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Contra: Shattered Soldiers Preview
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
Contra was revered back in the 90's however the franchise has fallen FROM grace in recent years, can Contra: Shattered Soldiers reignite a tired genre???
Years ago the Contra series was a legacy, up there with the likes of Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and Final Fight. A time when the side-scrolling beat/shoot-em-up was king, of course that genre has had troubled times evolving to the next-generation, it seems all but a distant memory when we crowded around the latest arcade shoving our 20pās in as fast as humanly possible.
One game that set the pace was a frantically fast-paced side-scroller from Konami named Contra. This two-player scroller featured loads of powerful and impressive weapons, a pace that was more frantic then Sonic on crack, superb visuals and an addictive two-player co-op mode. The game appeared in the arcades and on the NES, however it wasnāt until Contra III: The Alien Wars appeared on the SNES that the franchise really took off, with various games appearing on a number of different formats. Contra III kept the same winning gameplay formula, added in some amazing visuals, stunning boss-encounters, and new overhead missions using the SNESās wonderfully adept Mode-7 technique.
After 10 years (the two PSOne games donāt count as they were atrocious and not developed by Konami but Appaloosa), Konami has finally announced a new game in the series, and in a possibly risky move that will please the fans, has promised to keep the basic gameplay formula the same. Contra: Shattered Soldiers is being developed exclusively for the PS2, returns to the trademark side-scrolling manic action that made the series in decades gone by, but has seen some troubled times in recent years. It takes a very brave decision to release such a key title in 2D, in a time when perhaps unwisely, if itās not 3D, itās not worth worrying about. To appease next-generation lovers the game features some fantastic 3D visuals; featuring the gritty, futuristic character designs of celebrated artist and Comic Book illustrator Ashley Wood (Spawn, Aliens, X-Men, Star Wars), trademark massive screen-filling boss encounters and a variety of powerful and impressive power-upās.
The only stumbling block in Contraās return to glory is the possibility that game ideas have evolved since the 90ās, sure the simplistic controls will guarantee immediate thrills but will these be too short-lived for the modern gamer. Konami has promised hidden levels and alternative endings to increase the longevity, however this may not be enough to move it beyond being a nostalgic blast for the fans of the series.
