! Excellent flavors of alien buttkicking. If you hate this game, it is because you are a fan boy and are blind to cool games.

THE BAD
The only bad that immediately becomes apparent is the music, which is non sensical heavy metal riffs one after the other. I love heavy metal, but the material here isn't that great. Otherwise, not anything that places a critical detriment to the game.

OVERALL
YOU MUST HAVE THIS PS2 GAME. IT'S AWESOME, simply put. You will like this especially if you're a fan of Contra. Of course, this game was made by the same creators that did the original games (the team that did the PSX failed attempts weren't the same team... needlesstosay, they also did the below average Castlevania installments for the N64). OWN THIS NOW.

Do Not Buy This Game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 18
Date: November 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I was excited to see this game in the store... I kept chanting "up up down down left right left right B A select start" right until I got it in the console.

I returned it 12 hours later.

This qualifies as one of the worst games I've ever played. The first thing you feel when you play it is frustration as you die immediately. It's so incredibly hard that you have to play each level an ungodly amount of times in a row. Because of this, you end up memorizing each move of every character and realize that there is no variety or randomness in what happens. None. So once you've died enough to memorize a level and the patterns of each object, it becomes quite easy, and rather boring. Once you've played it enough, you go through the whole game in about an hour. With no variation. Ever.

So why would you get this game? The people who wrote the other reviews must be die-hard contra fans (which I USED to be), because the only slight redeeming quality of this game is the graphics. The intermediate scenes are sometimes kinda cool. But even this isn't perfect, because they feel dated (like old technology).

So save yourself the money and rent this game. In one day you'll either go nuts with frustration and stop playing immediately, or persevere, beat it soon after, and see everything there is to see.

...

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