Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good RPG/puzzle-solving game, November 12, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
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."
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Contact is made, but a little off the mark..., December 7, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rented it, liked it, gonna buy it!, October 30, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
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! :)
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