Contra: Shattered Soldier adds new school graphics to an old school game. Old school fans should play, or buy this game.
The graphics and sounds throughout the whole game are good to great. The opening sequence to the game is one of the best action scenes ever. The music to the scene is also one of the best. The in-game graphics are superb. Better than most of the recent made games. The sound effects of the entire game is great. The downside though is the graphics when the movies appear. Other than the opening sequence. All other movies could have looked a lot better.
The gameplay is as basic as an NES action/shooter. The game can be played with just one player, or 2. It adds a few other New school actions also. There's only three weapons to use: rapid fire, flamethrower, and homing shot. All the weapons though have a charge attack. Each weapon has different strengths. Rapid fire is second strongest. Flamethrower is the most powerful. Lastly, Homing shot is the weakest. Each weapon has their own strong point though when is comes down to different types of enemies. The game is a 2D side-scroller and doesn't change otherwise. There are vehicular missions to throw in and they are kind of hard. The whole game is based on memory and fast fingers. Getting hit and time will affect the overall grade in the level. Getting a high grade mean a better ending. There are a number of different endings and 2 of them need to be completed on Hard mode, not normal mode. The game is fun if an Old-School fanatic. Otherwise it might be too hard.
The storyline is as good as the previous games storylines. The storyline does continue the saga, and that's a good thing. The main character is Bill Rizer and he has to save mankind from aliens once again from a famailiar friend he once battled with. He is fighting with a bodyguard, but it's more like his own leash if he intends to do wrong. The storyline is appealing, but also short.
In conclusion, Contra: Shattered Soldier is a great game to play either by yourself, or with a friend. The graphics are not outdated, and the gameplay is still nice and fresh for everybody. It's also challenging for those who are looking for a challenge. Does get old, but is fun to just try and master.