Chris V6 255
ClioSport Club Member
V6 255, 182 Trophy
Anyboby else looking forward to this one?
Ill be downloadin it on Wednesday for sure
Shadow Complex Review ign.com
From the moment I was first shown Shadow Complex, I knew that I wanted to play it. Now that I've explored every nook and cranny of this massive Xbox Live Arcade game and saved the day multiple times, I still want to play it. If this is the direction the Xbox Live Arcade is going in, bring it on. At 1200 Microsoft points (US $15), Shadow Complex pushes the upper boundaries of what most would expect to pay for a Live Arcade game. In this case, the price tag is completely justified. This massive action game, designed in the style of Super Metroid or Castlevania, is one of the best games of the summer.
Shadow Complex is set in the world of Empire, a novel by Orson Scott Card. In it, a radical left-wing militia is plotting to overthrow the US government and send the country into a second civil war. The game starts with the opening salvos of this plan as you bear witness to the Vice President's assassination. The setting quickly changes to a tranquil date in the woods as you take on the role of Jason Flemming, an unlikely hero thrust into the midst of a fight he never asked to be a part of.
Once Jason's date is taken captive, it's time to put on your hero suit and save the girl. Of course, you can't just walk into an underground lair and ask the terrorists politely to please stop ruining your date. And since the day's activities originally included a little bit of cave exploration, you aren't exactly equipped for a fight. It all begins with a simple flashlight.
In classic Super Metroid fashion, Shadow Complex blocks access to different areas based on which tools you currently have in your possession. At first, you'll only be able to illuminate dark corners with your flashlight. Soon, you'll come across some climbing gear and a pistol, which grants you access to higher ledges and certain vents. Exploring these newly accessible areas earns you new tools that in turn open up more and more of the huge complex. By the end of the game, there won't be anywhere you can't explore at will, or anything that can stand up to your awesome arsenal.
With the foam gun, you can build your own paths.Exploring every little path to find it all in one play through will take you around six hours. On your next play through, perhaps you'll turn up the difficulty in the hopes of getting a top score on the leaderboards (Something the IGN office has already become hooked on). Or maybe you'll look for ways to sequence break the game and find some tools and weapons before you're normally supposed to in the hopes of beating the game in under an hour. Or, perhaps you'll just play it again and continue to amass experience points towards that achievement for hitting level 50.
Whatever the motivation, I've found it very difficult to stop playing. Even once you're done with the campaign, there's still the Proving Grounds -- a series of challenge rooms similar to what was offered in Bionic Commando: Rearmed.
The game design here isn't anything new, but there's a reason they call games like Super Metroid classic. There's something about the exploration and back-tracking to find previously unreachable goodies that is undeniably fun. And Shadow Complex does not disappoint when it comes to cool gadgets. Things start off simple enough with guns and grenades. Eventually you'll get a booster pack that enables the always popular double jump and shoes that let you run on walls. Once you get the foam gun, a tool used to build your own platforms anywhere you want, you'll start to marvel at the possibilities. It's about at that point that you'll start looking at Shadow Complex in a whole new way. Nothing is off limits if you have the right tools.
Like the games that inspired it, Shadow Complex restricts the player's motion to a 2D plane. The game itself is drawn in 3D, though, which creates some intriguing situations. Enemies might come running down a hall in the background towards you, or a pile of boxes in the foreground might block your view of a hidden collectible. It's a nice setup that gives Shadow Complex a modern feel to it, but it does bring with it some issues.
The 3D setting looks great, but makes aiming the gun awkward sometimes.Because enemies can, and often will, stand outside of the plane you can move on, Shadow Complex uses an auto-aim feature to direct your fire in the proper direction. If a soldier sits in the background to your right, simply aim to the right and the game will automatically point the guns barrel in the proper direction. The problem is that it doesn't always work as well as you would like. There is nothing more frustrating than trying and failing to aim at an enemy while he takes pot shots at you. Turn up the difficulty and it becomes even more annoying.
There are a few other glitches that do their best to hold back an otherwise awesome game. The AI on enemies can be a bit funky. And by funky, I mean sometimes it is nonexistent. I've had more than a few times that I've literally bumped into enemies without them even recognizing my presence. There are a few visual hiccups as well. Objects will often clip through each other, creating an odd look. And if you beat the game with 100% of the items collected, the last cutscene doesn't load properly. Whoops.
Yes, this is an XBLA game. Yes, it looks this good.Even with these small oversights, Shadow Complex is a truly beautiful game. It's easy to mistake this for a regular game you would find at your local videogame store. It certainly looks better than some of the budget Xbox 360 titles. Just take a look at a screenshot or watch a gameplay clip and you'll agree. The lighting and water effects are top notch and the explosions are quite a sight. This really makes a lot of the XBLA catalog look bad.
Closing Comments
Shadow Complex probably could have used a little more development time to iron out a few glitches and nail down the sometimes awkward aiming system. Even so, it stands as one of the best games yet in 2009. And I'm not just talking about the Xbox Live Arcade. The classic, exploration-heavy gameplay is a winner. Go buy this game.
IGN Ratings for Shadow Complex (X360)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
9.5 Presentation
An intriguing plot line and a wonderful layout.
10 Graphics
I feel sorry for any regular old XBLA games that have to follow this.
9.5 Sound
Great voice acting and surprisingly good music.
9.0 Gameplay
Seriously fun. A few glitches and a frustrating aiming mechanic are all that hold it back.
10 Lasting Appeal
I've beaten the game numerous times and still haven't gotten enough.
9.4
Outstanding OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
Ill be downloadin it on Wednesday for sure
Shadow Complex Review ign.com
From the moment I was first shown Shadow Complex, I knew that I wanted to play it. Now that I've explored every nook and cranny of this massive Xbox Live Arcade game and saved the day multiple times, I still want to play it. If this is the direction the Xbox Live Arcade is going in, bring it on. At 1200 Microsoft points (US $15), Shadow Complex pushes the upper boundaries of what most would expect to pay for a Live Arcade game. In this case, the price tag is completely justified. This massive action game, designed in the style of Super Metroid or Castlevania, is one of the best games of the summer.
Shadow Complex is set in the world of Empire, a novel by Orson Scott Card. In it, a radical left-wing militia is plotting to overthrow the US government and send the country into a second civil war. The game starts with the opening salvos of this plan as you bear witness to the Vice President's assassination. The setting quickly changes to a tranquil date in the woods as you take on the role of Jason Flemming, an unlikely hero thrust into the midst of a fight he never asked to be a part of.
Once Jason's date is taken captive, it's time to put on your hero suit and save the girl. Of course, you can't just walk into an underground lair and ask the terrorists politely to please stop ruining your date. And since the day's activities originally included a little bit of cave exploration, you aren't exactly equipped for a fight. It all begins with a simple flashlight.
In classic Super Metroid fashion, Shadow Complex blocks access to different areas based on which tools you currently have in your possession. At first, you'll only be able to illuminate dark corners with your flashlight. Soon, you'll come across some climbing gear and a pistol, which grants you access to higher ledges and certain vents. Exploring these newly accessible areas earns you new tools that in turn open up more and more of the huge complex. By the end of the game, there won't be anywhere you can't explore at will, or anything that can stand up to your awesome arsenal.
With the foam gun, you can build your own paths.Exploring every little path to find it all in one play through will take you around six hours. On your next play through, perhaps you'll turn up the difficulty in the hopes of getting a top score on the leaderboards (Something the IGN office has already become hooked on). Or maybe you'll look for ways to sequence break the game and find some tools and weapons before you're normally supposed to in the hopes of beating the game in under an hour. Or, perhaps you'll just play it again and continue to amass experience points towards that achievement for hitting level 50.
Whatever the motivation, I've found it very difficult to stop playing. Even once you're done with the campaign, there's still the Proving Grounds -- a series of challenge rooms similar to what was offered in Bionic Commando: Rearmed.
The game design here isn't anything new, but there's a reason they call games like Super Metroid classic. There's something about the exploration and back-tracking to find previously unreachable goodies that is undeniably fun. And Shadow Complex does not disappoint when it comes to cool gadgets. Things start off simple enough with guns and grenades. Eventually you'll get a booster pack that enables the always popular double jump and shoes that let you run on walls. Once you get the foam gun, a tool used to build your own platforms anywhere you want, you'll start to marvel at the possibilities. It's about at that point that you'll start looking at Shadow Complex in a whole new way. Nothing is off limits if you have the right tools.
Like the games that inspired it, Shadow Complex restricts the player's motion to a 2D plane. The game itself is drawn in 3D, though, which creates some intriguing situations. Enemies might come running down a hall in the background towards you, or a pile of boxes in the foreground might block your view of a hidden collectible. It's a nice setup that gives Shadow Complex a modern feel to it, but it does bring with it some issues.
The 3D setting looks great, but makes aiming the gun awkward sometimes.Because enemies can, and often will, stand outside of the plane you can move on, Shadow Complex uses an auto-aim feature to direct your fire in the proper direction. If a soldier sits in the background to your right, simply aim to the right and the game will automatically point the guns barrel in the proper direction. The problem is that it doesn't always work as well as you would like. There is nothing more frustrating than trying and failing to aim at an enemy while he takes pot shots at you. Turn up the difficulty and it becomes even more annoying.
There are a few other glitches that do their best to hold back an otherwise awesome game. The AI on enemies can be a bit funky. And by funky, I mean sometimes it is nonexistent. I've had more than a few times that I've literally bumped into enemies without them even recognizing my presence. There are a few visual hiccups as well. Objects will often clip through each other, creating an odd look. And if you beat the game with 100% of the items collected, the last cutscene doesn't load properly. Whoops.
Yes, this is an XBLA game. Yes, it looks this good.Even with these small oversights, Shadow Complex is a truly beautiful game. It's easy to mistake this for a regular game you would find at your local videogame store. It certainly looks better than some of the budget Xbox 360 titles. Just take a look at a screenshot or watch a gameplay clip and you'll agree. The lighting and water effects are top notch and the explosions are quite a sight. This really makes a lot of the XBLA catalog look bad.
Closing Comments
Shadow Complex probably could have used a little more development time to iron out a few glitches and nail down the sometimes awkward aiming system. Even so, it stands as one of the best games yet in 2009. And I'm not just talking about the Xbox Live Arcade. The classic, exploration-heavy gameplay is a winner. Go buy this game.
IGN Ratings for Shadow Complex (X360)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
9.5 Presentation
An intriguing plot line and a wonderful layout.
10 Graphics
I feel sorry for any regular old XBLA games that have to follow this.
9.5 Sound
Great voice acting and surprisingly good music.
9.0 Gameplay
Seriously fun. A few glitches and a frustrating aiming mechanic are all that hold it back.
10 Lasting Appeal
I've beaten the game numerous times and still haven't gotten enough.
9.4
Outstanding OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
