This is one of the best side scrolling shooters you can get. Oh yeah and it's cheap! This is truly a good game.
Shadow Complex is one of those games that if you have XboxLive, you really need to get. Just to summarize a little on what makes it so good is that it has action, great level design, a good soundtrack, and some great action.
Gameplay: Imagine Super Metroid, and a small blend of Castlevania, and you get Shadow Complex. You explore a huge giant map that is extremely well designed. The thing that makes this game so compelling is that there are upgrades scattered all over the map. It is a lot of fun finding upgrades, and there is a sense of accomplishment whenever you find an upgrade. The fact that the game goes in slow motion whenever you pick something up also gives a sense of accomplishement.
There are a variety of enemies in the game. Though the enemies AI's are pretty bad, I think the fact that they are dumb is what makes the game so fun. If the AIs were smart I think this game would way too hard. Since the game has a large amount of upgrades, it is fun to fight enemies that you thought were hard at first, and then beat them just by simply flicking them.
The thing that I also enjoyed about this game was the fact that the weapons are simple, but fun to use. This game doesn't put much emphasis on weapons. Once you earn a weapon you will be using it until you earn the next weapon, and each weapon is a step up from the last one. To get rid of frustration the game has infinitive ammo.
Now as you progress throughout the game you will get some items that help you get through special doors, or kill enemies easier. A couple of items (actually all of the items) are a grenade launcher, missile launcher, grappling hook, and a cool foam gun. Each one will help you in different situations, though sometimes it is annoying to have to flip through items constantly just to open doors. Since there are upgrades for your items, eventually you can have infinitive ammo for your upgrades, because naturally items don't have infinitive ammo. This is especially fun when you get to fight bosses, and you have unlimited rockets, or foam.
Your armor upgrades throughout the game too. You get stuff like triple jump, or super speed which allows you to plow over enemies. The best upgrade which is the hardest one to get is invicibility whenever you are walking. This is so much fun when fighting the final bosses, and then add unlimited item ammo and you can have a lot of fun.
Music: The games soundtrack is actually pretty good. When the game needs to be epic, the music will be epic, when the game is quiet the music will be quiet. Every once in a while the music will give me chills down my spine.
Story: The story of the game really isn't anything special, and it is actually fairly weak. BUT it is doing that on purpose. Since this game is trying to be a modern, c lassic; the story is supposed to be anything too special.
Bosses: The bosses in this game are fairly good, while at sometimes the bosses won't work so well. A couple times in a boss battle I am doing the right stuff to destroy the boss, but yet nothing will happen. Though most of the bosses are good.
Graphics: Now graphics usually aren't an important thing, but this game set the standards now for arcade games. This game has really good graphics, though sometimes there are some slight glitches in graphics. The lighting is really good!
Voice acting: Fairly good voice acting, but voice acting isn't what makes a game. Though the main character is very cliche which isn't that bad since the game is sort trying to be cliche.
Extras thoughts: The game does have something called proving grounds, which has everything white, and kind of stylized. It is basically a training room, that will eventually give you challenges to face. The challenges are usually fairly simple, and this mode adds a little bit more replay value. Though honestly the main campaign is just short enough which adds a whole lot of replay value. I think I have beaten the game about 4 times, and have enjoyed it everytime. One thing that really adds replay value is the ability to level up. The more you play the game, and the more kills you make, the more you level up. Eventually it stops add level 50, and when you level up the game will give you bonuses.
Overall: This is a really good game that everyone should play. The gameplay is fast paced, and action packed. The replay value is really high in my opinion, because of so many upgrades you can earn, the fun campaign, and the leveling up system. Now there may be a couple of glitches along the way like with graphics, or with your character doing the wrong punching attacks, but it doesn't really effect gameplay.
Shadow Complex 9.0