Actually, I returned to it first thing Monday morning, when I replaced the My World, My Way cart that's been stuck inside my trusty red OG 3DS for the last eight weeks or so with the Contact cart that I've been itching to play since I first picked it up just over two years ago.
What do I think of it so far? My short and sweet response: I really like it. In fact, I think you could say I really, really like it--as along as you don't have an issue with me saying "really, really" in a blog post instead of something a smidge more descriptive.
In particular, I really, really like Contact's aesthetics--its surprisingly disparate graphics, especially. At first, I couldn't but but bemoan the fact that the entire game didn't utilize the pixel-y, EarthBound-esque look that depicts the professor's side of the story (not to mention screen).
After I let the experience settle a bit, though, my stance on the lower-screens more painterly approach to things softened to a pretty great extent, and now I'd even say I find it rather appealing. (Although I still prefer the decidedly 16-bit visuals used for the professor's portion of this charming-so-far adventure.)
As for this title's story and battle elements, I'm enjoying the former more than the latter at the moment. Of course, the story's enticingly mysterious right now, and its penchant for breaking the proverbial "fourth wall" is proving to be both engaging and entertaining, so my current preferences probably shouldn't be all that shocking.
That said, Contact's battle scenes, which are of the hands-off variety in a way that brings Xenoblade Chronicles to mind, while somewhat boring at the outset, eventually become sort of interesting, if not entirely thrilling. Who knows, though, maybe there are some surprises in store for me in this regard that I've yet to experience.
Have any of you played this 2006 (2007, if you're Australian or European) release? If so, what did you think of it?
Look for more of my impressions of Contact early next week, by the way--in the form of my 10th #ADecadeofDS write-up.
See also: previous #ADecadeofDS posts
I LOVED Contact so much. The music is great, the combat (while simple) is really fun, and the look is charming. I like the look of the professor's world more than the PC's, though. But it's still really cute.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to play it again, but it was given to me as a Christmas present by a bad ex, and I'm trying to disassociate it from him. But I really love the game!
I never really got into it. I played about 10 hours and went right back to Ys I & II PSP remaster because of the hair metal soundtrack. \m/
ReplyDeleteI guess I’m going to have to pay closer attention to the soundtrack from here on out, Zach. I mean, I know I’ve heard a few tracks that I found at least somewhat appealing, but nothing’s really jumped out at me as being amazing.
ReplyDeleteLike I said in this post, though, almost all of the time I’ve spent with Contact so far has been on the bus, and my headphones are pretty crappy, so that may explain my lack of amazement.
I fully and completely agree with what you said here about the game’s pixel art, though. Both styles present in the game are absolutely lovely. I’m also impressed with a lot of the animations that are on display here.
As for the battle system and the other systems you mentioned in your comment—the outfit or costume one, and the sticker one—well, I’ve barely used either up to this point, but even then I’ve found both to be charming (if not especially deep) so here’s hoping things continue along that line throughout my playthrough.
Well, I certainly can understand the attraction of the Ys I & II soundtrack, Chief!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sorry to hear that, Scarritt. Thankfully, I can't think of any games that have negative emotions or energy associated with them (because they were given to me by an ex, or because I played them during a particularly trying time in my life), but I definitely can think of some albums that fit that bill. Boo :(
ReplyDeleteStill, I'm glad to hear you loved/enjoyed Contact when you first experienced it!
I think Contact is an excellent game which I haven't finished yet. Maybe one day?
ReplyDeleteHey, why not get back to it today, Bodo? We can play through it together--kind of :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I'm glad to could make you say "yay!" I, too, like the prof's pet, by the way. He/she/it is so cute! Oh, and here's hoping I'm not totally put off by the difficult section that prompted you to put down the game...
ReplyDeleteContact is one of those games I never got when I saw it for sale, and now I totally regret not picking it up! It looks adorable.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm sure copies are still out there to be bought, Anne--and possibly don't cost all that much these days ;)
ReplyDeleteA ha! I thought this may be the case. Sadly, the game wasn't very popular in any region, as far as I'm aware...
ReplyDeleteI might have some nostalgic bias for the soundtrack in general, but there's definitely a few hot numbers that I would be surprised if you didn't notice! (they're later in the game, but I do love le chef beach and a few others in the beginning)
ReplyDeleteYou'll get more outfits as you play, they're sparse at the beginning, and some of them are sorta weird and don't offer incredible bonuses, but still fun to check em out! And be careful with stickers! They're limited... so only use em in emergencies/if you really want to.
Yes, join in the fun, Adam. You know you want to!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I just gained
ReplyDeleteaccess to Le Chef Beach (or at least I think I have…), so I’ll have to pay
close attention to the tune that plays while I explore that locale. Also, I
only have one additional costume at the moment, and I’m not entirely sure what
benefit it offers me, so maybe I’ll do a bit of Google searching to see what’s
up in that regard. As for your sticker warning, thank you for that! I stupidly assumed
they could be used an unlimited number of times L
Of course. But there is a 3DS, a PS Vita, a 360, a WiiU and a PS4 asking for me as well :-)
ReplyDeleteI understand that feeling, Bodo!
ReplyDeleteLike I've mentioned before, I've played this but stopped due to some issue in the game I encountered (I can't really remember what it was, except it made me rage quit lol). Apart from that issue, I do remember that I did enjoy the game up to that point. Perhaps you will finish it haha
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it was due to a boss fight, or something similar, Igor? I can see that being an issue from time to time. At any rate, I certainly hope I finish it, but who knows, really? ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's 300 yen here. Although since core enjoyment comes from reading I am not sure I want to play it like that.
ReplyDeleteI know I am just echoing most people here. But contact is a game I have been curious about FOREVER, but also never quite curious enough to take the plunge and buy the darn thing to play.
ReplyDeleteWhich is really odd. This is one of the few games I have wanted for what is approaching a decade that I still haven't gotten around to buying or owning even via illegitimate ways.
300 yen? Yikes! Like you said, though, what good would that be if you can't understand the game? Still, I'm going to guess that many English copies of the game are pretty cheap these days, too!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the word of mouth on this game is just iffy enough that it's prompted enough folks (like you) to give it a pass? I mean, I certainly hear a lot of people comment on how they liked it to a point and then gave up on it. If that's pretty common, it likely gives a lot of people the impression that they shouldn't rush out to play it.
ReplyDeleteOh strange I never herd of this game before. I liked the xeno series. How is the battle system so far?
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Hey there, Marky808! Be warned that the battle system of this game is only like that of Xenoblade in that, while you control your character's movement, you don't control when/how your character swings his weapon, etc. Most people are likely to say Xenoblade's battles are quite a bit deeper than the ones in this game, but I'm only a few hours in so maybe things improve in that regard later on? Regardless, I'm really enjoying it so far, although there are some quirks that are keeping me from full-on loving it.
ReplyDeleteSo your saying its more of a turn based battle system like classic FF. Games? Or more like there first online game ffxi? I don't mind either or i enjoy RPGs with good story lines: )
ReplyDeleteNo, I’d still say the closest point of comparison for how Contact’s battles play out is Xenoblade—or maybe FF XII? Sadly, I’ve never played FF XI, so I can’t comment on that.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, don’t read too much into my comparing this game’s battles/controls with that of Xenoblade. The main similarities between the two are that you fight enemies directly on the “overworld” (as opposed to transitioning to some other screen, a la old-school FF and DQ), and during those fights you are free to move your character around at will, but you don’t actually have any control over when or how your character swings his weapon, etc.
So, I guess you could say Contact’s battles are like a really simplified version of Xenoblade’s. Does that make sense?
Yes thank you:) I just saw a video of it lol. Basicaly it is kinda like xi minus the menu base type. I think imma like this game lol.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! You should give it a try, then. I can't imagine copies are all that expensive these days...
ReplyDeleteWell, if I was patient enough it would be fine, but yeah, I am not really keen on the idea of playing it in a Japanese
ReplyDeleteI remember being a major GameFAQs user at the time, and when this came out it was like one of 3 DS RPGs that were getting any traction if I am thinking right. Lunar Dragon Song, this and Magical Vacation.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people talked about Contact being interesting, but also being frustrating in regards to the indirect nature of combat and I think there was a lot of back tracking/wandering.
Contact, unlike Dragon Song was good, but it was also more obtuse than Magical Vactation (which has remained in no one's mind)
Well, the good news here is that some English versions of the game should be pretty cheap these days :)
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, I can understand some of the complaints you mentioned here. There's definitely some wandering, backtracking and even grinding, of a sort, and I can't say I *love* the combat, but all that said, I'm still enjoying the game, so I'd definitely recommend it if you can find a cheap enough copy and if you're at least somewhat interested in it.
ReplyDelete