We just posted a review of what could possibly be the retail game of the year, Batman, but now a review of the Xbox Live Arcade game of the year contender Shadow Complex? Amazing back to back reviews of potential games of the year.
Lets get to it. We will start with the graphics. This game will rival any full retail game when it comes to visuals. Shadow Complex is running on the Unreal Engine 3 and you can tell as soon as you load the game. Typically side scrolling games, which Shadow Complex definitely is, scrimp on the graphics. Not here, in this maze of rooms, full 3D sensations will get you to try and navigate your character up. No matter how many times you try, he will just not walk back to that kick ass looking robot, or brightly lit office. You can only move side to side. This game will win awards for its graphics. Moving side to side leads to the controls.
The controls are tight and responsive. Which is exactly what you need to navigate the tricky passages of the subterranean lair. Your character does level up throughout the campaign, which should make RPG players happy. No, you do not get to specifically level up attributes, but instead everything levels at the same time as you discover them. You can jump, and later in the game double jump. Running will also be upgraded to what can only be describes as screaming fast. You will run so fast, that Jesus will look twice. Yes you can run over water in Shadow Complex. As you progress your character will ultimately be able to go anywhere you wish, if your talented enough with the sticks. Slightly related to controls are the guns. Your main weapon will also be upgraded as you progress through the game. That is until you have a bad ass weapon capable of taking down the screen filling bosses. In the beginning all you have is a flashlight. The weapon you end up with is significantly more serious. That is if you devote the time to search down every upgrade hidden within the map.
The story line is loosely based upon a story penned by Mormon Sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card. The story is interesting and helps progress the game from beginning to end. If you chose to play through a second time in an attempt to locate every powerup, you can skip through the cut scenes. What helps the story is excellent voice over work, done by Nolan North, mostly known for his work in the Uncharted series. The over the top action of this game, just keeps you playing. The campaign will take a solid 6-8 hours to play through. Expect to double that time, if you chose to hunt down all those powerups. You will want to upgrade your health, armor, stamina, and weapon if you expect to take down the final boss. There are separate challenges that will take you another 2-4 hours to complete. With 4 different difficulty settings, you can also tailor the game to your playing style.
A single play through should yield you 170 of the 200 available G's. The achievements are perfect for this type of game. They are simple, and easily obtained without even knowing your working towards them. For the accumulation achievements, 100 screamers for example, are tracked both in the menu screen, and during game play with simple pop ups. This also helps drive you to keep exploring the map and finding hidden areas. There are a bunch of them, and if you are into 100% completion, this game will make you work for it.
Map borrowed from our friends at MTV Multiplayer.If you tend to like side scrolling games of past system, think Metroid or Contra, you will love this game. With a price tag of $15, there is no reason not to buy this game. It was released just a few weeks ago, during Xbox's summer of fun. But do not think the game developers over at Chair have left this game behind. DLC is on the way!! While they are very hush, hush about what type of DLC it could be, I am very excited that they are still building upon this solid foundation.
Review by the numbers:
Graphics 10 out of 10
Controls 8 out of 10
Story 8 out of 10
Value for your money 10 out of 10
Achievement ease 9 out of 10
Overall 8.9 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment