Finally we are getting into serious holiday titles. This week I am concentrating on two high profile titles, Dead or Alive Ultimate on the Xbox and the long awaited Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the PS2. I know these titles will be on my play list for the next few weeks (at least until Metal Gear Solid 3 and Halo 2 are released).

While these titles are on my must have list for this year, other titles have arrived that I am showing interest in. I recently went hands-on with Ace Combat 5, and needless to say, the impressive gameplay and storyline I encountered at E3 was nothing compared to the marvelous final product.

However, this week I was introduced to another title, and from the title alone it would have had potential, or at least I thought it would.

That game is Neo Contra.

As a fan of the original Contra series, I was expecting classic two dimensional run and gun gameplay. But when I put Neo Contra in my PlayStation 2, I realized I wasn't playing a true Contra game at all; it was more like a 360 degree shooter similar to either Robotron or Smash TV.

Not that Neo Contra is a horrible game, as a matter of fact it's not bad at all, it's just not Contra.

I have been playing Contra since the original NES release back in 1987, and to this day it is still one of my most played games ever. The same can be said about the arcade Super Contra (and the NES' Super C), but the true pinnacle of what a Contra game could be took place when Contra III: The Alien Wars was released for the Super Nintendo back in 1992.

Then again, if Neo Contra had anything to do with the Contra series, it was inspired by the overhead stages in Contra III.
Still, Contra had one good title afterwards, and that was the Genesis Contra: Hard Corps. Hard was definitely the right word, as the game was a monster to beat. It was also so lightning fast, maybe it was too fast for some.

Then everything went downhill. Contra's jump to the 32-bit systems was a nightmare. Legacy of War abandoned the 2D gameplay we all love for an overhead 3D perspective that failed miserably, and the less said about C: The Contra Adventure, the better. Still what made these games suck the most was they weren't designed by Konami themselves, or Treasure for that matter (who did NES Contra, Super C, and Contra III), but an external development team named Appaloosa Interactive.

Last year showed some promise that the Contra name would return to glory, as KONAMI, not Appaloosa, would create the first PS2 release with Contra: Shattered Soldier. To many 2D purists, it was a welcome sight for fans of the series, right down to the hanging stage reminiscent of Contra III. The only problem was that the game was very difficult, almost impossible for the casual gamer.

Now we come to Neo Contra, and I only wish Konami didn't put the Contra name on it. Fans of the original 2D series are going to feel left out again just like they did when the PS1 debacles were released.

Wait a second, maybe that might be going a bit too far. But still, Neo Contra, despite being an ok game, is not the type of gameplay that I would consider worthy of the Contra name.

I do know that Midway is planning a remake of Smash TV. Maybe they should get in touch with Konami about using Neo Contra as a basis.

CURRENTLY PLAYING: GTA: San Andreas, DOA Ultimate, Ace Combat 5

MOST WANTED: Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3