Customer Reviews

Contact

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought "Contact" based on positive hype, without knowing much about it at all. I'm not disappointed. "Contact" has proven to be a very enjoyable distraction for me ever since it came out.

The premise of the game is that you are helping a boy called Terry who is moored on a deserted island with a wacky professor. You are communicating with the professor via your DS and guiding Terry's movements (although he doesn't know you're there).

Terry's mission is to help the professor find his ship's fuel cells while solving mysteries and puzzles, fighting bad guys, and gaining skills. In this sense, the game is just like most RPGs, but I believe that the level of gameplay is more sophisticated than your typical Final Fantasy or Zelda-type venture. Many elements of the game are borrowed from those successful series, but they are also combined with puzzle game elements and even "life simulation" elements such as those of Harvest Moon. Terry recharges energy by eating food he finds -- there are many different sorts -- sleeping in his bed, or taking a warm bath. He can fight enemies using weapons he picks up. And he can find and interact with items and clues that help him complete his quest and go back home. One of the cutest features is that he can acquire and change into outfits that enable him to use skills like cooking.

It's not difficult to get used to the intuitive game play, especially after a brief read through the instructions. You can be at home equally using the stylus or the console buttons. What was interesting to me is that Terry can collect and stick on different decals that produce various effects, and you even peel the decals off their backings, like in real life, although using the stylus.

Overall, this is a very interesting kind of game, and one that makes full use of the DS's unique capabilities such as dual screens. If you're a fan of any of the genres mentioned above, you won't be disappointed by "Contact."

Contact is a greatly hyped game by Atlus Inc. You (the player) have made contact with an enigmatic professor who is being chased by an unknown group. The ship is damaged, and while on the ground abducts a teenager named Terry.

The game claims that it is like nothing ever seen before, but to be honest a lot of what you see in this game is fairly cliché. That's intentional actually; the game takes great pleasure in mocking gaming stereotypes: the villains (inter-galactic space terrorists) hide their identities as an underground rock group, and the government has a cloning program in the works (warning: one of the clones has escaped, codenamed Snake!)

That said, Contact plays fairly well. Combat is pretty hands-off, as you direct Terry to attack an enemy, and then sit back and watch him go at it. You have the option of changing Terry's costume, and recieve bonuses or penalties based on the outfit you are wearing. Some are more physical in nature and others give you magical abilities.

My major issues with the game is how under the radar it is. You have to have a good knowledge of current events and fads in order to understand the in game jokes (The professor in one scene mocks the Riiiiiiiiiidge Racer! comment from E3.) Without this knowledge, a good portion of the game's humor goes right over your head. Also the game is extremely short---maybe 10 hours in length. That's a real shame, because the game does have many memorable and original scenes. Unfortuneately, many of the games side-quests are hidden meaning you have to do most of the game main story to unlock them. To top it off, the ending is rather dissapointing.

That said, Contact is a great game that really needed some more adventure. It also really needs a sequel, but if Atlus delivers, it's likely to suffer from many of the same flaws.

I rented Contact from GameFly, and played it for a few days before deciding that I am going to purchase it in the not-too-distant future.

Unfortunately, GameFly does not rent games along with instruction manuals, so I had to learn everything in game by trial and error. Even so, I was doing pretty well if I do say so myself, and had to stop myself from playing anymore so I wouldn't waste the purchase later. :)

It reminded me of other RPG-type games I've played in the past, such as NES' original Zelda. If you liked Zelda, you'll probably like this game. But buy it, or borrow from a friend who'll loan you the manual too! To have that help may make all the difference! :)

This game is great for the RPG gamer who enjoys all aspects of life. Reminds me a lot of a mix between earth bound and animal crossing.

The only thing I hate is that it is very hard to do multi player (which is required to fully complete the game.) The other person has to have the game cartridge and have to both be able to connect to Wi Fi.

A piece of advice to those planning to share this game with family or friends: Get a separate game for each of you, otherwise you may never get to play again. It is quite addicting.

I love Atlus games. This particular title had me smiling from the start with its unique story line, interactivity, and lush graphic concepts. If you like trying out unusual games that push the envelope a bit and make us rethink what games are all about, then buy this title.

Contact is an interesting DS game. Interesting, interesting...

I don't read many gaming magazines, because unless I found an online offer for a free year's subscription, I dont think I would ever pay for one. I generally don't read online previews to games either, so I have very little idea about games that are about to be released.

Compared to many other DS games, Contact did have slightly more exposure than other games that were being released around the same time. October of 2006 was a hectic month, with Touch Detective an all these other interesting looking game covers splattered all over GameCrazys, GameStops, EB Games etc. all over.

So I bought Contact the day it came out, and I passed up on Point Blank DS, a game I picked up later anyway. Contact lends itself to be an interesting RPG, like none other I had played before. Of course, be not being a console gamer, I have no idea if there's other games like this one, but I'm sure there are.

Contact is very nitpicky on the gameplay. You have to wear certain outfits to perform certain tasks. This can get tedious, as you need to go all the way back to your base (some floating ship or UFO, I forget) to equip a Chef's outfit (to cook), a Fisherman's outfit (to fly... just kidding), etc. Your inventory slots also have an allotted amount of spaces, which allows the player to know exactly how many items can be obtained in the course of the game, much unlike the Final Fantasy series, which you need a guide to figure out the master item/weapon list.

The story is thick, unique. Once again, you have to associate "DS + Atlus = Unique". It's a very interesting, (somewhat unsuccessful in my opinion) implementation of the user (you) in the game.

I won't be a spoiler, so let's get to the point. Contact is tedious, and can get very very redundant. But let's be honest here .. aren't RPG's supposed to be redundant? Aren't you supposed to fight monsters to gain EXP and MONEY to buy things and buff your characte up so you can go on to do much more of the same throughout the later stages of the game?

So it is with Contact. It is an active fighting RPG, so there's no magic moves or special abilities (save a few), much like Zelda. I think most users will agree that that's what makes the game eventually boring

It's a DS, users can't complain about not getting the full RPG experience as was readily available in PS2-like RPGs. DS RPGs will stick to the redundant nature of the SNES RPG that we all once loved so much a long time ago. Gamers have been spoiled by newer, flashier RPGs and expect too much from the DS. Even Final Fantasy III fell short of my expectations, but I quickly came to realize it would be this way with DS RPGs for a while. (Etrian Odyssey is a nice, fresh RPG that's actually fun. Thanks Atlus)

Still, it's not the greatest game in the world, but a decent pickup, as are most DS titles. Contact was $29.99 retail when first released, and I don't think it's strayed too far from the original price, although used it can be picked up for a good price. Contact is a very time consuming game, and if the value of the game is determined by the length of it, then you got yourself a gold mine here.

This game was very interesting it played like a computer game, has a great story line with plenty of wacky, kookiness from the professor, and has descent graphics too. The view is from above and the attack system unique but easily handled. It's RPG play leaves lots of options for customizing weapons and armor. So many little tidbits and places to explore. I recomment this to action/ adventure fans.

It took awhile but finally completed the game. Although Contact doesnt really require you to spend 40 to 50 hours to complete it. You can probably should do more than just run through the game. Otherwise you are liable to miss out on some cool sidequests and other items that you would miss. You are controlling Terry or whatever you name him as he has washed up on a beach on deserted island. The professor and his pet make contact with him waking him up after he's collapsed.

He gives you this way of contacting and coming back to the ship, you will also be able to heal yourself with other decals that he comes across and gives to you.

You will also be able to collect different decals mostly from monster drops and attach them thereby gaining a bonus in whatever the decal says. You can equip up to four of them at once.

Your goal is basic at first and that is to collect this cell's that the Professor needs to power the ship. It is innocent enough for awhile but he's not being totally honest which you'll find out later in the game. You have many skills Vocational (Fishing, Lockpicking/Thief, Cooking) and proficiencies in the many different weapons that you'll collect Types (Slashing, Striking and Punching). Using the different weapons will up your skill in those areas. He is also able to cast different types of magic (Earth/Water/Fire/Wind) and their secondary skills in each of those areas as well.

You will also build up Terry's stats:
Strength (up it by attacking)
Defense (getting hit helps here)
Dexterity (hitting fast enemies ups this)
Agility
Wisdom (using different magic boosts this)
Stamina (again taking damage ups this)
Speed (spend some time running around to boost this)

Also Personality stats:
Fame (defeating enemies)
Courage (defeating stronger enemies than him)
Karma (self explanatory)

It seems like a lot but once you start playing the game things will flow along pretty quickly. Main goal is collecting the cells but you run across others trying to do the same as you. You'll cross paths and battle from time to time and as you collect the cells you are able to venture out further and further to other islands and what not. Very enjoyable, pretty straight forward as long as you build up your character along the way you should have no problem beating whatever the game throws at you.

So give Contact a try and play it through straight forward or take the path less travelled and take your time through it. Either way its a journey that's worth taking and a well done game in its own right...thanks Atlus!!

I love the way this game gives you the freedom to walk around everywhere. You can have over 15 different weapons which makes the gameplay far more interesting than I'd ever imagined.

You can change into different clothes which actually is important in helping you progress through the game. It's not a normal style of gameplay, but an interesting one to say the least.

While it's hardly the best game you can find on the market, it's certainly unique.

Let me say right now that if you're on the fence about buying Contact, this game has level grinding on par with an MMORPG. If you don't have that much patience, this game is not for you. If you can tolerate grinding, then continue reading.


Contact is a unique game made in joint by Marvelous Entertainment, a group best known for the Harvest Moon series, and Grasshopper Manufacturer, perhaps best known for Killer 7. The mere mention of Killer 7 should be your hint that this is not your typical JRPG.
The titular "Contact" is between you and a character simply referred to as the professor. And i'm not talking about a player character, the professor directly communicates with you. When under attack by a group of terrorists called the CosmoNOTs, the professor accidentally enlists Terry in his mission. Just what is the mission?
You never know. Contact mostly focuses on it's sense of humor and lets the story take a back seat. This actually turns out to be the right choice towards the ending of the story missions where Terry begins speaking, but there are a lot of questions left unanswered on purpose. For example, you never figure out just what the games mascot Mochi really is.

Gameplay is where the focus is. Terry can interact with (And kill) a decent variety of NPCs and monsters. The story campaign is somewhat bare bones, Terry has to recover a collection of fuel cells that power the professors ship so that he can go back home, but things aren't that clear cut as tampering with the cells creates powerful monsters, the CosmoNOTs keep getting in your way, and the difficulty curve is very unforgiving. If you don't take time to explore and build up stats, chances are good the game will get very frustrating.
The gameplay is more reflective of a western RPG. Terry gains experience in a skill when he uses that skill, has multiple skill sets controlled by the equipment he wears, and there's quite a few side quests to take care of. Throughout the game you can gather seven costumes to unlock elemental magic or gain access to special skills relating to the environment, and Terry can use three types of weapons. Stats build in response to your gameplay style. You gain strength experience when you hit an enemy, stamina and defense when you get hit, agility when you dodge a blow, etc. The game has a linear story, but you are free to travel to any location you previously cleared to start the subquests.

Though Contact does have a lot of content, describing it is difficult because a lot of it is part of a bare-bones presentation style and has little point beyond having fun. Exploration is a major part of the game, most areas have several hidden routes, and while it's possible to beat the story within twelve hours of gameplay and no stats over level 40, there are a series of hidden enemies and collectibles that appear after you beat the game which need you to get your stats close to maximum to deal with.

Contact does have it's gripes though. Everything is stat based, beyond sending Terry in and out of combat, selecting when to use special attacks and talking to NPCs you don't have much control. This gets annoying with skills like fishing or lockpicking where there is no minigame or something along those lines to allow the player to increase the odds of Terry succeeding in his task.


Contact is a well made and funny game. While the combat isn't turn based and the levels a reaction to the players choices, it still is a JRPG and can be frustrating with the amount of grinding you have to do. Fans of RPGs will love it, but if you never liked game series such as The Elder Scrolls this game isn't for you.