I'm not one to succumb to brand loyalty too often, but I must admit that I've been extremely pleased with Konami's offerings of late. In addition to the landmark games Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2, Konami has satisfied the itches of HJOSL's* everywhere with new renditions of arcade classics, as well as the venerable Castlevania series. In the same vein, Konami is bringing back Contra on the PlayStation2, an unlikely move that is sure to delight fans of side-scrolling run-and-gun games. Though the visuals are in full 3D, the play mechanics are a pure single-plane throwback to a bygone era in which joypads were routinely sacrificed to the gaming gods. Contra: Shattered Soldier is an interesting experiment that should find favor with fans of old-school action games, as well as gamers looking for a stiff challenge.

While Shattered Soldier is definitely an homage to the now-defunct 2D shooter, those expecting a simple rehash of the good ol' days are in for a few surprises. You take control of a male or female soldier (their names aren't important, really) and guide them through seven hectic stages filled with enemy soldiers, puss-spewing aliens and transforming robots. I mean, shit, what else do you really need? The premise is very simple, the controls are tight and there are very few "story" elements to bog you down. One hit will kill your character just like the original games, whether you're stung by a stray bug or crushed by a gigantic metal tank. There are three difficulty levels (easy, normal, hard), all of which offer the same enemy challenge with differing amounts of reserve lives. The game is brutally difficult, but Konami has mercifully included a Training Mode (buried in the Options menu) that lets you work your way through the first four stages with 30 lives. Whew!

Unlike the original Contra games, you won't be shooting down passing orbs to gain weapon power-ups. Each character carries three weapons at all times: a machine gun, a mine-launcher and a flamethrower. Each can be powered-up by holding the circle button, which essentially gives you six weapons in total. Figuring out which weapon to use in a given situation is key to your success, as there is always a right tool for the job. Contrary to expectations, much of the game is spent in drawn-out boss battles rather than running around blasting hordes of bad guys. While there are a few run-and-gun segments in each level, they feel relatively short by comparison with the longer boss battles. As a result Shattered Soldier is less of a "twitch" game than it is a tactical shooter, requiring precision and patience to succeed. And in each boss encounter, you'll have to select the correct weapon for each portion of the battle, as certain weapons are clearly more destructive than others.

For instance, the flamethrower can be used a "whip" of sorts against bosses who spew out little bugs, and the charged mine-launcher shoots out a spread of missiles that hit multiple targets. Fans will probably miss the classic weapons out of a sense of nostalgia, but the small set of weapons in Shattered Solider work very well within the design of the game. The centerpiece of Shattered Soldier is the myriad of boss battles which are very challenging and always interesting (the water-skiing robot is particularly cool). The only real problem I have with the game is the over abundance of boss battles, which drag on a little too long at times and tend to overshadow the run-and-gun action of the rest of the stage. While I appreciate the new pseudo-tactical elements, bosses tend to become a little stale once you memorize their patterns. Even with these drawbacks, the game is still quite a bit of fun considering how rare these types of games are nowadays.

The box boasts that this is the "most graphically impressive Contra game", a relatively safe claim considering the last real Contra game appeared in the 16-bit days. (Notice I said "real" Contra game, so don't email me with corrections.) The 3D environments are very detailed, sporting lots of well-modeled background objects and rusted metal textures. The textures are probably of the low-resolution variety, but the "camera" never gets too close for this to ever be a problem. Characters are animated competently and even feature the "jumping roll" for which the original games are known. Boss enemies are large, detailed and very well animated, which is a relief considering they are the focal point of the game. The flamethrower weapon looks pretty damn cool, as do the myriad explosions in the game. No one is going to confuse Shattered Soldier with the top echelon of games on PS2, but the graphics are clean and generally get the job done.

There is absolutely no slowdown to speak of in Shattered Soldier, though I must admit I was expecting to see it as some sort of weird tribute. The game makes good use of both left-right levels and well as ones that run up-down, with some nifty skewed angles thrown in for variety. Sometimes the camera pans around a bit too much to show you various angles (in the Stage 1 end-boss fight especially), which gets mildly annoying at times. Sound is just what you'd expect from a game of this type, in that it is neither stunning nor lacking. Sound effects are generally crisp and clean, with some cool explosion effects from defeated bosses and clanging metal sounds from various robot enemies. The music sets the tone quite well, with a mix of industrial percussion and driving metal riffs. It probably won't be palatable to a lot of game players, but the hard-edged sound complements the visuals quite nicely and is vaguely reminiscent of songs from the old NES games.

Though Shattered Soldier is not the game most Contra fans will expect, it's still a solid title that should please older game players eager for a tough side-scrolling shooter. As a throwback to a bygone time, this game is definitely not for everyone, and gamers who cut their teeth on 3D games in the PlayStation era would be advised to pass on this one. Shattered Soldier is much more tactical than Contra has ever been, and as such requires much more patience than traditional 2D games. I wish there were more run-and-gun segments, as the over abundance of drawn-out boss fights tends to hamper the momentum of the game somewhat. But if you've lost that gunning feeling, give Contra: Shattered Soldier a try. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate the player friendliness of your newer games like never before. I'm hoping a good number of game players will pick this game up, if only to let Konami know that a next-gen Castlevania game would be a viable project.

*HJOSL = Hardcore Jaded Old-School Lamers