Contra: Shattered Soldier

GamePro

Its combination of old-school shooter gameplay and high-end graphics makes it a blast to play.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Just like the best Contra games before it, Shattered Soldier puts your gaming skills completely to the test, but can still be mastered. [Jan 2003, p.126]

PSM Magazine

Fine shooting action served straight, no chaser. [Holiday 2002, p.30]

GMR Magazine

After numerous shoddy attempts to bring classic Contra gameplay to a next-gen system, Konami finally gets it right. [Feb 2003, p.92]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Old school in every possible way. [Jan 2003, p.173]

Game Over Online

I really enjoyed Shattered Soldier and I highly recommend that you grab a best friend and tear through this game some Friday night.

GamingTrend

This game is excellent, although very frustrating. I only made it past the Easy difficulty, I am not even going to try the Normal difficulty even if the real ending is behind it.

Into Liquid Sky

Adding lots of enemies and huge bosses only makes the game more frustrating. Expect veins to pop out of your cranium, and a few broken controllers. Although I did have a tough time getting through the missions, I did have fun.

Game Informer

I sorely miss the old weapons that Konami decided to remove. Gone are the spray gun, missle launchers, laser cannon, and super bomb. [Dec 2002, p.116]

Entertainment Weekly

Delightfully preposterous H.R. Giger carnage. [22 Nov 2002, p.85]

netjak

Does a lot of things right, but sadly it is mainly for the purest of pure hardcore gamers, as Shattered Soldier’s steep learning curve and INCREDIBLY difficult gameplay, this probably will not please a mainstream gamer too much.

Absolute Playstation

Probably one of the toughest titles released for the PS2 and right up there with the other games in the Contra series.

IGN

Make no mistake, you will die like a fly playing this game, very early and very often. But the pattern design is good enough that skill and perceptive analysis offers the possibility of mastery for dedicated players.

Play Magazine

The most faithful translation of a classic yet, but there's no denying that the difficulty will turn some off. [Dec 2002, p.56]

All Game Guide

Pure Contra goodness. Most of the hallmarks that make the series great are here, including finger-frazzling gameplay, the indispensable two-player cooperative mode, constant shooting action, and giant bosses with well-hidden weak points.

G4 TV

The simplistic gameplay of the series is not lost but refined to create a challenge that is both undeniably fun and not entirely impossible.

TotalGames.net

No matter how many times you die in the same place, no matter how frustrated you get, it has that magical power to make you snatch that controller back and soldier on.

GameSpot

Die-hard Contra fans hoping for a pure Contra remake may find themselves a little disappointed that, for all its similarity to its classic predecessors, Contra: Shattered Soldier takes a few too many liberties.

Game Revolution

It's fun to learn the patterns and hone in on that perfect game, though the limited gameplay and the shortness of the actual experience make it well suited for a rental.

GameSpy

In my case, the funnin' exceeded the bummin', but not as much as I wanted. This just isn't the game that'll bring 2D gameplay back into vogue.

Cinescape

While Contra: Shattered Soldier is a short game, fans of the original will eat it up. It’s also a game for anyone looking for a challenge.

Gaming Age

A mind-bendingly tough game that you simply cannot put down.

GamerWeb Sony

Due to the sheer difficulty, it's actually only for a select few.

GameNow

You'll definitely get into it if you're into classic shooters, but if you've been reared in the modern era, it may simply be too frustrating. [Jan 2003, p.54]

GameZone

I'm sure that I'll have the urge to beat it again in a year, and then again in five years. But aside from playing the co-op multiplayer mode, it'd be tough to get me to come back any more frequently than that.

PSX Nation

What it lacks in flash, longevity and accuracy to the “Contra” universe (no weapon pick-ups??!!) Shattered Soldier compensates for with old-fashioned, thumb-blistering, bang-your-head-against-the-wall hard shooting antics of the 2D and 2.5D variety.

Cheat Code Central

I felt there was entirely too many bosses to fight and not nearly enough run and gun action. Each short action stage is merely setting you up for another boss battle.

Yahoo! Games

You also never get into that old-fashioned running and jumping zone that so characterised the initial games in the series, because you're usually timing laser blasts and calculating jumps.

GameCritics

I’d like to see Contra taken to the next level while retaining its identity... Give me something besides a carbon copy of action that has already been done, and done to perfection on older systems.

Electric Playground

Prime rental territory; it's one of those games that will be adored by some and abhorred by others, with hardly any middle ground.

Gamestyle

Its sheer difficulty will put off all but the most hard core of gamers (and even then it’s gonna take a lot to convince.)

eToychest

You spend too much time learning patterns, and not enough just running around blow stuff up.

Eurogamer

Anybody who remembers the good old days of Contra should steer clear of Shattered Soldier, unless you have some sort of sadistic urge to lay waste to your senses and pollute your fond recollections of this once proud series.