Tradition is broken after you realize that you’re given three weapons and only three weapons to work with. Half of the fun of the original was getting in a fight with your best friend over who was going to get the Laser on the 4th level of the game. Instead of shooting down those wing-shaped objects you’re stuck with the machine gun, flame thrower and grenade launcher. Each of them has a charge feature that can unleash a secondary attack but as you progress, you’ll find that these attacks are more flash and less substance. There really should have been more weapons included but much like the rest of the game, the selection is rather thin.
Repetition is the key here and you’ll see tons of it. There’s no way in hell you’ll pass the game on your first time through, or your second or third or tenth time for that matter. This is one hell of a difficult game that will really test your mettle and more importantly, your memory. It’s all about memorizing sequences and patterns in the game. This game is more about trial and error and dumb luck than sheer skill and talent. Often times you’ll travel through a level thinking that you’re in the clear when all of a sudden the unexpected happens and you’ve bitten the dust. Of course that usually happens just as you realize that you’ve run out of lives and continues. Prepare to be frustrated because you’ll be experiencing a whole lot of it. The only game I can think of that agitated me more would be Reflections’ horrid
Stuntman, not the type of company you want to place yourself in. But then again, one could argue that being frustrated is part of the charm of the original and then again, you could say that being frustrated is the number one cause of violence among teens. Come to your own conclusions on that one.
CSS is just a beautifully game and you’ll realize this right from the start. Everything is rendered in the highest resolution possible at this point in time on the PS2 and the end result is a stunning visual package that proves the be the best aspect of the game. Every visual aspect seems to have received exorbitant amounts of love and care and your eyes will want to thank Konami’s artists for every bit of it.
Metal Gear Solid 2 pushed the visual envelope when Konami unleashed it among the masses and a year later,
Contra Shattered Soldier busts the envelope wide open. Flames are rendered with amazing fluidity, the animations are beautiful and the creature designs are downright gorgeous. Of course each of the environments are just absolutely spectacular and will have you drooling for weeks. Best of all, the frame rate consistently remains high even during the more hectic sequences. When it comes to visuals they just don’t come any better than this on the PS2.
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