In Collection
#67

Making its debut in the arcades in 1987 and, more pervasively, on the NES in 1988, the long-running Contra series continues with Contra: Shattered Soldier for the PlayStation 2. The game maintains its old-school, 2D platforming roots, but is enhanced with 3D polygonal models and unlockable endings and levels based on player performance (such as percentage of enemies killed). As with Contra, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps, and various other titles in the series, two players can team up against the alien hordes and giant bosses. In this game players can select from Bill Rizer, a vicious criminal, and Lucia, a female cyborg. Both characters are always equipped with three weapons that are selectable at any time: Heavy Machine Gun, Fire Whip, and Diver Mine. Each weapon can be charged for greater effect by pressing and holding the circle button. There are five basic missions to accomplish, such as stopping a hijacked military transport train loaded with weapons, but the decidedly linear gameplay basically consists of running, jumping, climbing (hand over hand), shooting, and shooting some more. From time to time there are vehicles to ride, such as snowboards and missiles, but the action-heavy nature of the game remains intact. The overall objective is to thwart Blood Falcon and his minions as they attempt to exterminate from the face of the earth an already beleaguered human population.