Shadow Complex First Impressions
Shadow Complex
Shadow Complex is the latest, or one of the latest, endeavors by Cliffy B., the mastermind behind the Gears of War series and Epic Games. It is a side scrolling game that aims to pay homage to some of the early video games in the industry that managed to spread some hope for future game developers.
Just having gotten the game today, I can admit that I am fairly late I suppose. But none the less, this game is a very worth purchase. I do not generally buy video games over Xbox Live, in fact, this was my second purchase ever, but I do not regret it. Shadow Complex is quite possibly the best Xbox Live Arcade game to date, or certainly one of the top ten to say the least. I suggest that you read my Free Xbox Live post, so you can be able to get free xbox live membership or even 1600 microsoft points emailed to you. There are many aspects of this game that will have you basking in sheer entertainment.
I can safely say that the story is certainly not one of those aspects that you will enjoy, most likely. The video game, although well made, has a pretty cliche story. You start off as a Nathan Drake looking character (the main character of Uncharted), and you are hiking with your girl friend. Basically, something happens and she ends up being taken by a group of soldiers, with you stumbling upon their base. Now, you have the goal of going in there and just retrieving your girl friend, using the defense tactics that you were taught by your father some years ago.
However, it turns out that there is much more to this base than what he once thought. They are planning an invasion on San Francisco and have quite a lot of hefty technology at their disposal. So after you end up saving your girlfriend, you still stay in the base with hopes of putting an end to their plans, with some encouragement by your girl friend.
That story, to say the least, is not all that complex or compelling. I do not think it is meant to be compelling either. The
Shadow Complex Screenshot
main focus of this game is the adventure portion, coupled with the nostalgic side scrolling premise that is presented. There is actually parts of the game that are built as a homage to some of the earlier releases in the video game industry, such as Metroid which is a wildly popular side scrolling game by Nintendo.
One aspect that is stressed in this game is the back track feature. You will find that after receiving select power ups, you will be back tracking to access areas of the map that you once could not. This is a fairly great feature, to say the least, because there is a fan base out there that seriously likes this idea. Me included, it makes it much more interesting to travel to the “weaker” parts of the map and dominate with all of the skills and weapons gained during your adventure. Which brings an ideal moment to also make it known that there is a sort of roleplaying feature. You will level up during your adventure, gaining experience as you kill enemies. You will get health bonuses and other perks with leveling up.
I have not completed the game yet, but I am an hour or so into it. I am actually looking to get 100% completion on this video game, which is said to take about 5 hours. 5 hours for a $10 game is not bad, I suppose. There are some full retail video games that struggle to last that long.
All in all, I would rate this game a 4 out of 5. It is very high quality and although the story is not completely original, it is bearable. The game play elements are enjoyable, and will certainly be pleasing to those of you who are retro gamers, or of the older gaming generation. Though this is an action packed game with the rarely left out scent of humor, this, Shadow Complex, is a $10 Xbox Live Arcade game that is certainly worth buying.
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Tags: Epic Games, Shadow Complex, Xbox Live Arcade
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