Posts Tagged shadow complex
Shadow Complex – First Impressions
Shadow Complex came out on XBLA arcade yesterday, and I eagerly picked it up. I am a few hours into the game and am loving what I have experienced thus far. This is a side scroller in the vein of Super Metroid, and it does a very good job of living up to that game. In the first few hours, I’ve already collected a decent amount of upgrades, gotten a new weapon, and explored a decent chunk of this large underground complex.
The game is running on a 3D engine, with the camera angle always to the side to keep the action moving as a 2D side scroller. However, the level design is full 3D, and sometimes the enemies will be in the background. I was a bit afraid of this idea, since it seemed like aiming would be difficult, but the use of the right stick to point your gun is actually very intuitive. It picks up exactly where the orthogonal controls of Super Metroid left off – the left stick moves you around, the right stick points your gun, and the right trigger fires.
The movement is mostly fluid (I have occasional issues with manuvering around ledges), and the weapon variety is acceptable. I have gotten a pistol and a submachine gun, along with a grenade launcher. The pistol and submachine gun feel very similar except for rate of fire and ammo capacity. I wish the weapon disparity was a little more pronounced, but I’m still early in the game.
All in all, it is doing a good job of being a retro side scrolling shooter in the modern gaming world. At only 10 hours long, I should have it finished within the next few days, letting me get back to Madden. At only $15, this game is a steal.
I will probably skip the second impressions on the game, though, since it is a short game. I will write up a final impressions article once I have finished the game.
Recent gaming – Madden 10 and Shadow Complex
Over the weekend, I decided to go grab Madden 10. This is the first Madden game I’ve owned since Madden ‘93 for the Sega Genesis, so to say I’m a bit rusty is a hell of an understatement. I got it because I’ve been jonesing for a new game and there isn’t much on the horizon. Will is a pretty big Madden fan and recommended I give the demo a shot and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Even though I’m not a football fan (and this won’t make me one), I am a gamer and this is just a well done game.
I started a franchise as the New Orleans Saints and finished the preseason last night. My first few games were pretty miserable, but I didn’t start saving my record until I won at last one game, but now I’ll just take what happens, win or lose. I ended the preseason 3-1, winning my last 3 games (4 if you count me forgetting to save after my second match against the Texans).
I’m slowly getting my bearings on all of my plays and what to do in each situation. I have a ways to go before I could begin to approach Will’s skill and put up a decent challenge in a head-to-head match, but I’m enjoying it a lot. Some old gamer friends of mine are giving me shit for playing the evil Madden, but I’m not really concerned. I don’t even really care that it is a sports game. Sports is half athleticism and half strategy, and since there is no physical exertion from me sitting on the couch, it comes down to just being a good strategy game.
However, I will have to pause on it for a few days – Shadow Complex was released this morning and I’ve already picked it up and put some time into it. I’d like to do a first impressions for it, but that will have to wait a bit longer. I only played for 15 minutes, skipping all cutscenes, on the easiest setting. Tonight, I will pick it up again and go through it a little bit more thoroughly. I’ll do a first impressions later this evening once my first impression has solidified.
I will say that I enjoyed what I played. The movement is smooth, the level design is fantastic, the feel of the game perfectly carries on the torch of Super Metroid (something I don’t think Symphony of the Night was able to do) and the combat aiming is nicely done. It seems about as quickly paced as Super Metroid in terms of combat (not like the high speed Gunstar Heroes that I recently picked up again), and it looks like there is a lot to the game, as far as powerups are concerned.
I’m really looking forward to getting home and getting back into that game. I plan to focus on it pretty intensely for the next few days, before going back to Madden 10 until something better comes along. I may go back and pick up Fable 2 – a game I had a mild interest in, but never grabbed.