I lay there in the grass, silently stalking my prey — observing his every move. He was a lone guard stationed at a strategic checkpoint. Although he was alone, he was also well armed. If I don’t make a clean kill, the sound of combat could give away my presence; or he could easily trigger an alarm calling for reinforcements. The treacherous terrain is easy enough for a lone guard to hold, and virtually impossible to get through if I broadcast my location to a dozen or more armed goons. He probably didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to try and get by from this sector. Unlucky for him, I’m just that stupid.
Due to the difference in review style, I will be keeping my scoring system here while using the official Beefjack system for the site. Personally, I think my rating style is much clearer so I’ll be keeping this stuff here.
Graphics: 80%
Pros: Well animate, vivid colors, gigantic bosses, and no slowdown!
Cons: The waterfall in the second stage is really annoying and screws with your vision.
Gameplay: 85%
Pros: Old school shoot’em up. Difficult, but offers plenty of variety. The Spread Shot no longer feels as dominate, allowing other weapons to shine.
Cons: Not for people who’s never played an intense action game before.
Sound: 80%
Pros: Great music old and new.
Cons: I can’t think of any. I guess not everyone will enjoy every type of music out there.
Controls: 90%
Pros: Tight and responsive controls.
Cons: Rapid firing isn’t as useful due to slow speed. You’ll probably rely on good old fashion thumb busting mashing. The NES remakes will definitely require fast thumb work.
Story: 100%
Pros: You kill whatever the hell that gets in your way.
Cons: Who the hell plays Contra for plot? Nobody gives a damn about plot.
Recommendation: Old school gamers, Contra fans, or people looking for some action. If you play nothing but RPGs or FPS games, stay the hell away. This game will eat you up.
Overall: 83%
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Tom Stanley