Assault Retribution

First thing's first: Notch up Assault's difficulty the second you slap it in your PlayStation. I beat this game at its default difficulty--which is much too generous with one-ups and health--the first time I played it. That gripe outta the way, Assault ties ASC's One as the closest PlayStation gamers will get to a proper 3D Contra game. It packs similar weapons, such as homing missiles and three-way cannons, not to mention the same never-take-your-finger-off-the-trigger action. New twists include the ability to power up individual guns, all of which drain an energy bar sitting at the screen's bottom (OK, so you'll want to take your finger off the trigger sometimes, to let your gun recharge). Otherwise, Assault is a straightforward cruise through enemy-crammed stages so devoid of strategy, you'll soon enter a stupefying shoot-every-thing trance. It's not all mindless high junks; a hoverbike stage and a couple of levels that have you fleeing from fireballs keep things from getting too repetitive. Beating the game opens secret codes and such. And the Two-player Mode is really the only way to play if you have a friend handy. Still, Assault lacks the personality and cool Bosses to be mentioned in the same sentence as old-school Contra, although it'll certainly scratch any itch for braindead shooting action.

Assault may be short on strategy, butthere's something mildly satisfying about shooting everything in your path. Destroying giant insect-things takes up about 80% of the time, white the overly easy Bosses take up the other 20%. The weapons are good (cannons, shockers, etc.), especially with the kick of the Dual Shock, yet the repetition-without-stimulation can become tiring. Assault's not bad, but it needs more depth.

Obviously, Assault borrows a lot from the old Contra games. Unfortunately, like so many games of this nature that have come out (including those with the Contra name attached), it falls short of giving us the same feeling the classic Contras gave. Assault may have solid graphics and throw a good amount of flashy action at you, but it's just too simple. You could easily beat this one in one night's rental. It's too bad, really.

Stay far away from this game if you hate cheap, unavoidable hits. Assault is a scrolling shooter in the tradition of Contra, complete with gun-toting mercenaries blasting aliens. The bad part is that they can tag you no matter how good you are at the game. To make matters worse, later stages feature obstacles that will sap character lives as well as your patience. The shooting action is still fun, but the skill factor is lacking.