Shadow Complex Review

By Simon Parkin Published 16 August, 2009

There's something following me.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Ever dropped a stone into a hole to find out how deep it goes? Had Jason Fleming done so while peering into the overgrown hollow that marks the start of Shadow Complex, no splash would have echoed back. This opening, into which his girlfriend descended not two minutes earlier, is the mouth of an abyss; a rabbit hole that will lead him unwittingly into an underground military complex, the role of would-be national saviour and the belly of one of gaming's long lost genres. By the time he re-emerges, triple-jumping into the sun, you'll have mapped tens of miles of subterranean corridors, thwarted a plot to blow up San Francisco and seen Jason Fleming transformed from country-bumpkin into cyber-ninja.

Shadow Complex is Super Metroid re-imagined by J.J.Abrams. Its story is pulp thriller, throwing an ordinary Joe into extraordinary circumstances under which he stiffens implausibly into a one-man army. Fleming is an all-American action hero, hurling grenades and missiles with thoughtless abandon one moment; creeping death through ventilation shafts in search of his snatched girlfriend the next. "You don't look like the kind of guy who'd pull the trigger," challenges one enemy he meets. Two seconds later, as Fleming steps over a puddle of warm, Unreal Engine-pumped blood, you can almost hear Mark Rein in the background, fist-pumping the air to chants of: "USA! USA!"

But for all its Hollywood bombast, Shadow Complex is born from nothing but the purest of Japanese pedigrees. For once the Super Metroid reference isn't a lazy critic's crutch. Epic Games has always declared its intention to resurrect the classic 2D side-scrolling exploration game, once popularized by Nintendo's seminal space adventure, later perfected by Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. So while Shadow Complex's story and setting may be popcorn nonsense, the mechanics they clothe are golden.

'Shadow Complex' Screenshot 1

A number of VR missions provide yet more content for the completist, presenting a suite of timed, score-attack runs that encourage competition across Xbox Live.

In reviving a genre that the Japanese left for dead, the game offers a telling snapshot of the global games industry in 2009. Here is an American developer so emboldened by recent successes that it feels qualified to reimagine one of Japan's sacred classics. It's like Bungie sat down to remake Super Mario. Unthinkable. Yet somehow, the gambit's paid off. In fusing classic game design with contemporary techniques and sensibilities, Epic Games and Chair Entertainment have triumphed where Japanese developers continue to flounder. The result is nothing short of one the best games of this generation.

Despite appearances, Shadow Complex remains a 2D game at heart. The shift to 3D visuals adds depth to the world, and allows for a few flamboyant perspective-shifting set-pieces, but Fleming's movements are restricted to up, down, left and right. Bullets automatically fire off into the Z-axis if an enemy's standing in the background, but otherwise their trajectory moves in arcing step with your analogue-stick sweeps.

At the surface level, this is a pure action game: choke out guards with the B-button, leap electric fences with the A-button, Rambo your way up staircases of enemies with a squeeze of the triggers. But like those titles it so carefully apes, it's also a cartography game, challenging players to map every corner and crevice of the base in search of that 100 per cent badge of completion. Locked doors and obstacles hinder access to the base. But rather than asking you to locate keys to unlock these areas, you must instead find the power-ups that allow Fleming to overcome each type of blockage. Until you pick up the missile attachment for your gun, for example, every area closed off by an object that can only be destroyed by missiles remains off-limits. Shine your flashlight on an object and it'll glow the colour of the power-up needed to destroy it: orange for bullets, green for grenades, purple for foam and so on. Until you have the relevant power-up, all instances of that object will be impassable, allowing the designers to carefully drip-feed access to the sprawling complex.

Every time you find a new tool for your arsenal you not only widen your choices and improve your chances in combat, but also expand your playground, doubling the sense of satisfaction and achievement that comes with each power-up. The emphasis is on completism, not only in visiting every square of the map, but also in collecting every item hidden in the complex's myriad offshoots. These hidden upgrades generally increase the efficiency of your suit, or up the number of grenades or missiles you can carry, bonuses that, at least on the default difficulty level, aren't crucial to success. However, knowing that you have three more key cards to find before you can unlock the secret vault in the depths of the base ensures that every vent and manhole is diligently checked nonetheless.

There's a sense in which an underground military bunker is never going to be as exciting a location as, say, Symphony of the Night's living gothic fortress. Few would argue that these acres of studded aluminium, crates and ventilation shafts lack the diversity of the game's inspirations. But where possible, Epic has attempted to theme areas to give the player a sense of geography, even using coloured lighting to bring character to what otherwise might become indistinguishable. The identikit soldiers you must face, all of whom look and behave in similar ways, undermine these efforts. Even the boss fights that take place in the larger warehouse rooms fail to inspire after their initial impact, the Metal Gear bipedal robot-style designs too familiar to ignite much fear or passion.

'Shadow Complex' Screenshot 2

Epic has liberally sprinkled save-rooms through the complex, so if you do die you never have too much ground to retread.

By the end of the game the range of possible interactions is dizzying. In addition to a triple jump, Fleming also sports a grappling hook, an incongruous Mario stomp for crushing enemies and a 'friction dampener' ability that sends him into Sonic-style high-speed dash through crates, up walls, along ceilings and even across water. The huge palette of moves reinforces the sense of Fleming's transformation from ordinary citizen to bionic agent and, by the end of the game, there's a palpable sense that the complex is too small to contain his enormous power. Perhaps for this reason the game's ending is a little underwhelming. There's a weak stab at a Symphony of the Night-style reveal, but it lacks punch. Nevertheless, returning to mop up any missing items in the quest for 100 per cent completion is a challenge too compelling to resist, something that speaks volumes for the game's effectiveness as a whole.

At well over 800MB, we're a far cry from Microsoft's original vision of sub-50MB entertainment snacks on Xbox Live Arcade. But despite this substantial bulk, Shadow Complex would never have been made were it not for the evolution of the download service and the growth of its limits. It's too slim and risky a prospect for a contemporary boxed release, yet too broad and ambitious for a quick fix.

The result is a glorious 3D reimagining of the Metroidvania style of game, at once reverent of its references, yet also eager to better their achievements. In some areas it meets this tall order, in others it falls a little short. Nevertheless, it's a game that will delight gamers old enough to recognise the classics it celebrates, while captivating those oblivious to its inspirations. Its inevitable success in the coming weeks and months could even kick-start the genre. Drop a stone into this game and the splash may never echo back. Its significance might just be unfathomable.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Simon.

About Simon Parkin

Simon Parkin is an author and journalist on video games. A regular contributor to Eurogamer since 2005, his work has also appeared in Edge, The Telegraph, Gamasutra and Boing Boing.

Read more articles from Simon by visiting the Simon Parkin archive page.

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Comments (97) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • beatwolf #1 3 years ago

    woot woot 9 will definetly be getting this.. summer of arcade really proved a good one.

  • Baronen #2 3 years ago

    Time to add more MSP to the account I guess. Been wanting a new Metroid-ish game for a long time and the Castlevania titles don't quite do it for me.

  • Demiath #3 3 years ago

    Good stuff. Let's see on August 19 just how far the rabbit hole really goes...

  • lucky_jim #4 3 years ago

    Really looking forward to this now. This summer- not just the "Summer of Arcade"- has been really good for XBLA titles, and with Serious Sam and Alien Breed still to come in the next few months, I think I might end up spending more time with XBLA games than boxed games this year!

  • Bits #5 3 years ago

    Very much looking forward to this, got points waiting on my account for it. Cheers for mentioning the filesize too, been wondering that, think I may have to clear some space. Bloody "20GB" hard drive.

  • busboy33 #6 3 years ago

    Wasn't interested in Marvel vs. Capcom or Turtles in Time, but Splosion Man, TrialsHD, and now apparently Shadow Complex have made this a great summer on the 360 even with the drought of boxed titles that interest me.

    Speaking of XBLA games . . . does anybody have an e.t.a. on JoyRide (or whatever the free Avatar racer is called)?

  • DUFFKING #7 3 years ago

    Genuinely thrilled that this is good.

    Now whether to buy this or Trials? Can only afford one for the time being. This isn't a decision any gamer should have to make :(

    EDIT: Sigh, some fool's gone through and -1'd every comment again :)
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 02:14

  • mingster #8 3 years ago

    Sounds good wish I had a 360

  • Vroom #9 3 years ago

    Excellent two weeks on arcade. First trials and now this.

  • aids #10 3 years ago

    800mbs. If only MS didn't charge a shitload for HDs. Kinda counter-intuitive if you ask me. They should be practically giving them away for free to encourage people to buy more DLC.

  • Cider-X #11 3 years ago

    XBLA has been a joy this summer

  • Cider-X #12 3 years ago

    I believe so

  • RedSparrows #13 3 years ago

    Do want. Def. bought more digital than boxed games this year ;O Although Autumn/Winter is of course, the release time.

    Or apparently, Spring 2010 is now, ofc.

  • busboy33 #14 3 years ago

    "If only MS didn't charge a shitload for HDs. Kinda counter-intuitive if you ask me. They should be practically giving them away for free to encourage people to buy more DLC. "

    Can I get an "Amen!" from the people!?!? Preach my brother or sister or something in-between!

  • lavalant #15 3 years ago

    Got my points ready for this next week, a great way to end the summer arcade line up. Then we have Alien breed in autum and Perfect Dark in winter, my arcade collection is growing faster than my retail games collection.

  • rogueJT #16 3 years ago

    so 1200 points i take it?

    I've only 1000 in my account.

  • aids #17 3 years ago

    @busboy83: Yeah I've run out of room on my 60gb, and the cost of coughing up god-knows-how-much for a measly 120gb drive for this game is too much for me.

  • Keivz #18 3 years ago

    The gameplay vids remind me of Bionic Commando Rearmed. I was surprised that this wasn't mentioned in the review.

  • rogueJT #19 3 years ago

    reminds me of a 2D MGS.

    The enemies and look are very similar.

    Looking forward to this.

  • HiredMan #20 3 years ago

    I'm all over this like a rash!

  • VendingmachineRed #21 3 years ago

    "a genre that the Japanese left for dead"

    It's certainly not the most healthy genre, but the Japanese are still the ones that produce most of these games.

    Maybe you missed Order of Ecclesia, which never got a review from eurogamer.

    On a side note, I think that Symphony of Night gets way too much credit. It certainly was a good game, but it also added many unnecessary elements such as character stats and leveling. The Metroid games clearly are the better ones.

    I really hope that Shadow Complex can live up to a game like Super Metroid, but that would be something no other game before was able to achieve so far.

  • NBAoz #22 3 years ago

    How come no mention of Delphine Software's Flashback as an inspiration for this game? Ever since I saw screen shots of Shadow Complex it reminded me of that classic. I really hope they one day release Flashback on XBOX Live Arcade, but in the meantime this will have to do! :-)

  • TOOTR #23 3 years ago

    This looks truly great. Old metroid/castlevania fan from way back and will no doubt get this.

    The 'There's something following me' could be prophetic however and I'm sure most of the Trials HD players will agree with me. Because if we start playing this we'll be constantly checking over our shoulder to see if our trials highscores are being bettered by our mates and will have a 'Shadow Complex' indeed.

    Sleep with one eye open....

    Too.Many.Great.XBLA.Releases to handle..... and I haven't even cleared the 3rd screen from Ikaruga yet!

  • speedofthepuma #24 3 years ago

    My 360 died yesterday.

    Shit.

  • CableNut #25 3 years ago

    could be worse, it could be my xbox :p

  • ziggy_played_guitar #26 3 years ago

    That was mean. And funny.

  • peteb #27 3 years ago

    I'm really glad I'm going to GamesCom this week, but damn I'm going to have to wait until Saturday to get this!

  • Burkey123 #28 3 years ago

    This game looks great. Wish I had an Xbox. :(
    Is there any games on DS like this? Metroid/Castlevania style?

  • patchbox360 #29 3 years ago

    its no Killzone2

  • menage #30 3 years ago

    Thta's a sale then. Love Metroidvania. This and the new Batman really kick of the season for me.

  • muscleblade #31 3 years ago

    I had a feeling this would be a winner. Getting this as soon as it hits Live. Next week its Batman AA so its going to be busy from now on.

  • Paperghost #32 3 years ago

    I'd love to get this, but like so many others refuse to pay for the bigger HD at the current stupid prices. I'm right up to my limit, so I guess they're going to lose a semi-constant stream of income from myself until they chop the price.

    As someone else said, very counterintuitive.

  • TafKas #33 3 years ago

    I agree, and with Trials and Battlefield both getting a lot of playtime im not sure when I'll play a disk game again!

  • miiiguel #34 3 years ago

    "EDIT: Sigh, some fool's gone through and -1'd every comment again :) "

    lol! I can picture the dude foaming and saying: this will teach those xbots and their fancy litle games. Yes... yes...!

  • Slim #35 3 years ago

    Fab, but do wish they'd spread the love a bit. Been a great few weeks with splosion, Trials and now this. Give us time to finish em MS!

  • matrim83 #36 3 years ago

    SOLD!

    I was really hoping this one would turn out to be great. Its been too long since the last 2d Metroid and Castlevania doesnt do it for me anymore.

  • Domovoi #37 3 years ago

    I also complained about the small 20GB drive and the expensiveness of the larger ones. And then I just knuckled down and dropped some money on a 120GB drive. Never looked back. Definitely worth it.

    As for Shadow Complex: sounds intriguing, but the constant references to Metroid/Castlevania in the review put me off. Don't get me wrong, I loved the first metroid and the first Castlevania, but when I saw Shadow Complex presented at E3, I thought it'd be something more than a Metroidvania style sidescroller. I was expecting something with the style and grace of a game like Another World. Looks like that ain't it.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 09:25

  • Dizzy #38 3 years ago

    Wow.. after reading that I expected a 10.

    Consider it bought.... I can't believe how many XBLA games I bought last few months. I have had no need for full blown boxed games at all. And more good stuff is coming.... I wonder if this incredible stream of good XBLA games is not eating into the profit of full box publishers. I am skipping Batman probably... too much to play anyway.

  • chris_ace #39 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • burns #40 3 years ago

    thank fuck for that, sold ;)

  • kinky_mong #41 3 years ago

    Been looking forward to this all Summer. Shame that thanks to Rock Band I'm down to my last GB on my hard drive. Think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and fork out for a bigger one.

  • the_dudefather #42 3 years ago

    Blah blah American devs, Japanese devs, We all know Metroid was a Jet Set Willy knock off ;)

    Speaking of, what the hell would a 3d remake of that look like?

  • Toothball #43 3 years ago

    Hmm, wasn't really interested until I read that. Will have to give it a look now.

  • Paperghost #44 3 years ago

    "I also complained about the small 20GB drive and the expensiveness of the larger ones. And then I just knuckled down and dropped some money on a 120GB drive. Never looked back. Definitely worth it."

    I just wonder how long the 120 will actually be useful for - the games on XBLA keep getting better in quality, so we're definitely gonna keep buying them - but the size keeps going up too. then throw in demos, add-on content for stuff like Fallout etc and (God forbid) Microsoft suddenly deciding to apply sensible prices to games on demand (hey, it could happen.....eventually) and we could have a bit of a problem. if ever there was a time for MS to reveal a bigger HD, this is it.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 09:44

  • Murbal #45 3 years ago

    /o\

    Not MORE Live Arcade games to buy! Last week was Trials and 'Splosion Man, so just need to think of how to find the time to play this beast...

  • TopKatt #46 3 years ago

    So it's on a par with Noby Noby Boy then. ;-)

  • miiiguel #47 3 years ago

    Dude, don't feed the trolls, let tem drop random game names, can't you smell biterness ?

  • danathjo #48 3 years ago

    Right, never really liked Halo..Gears of War doesn't really appeal but THIS makes me quite jealous of 360 owners!

    Loving this generation mostly for the new breed of DLC games

  • Domovoi #49 3 years ago

    I just wonder how long the 120 will actually be useful for - the games on XBLA keep getting better in quality, so we're definitely gonna keep buying them - but the size keeps going up too. then throw in demos, add-on content for stuff like Fallout etc and (God forbid) Microsoft suddenly deciding to apply sensible prices to games on demand (hey, it could happen.....eventually) and we could have a bit of a problem. if ever there was a time for MS to reveal a bigger HD, this is it.

    You can also just delete games and demos from your hard drive and re-download them later on. Honestly, I constantly install stuff to my harddrive and I've yet to even fill 80% to it. It's not infinite in capacity, no, but it's definitely sufficient for a while.

  • Domovoi #50 3 years ago

    I'm not looking forward to paying credit card transaction fees for every game I purchase. Give me points any day.

  • miiiguel #51 3 years ago

    I also perfer points, as a matter a fact I will not EVER use m CC on Marketplace. And it's funny, that where I live - PSland - ppl say all the time they want a points system or at least a retail codes card for their PSN.

    / stiil pissed the GoD only accepts CC's :/
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 10:16

  • muscleblade #52 3 years ago

    @Dizzy

    You havent read the Batman review in Gameinformer have you?

    95% This years Bioshock!

  • MiniAmin #53 3 years ago

    Screw Games on Demand.

    This is how you do digital distribution MS!

  • onyxbox #54 3 years ago

    Looking forward to getting this game... just need to finish Red Faction first.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #55 3 years ago

    Sounds good. I'm loving the Castlevania games and I just completed Bionic Commando Rearmed yesterday so this comes at exactly the right time; I want more 2d stuff and this should keep me busy for quite a while.

  • Dizzy #56 3 years ago

    "You havent read the Batman review in Gameinformer have you?

    95% This years Bioshock! "

    Yes I have, I have nothing against the game... I just have too many games at the moment. I will probably pick up Batman in half a year on the cheap.

  • muscleblade #57 3 years ago

    "I will not EVER use m CC on Marketplace"

    Why? You can use Visa btw. You dont actually need a creditcard. The points system is rubbish imo. I dont care though as i still pay with actual money. I need to first buy the points on the marketplace and then buy the game its just seems unneccesary.

  • muscleblade #58 3 years ago

    @Dizzy

    I havent bought a retail game for over 2 months - thats the longest gap since the release of 360 for me. I have bought quite a few XBLA games of course. I need a new retail game though and Batman it is. ODST will be my next game after that probably.

  • Colin8703 #59 3 years ago

    Those of you worried about HD with 120/60gb space can delete any boxed games installed and reinstall them.

    The new update takes a off ton of unneeded data so when you install, it takes less time and less space.

    If you have a 20 GB drive then this may not help as it's probably pretty full now anyway.

  • cianchristopher #60 3 years ago

    Cool, can we get a Face-Off between Summer of Arcade '08 and Summer of Arcade '09?

    Braid, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 and Castle Crashers vs. 'Splosion Man, Trials HD and Shadow Complex.

    Fanboys..... FIGHT!!!

  • muscleblade #61 3 years ago

    @cianchristopher

    They both win.


    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 11:57

  • lucky_jim #62 3 years ago

    That's a tough call cianchristopher. When this year's line-up was announced, most people thought it was lacking compared to last year's. It's a bit hard to say that now. My money is- just- on this year's line-up. GW2 and Braid are great, Castle Crashers though... well it's very good, I just don't think it's as awesome as it seemed after the first 20 minutes play. Bionic Commando Rearmed was pretty good, but I think it'd look like a weak link in this year's line-up.

    'Splosion Man, Trials HD and now (from the look of it) Shadow Complex just about shade it; if I hadn't already played MvC2 to death on the Dreamcast I'd be adding that to the list too. 2009>2008, but not by much!

  • rhinoxious #63 3 years ago

    Loved the look of this from the trailer, trails HD and now this, given how this 'summer' has gone so far these are essential purchases!

  • Rubarack #64 3 years ago

    I'm really starting to worry about the d/l games format on the 360. The hardware is pretty shaky and the hard disks cost a fortune, so getting so much dlc and arcade games is kind of locking me into getting the 720, and inevitably throwing out my titchy 120 gig hard disk for the 250/500gig one that will have. And if THAT comes with shaky hardware...

    I just wish I could get these games for my PC. Lots easier that way.

  • beastmaster #65 3 years ago

    Excellent stuff really. It's going to be hard to keep up the quality set by some of the recent releases.

  • asphaltcowboy #66 3 years ago

    Sounds fantastic! This Summer has been EXCELLENT for XBLA titles!

  • bertybottybiter #67 3 years ago

    Thank you Epic & Chair. Together with DICE, you have given me a reason to smile during this crappy British summer.

  • GamesConnoisseur #68 3 years ago

    Sold!!!

    Some moanings from people who hasnt yet AT least tried the trial version? That would perhaps be a sure way of judging if its too ridge a Metroid type of game or indeed a brilliant translation of the genre for 2009?

    However... this Summer XBLA have been an outright winner, keeping throwing us excellent games and now this!

  • tinners #69 3 years ago

    ok this is taking the piss 3 9/10 games in a row??? my wallet weeps :*(

  • Alkeno #70 3 years ago

    NBAoz, any resemblance between Shadow Complex and Flashback is merely in your head, I fear (http://im agenes.sftcdn.net/es/scrn/51000... It does look a lot like Bionic Commando, though.

    Regarding Flashback... fond memories... it was the game I got bundled in my Megadrive a couple of centuries ago (I wanted the the Street Fighter II Champion Edition bundle but was sold out!), at first I hated it, slow paced, puzzle-like stages, hard as concrete... and the language barrier (I was clueless about English), even the first task of finding the Holocube was huge pain, I ended up using a magazine walkthrough. It eventually grew on me and now I remember it as a masterpiece, it was ages ahead of anything in the 16bit era and a proud exclusive of the Megadrive on my early fanboy wars agains SNES :-D.

    I'll be buying Shadow Complex tonight, it's been ages since the last time I enjoyed some 2d arcade shooting, this game lookes like it the most fun in ages :-D

    Edit: Bought it, played it, loved it. I'll keep playing for the next 5 years :-D

    Edit once again: NBAoz, my apologies, the game indeed does remind me of Flashback! I couldn't see the resemblance until I played it, but the way the guy moves, the jumping, the shooting... even the design of the bots and security cameras does look like Flashback! Maybe it was because I had not seen the game moving, only stills... in any case you were right :-)
    Edited by 3 at 24/08/09 @ 23:58

  • miiiguel #71 3 years ago

    Btw, MS just replied to my "polite but pissed" mail about not having the option to buy GoD games with those lovely MS points... and it seems the joke's on me, as I can.
    Their mail in a nutshell: "Thanks for contacting MS. We are happy to inform you that you can buy GoD games with MS points, just press Y".

    o_O oh rly ?!!
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/09 @ 16:01

  • mukki #72 3 years ago

    does this have 2 player co-op mode?

    prob not or?

    thankkkkkkkkkkkk yeee for any replies

  • GuyNoir #73 3 years ago

    @beatwolf

    Yep but it's really just a 7.

  • Miths #74 3 years ago

    Looks like I'll be dusting off my 360 on Wednesday :).

  • Vin #75 3 years ago

    God bless you Epic and XBLA.

    It's the summer of goddamn love.

  • superdelphinus #76 3 years ago

    sorry but it looks sh2t

  • SleepyDeathFred #77 3 years ago

    @tinners

    Hope Batman makes it four!

  • Marshall2008 #78 3 years ago

    @aids

    Why would they give away HDD's???

    You don't deserve one if you were too cheap a bastard to buy a 360 without an HDD in the first place.

    Oh, you bought a 20GB Xbox back in the day? Then delete some shit to make room or just buy a bigger HDD. Any arcade games you delete can be re-downloaded whenever you want. (unless you are too poor to have broadband! or are a ginger)
    Edited by 1 at 18/08/09 @ 00:12

  • muscleblade #79 3 years ago

    @miiiguel

    Lol! So what games from the ridiculously overpriced GOD service are you going to buy.

  • muscleblade #80 3 years ago

    @SleepyDeathFred

    Yeah Batman will probably get a 9/10 aswell.

  • Notez #81 3 years ago

    Yes! Resurrect the genre! More 2D gameplay, screw the third dimension!

    At least a few developers remember, that these kind of games are actually fun to play and can be very atmospheric in spite of being so "limited" in presentation.

  • Domovoi #82 3 years ago

    @GamesConnoisseur: "Some moanings from people who hasnt yet AT least tried the trial version? That would perhaps be a sure way of judging if its too ridge a Metroid type of game or indeed a brilliant translation of the genre for 2009? "

    It would, if there was a trial version. I sure as hell don't see it on Marketplace.

  • miiiguel #83 3 years ago

    @ muscle:
    Any. I just want to use the service. If I don't feel like showing up.

  • Lankysi #84 3 years ago

    10:02 - where is it?!?!?! It is out today isn't it????

  • actionfitz #85 3 years ago

    huzzah!
    just in time for me having got that 120gb hd off ebay for £40!
    booyaa! hehe.

  • tinners #86 3 years ago

    @SleepyDeathFred

    Oh it will be 4, i hear only great things about Batman, good to see my former company brings out something good after i leave lol.

    and dont forget MVC2, so thats 5 but splosion man isn't a must have in my books.

  • captain-future #87 3 years ago

    How big (hdd space) is this?

  • Nephirion #88 3 years ago

    Simple ideas, for simple people ...

  • muscleblade #89 3 years ago

    Everything about this game ooozes quality. I will be playing this for a long time completing it over and over.
    The game is short and sweet as a game like this should be but has replay value through the roof. Highly recommended for everyone with xbox live.

  • comedian #90 3 years ago

    Oo that sounds like an instabuy.

  • Demiath #91 3 years ago

    Played two hours so far (on Hardcore), and I like the game. The politics of the game are a bit creepy, but the gameplay is great.

  • Galathorn #92 3 years ago

    Tried it, bought it, excellent game, xbla game of the year imho!

  • Sharzam #93 3 years ago

    Ive havnt been buying many XBLA recently as focusing on my pc games however got 2000 points on my account at moment so thought try the trial and i bought it within 10 mins not regretting it. I used to love metroid on the orginal game boy :)

  • jimboton #94 3 years ago

    I just don't get it. You are told where to go and how to get there, which power ups you need, where are the exits to each room, and even whether or not there is a hidden object. So much for exploration. This is as far removed from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Super Metroid's subtle and puzzling design as it gets.

    the gameplay? someone seems to think that making it tediously easy compensates for having enemies constantly shoot you off screen, jerky 30 fps animation and a lot of trouble aiming to background/ foreground enemies, among other nice things.

    And don't get me started about the plot or the politics. 'Creepy' doesn't begin to describe it. It's not funny.

    It seems 'reimagining' now means 'copy everything in it, dumb it down, and make it run worse than the originals did on 15 year old hardware '. Just in what areas does this 'better' Castlevania or Metroid?

    Not that the game cannot be fun, if you like this sort of thing. But seriously, I still can't believe this review, much less the fact that I read it here :(

  • TRUTH #95 2 years ago

    Do you remember the classic days of Snes 2d gaming and ever wondered how they would play if Snes was released today with HD ? The 360 Xbox Live has done that with games like: Shadow Complex, Trials HD, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 HD, Braid, Prince Of Persia HD, Street FighterII HD, Ikaugra, Splosh Man, Rez HD, R-Type HD, Metal Slug 3, and soon Alien Breed HD.

    It seems Xboxlive is the place for great yesteryear games for today. Just need Street Fighter Vs X-men & Street Fighter III in HD plleeeeeeease MS.

  • pha #96 2 years ago

    This linear 2D platform shooter a 9/10?!?!? FLOL

  • GitSomE_UK #97 2 years ago

    @Pha
    Have you played it?

    An excellent game and EG called it right with 9/10.