Men are the dreams of a...Shadow Complex backlog review.

Well, back again, check it, direct it, let's begin. Shadow Complex came out a couple years ago and decided I'd wait to play it when I could really get in to it. From what I heard it was Super Metroid from the guys who's sophomore effort gave us Bulletstorm. Super Metroid is the best (IMO) Metroid in the series and was released when most of y'all were picking your nose on a greater frequency then you do today; in 1994. Mapping though a hostile planet trying to stop evil forces and gaining abilities to overcome obstacles.

Based off the Unreal Engine...ya know classics such as Gears, Army of Two and Homefront. It's 2.5D rendered in a 3D engine and environment, which is very cool and really deceptive. Enemies can arrive on the scene from the rear of the room, usually through a door coming to foreground where you are. There will be stairs you can't use because this is side scrolling adventure in a 3D world. Graphics are really pretty with no slow down whatsoever and one glitch the entire game and it was at the end during a cut scene where our hero had purple and white polygon hair.

The story. Jason Flemming was out just to get some tail. Seriously, meets a girl the night before at the bar and she asks him to go rock climbing the next day. Worth a shot I guess to climb the mountain to see the valley. Claire our lady in distress gets taken and is sent to interrogation. You must save her. The story becomes more shadowy and complex from there...huh huh huh. You unwitting get dropped into a large underground complex. The environments ranged from caverns, to duct work, offices and factories. The map is huge, 4 times the size of Super Metroid, in comparison. The story is not spectacular but has a nice lil' twist.

Game play is solid, no slowdowns, the controls are crisp and the actions are true. This is a washed and updated copy of Super Metroid. You work your way though the giant complex finding power-ups for a suit of power armor that you just happen to happen upon and you really want it; so you chase it around the complex after it sinks though the floor for security purposes. You find a scuba mask to go underwater, in SM (Super Metroid) it's a gravity suit, thrust boots are high jump boots, friction damper is the speed booster. You get grenades, missiles, foam and a hook in likeness to the bomb, missiles, ice beam? and grappling beam from SM. The puzzles are usually how you enter a room or area; though the duct work or blowing up a door, sometimes you need a special weapon to open it. The foam was neat. You basically carried a can of expanding foam that could stop machines, fans and you could make temporary bridges. The enemies had AI they ducked, they dodged and they blocked, which made them a challenge at first. There are awesome huge mechs you also take on too. See, you start as the average Joe, a simple pistol then you gain the suit and it's abilities over time. You become a serious widow maker by the end if you collect everything; sound familiar?? (like every cool game ever!) Collecting is the big fun, trying to find that last missile pickup or suit upgrade. Though the game holds your hand for most of the upgrades.

I seriously enjoyed this game, it was Super Metroid this decade. 4.33 INUS. Not really a story but Super Metriod didn't really have one either until the end much like Shadow Complex. Great game play and solid gaming experience, not too easy not too hard...that's what she said! Anyways I really hope the make a second one or at least more developers jump on to this 2.5D platform, which I have seen many of them have. If you like Metroid (old school) or the old Castlevania and some of the newer Nintendo DS titles or specifically Symphony of Night; you will enjoy Shadow Complex. I think I am going to beat this again just for the fun of it and it doesn't hurt there is a few achievements too. Hee Hee.