Oh Xbox Live Summer of Arcade, just when I thought our chance had passed, you went all Vanessa Williams on me. Yes folks, there's no doubt in my mind that Chair Entertainment’s Shadow Complex is the best game Xbox Live Arcade has to offer. This game is ridiculously good. So good that it essentially changes what can - and should - be expected from a downloadable release in the future.

Right off, you’ll notice this game is not like any XBLA release you’ve seen to date. The production values (even on the title screen) are through the roof. The 3D graphics are impressive, the cut-scenes are better than most $60 games, the voice acting is top notch, and the atmosphere is intriguing. The latter can be attributed to the game taking place inside Orson Scott Card's "Empire" universe - a universe that adeptly combines sci-fi and pulp fiction. It also doesn't hurt that the script and storyline are enjoyable and penned by the very capable comic book writer, Peter David.

Taking healthy amounts of inspiration from classic Metroid games, Shadow Complex is a 2.5D platforming game with heavy doses of action and puzzle solving. The game drops you into the shoes of everyman Jason Fleming on a hiking excursion with his girlfriend Claire. The two stumble upon an underground militant group, Claire is kidnapped, and it’s up to you to infiltrate their headquarters and get her back. Of course this involves jumping, crawling, climbing, AND finding components to assemble a super suit.

As with all games of this nature, Shadow Complex involves a fair share of backtracking. Fortunately, retracing previous rooms never feels like a chore. The cleverly designed environment scales brilliantly to your ever expanding abilities. Areas initially perceived as confined and requiring methodical crawling and climbing quickly become fluidly traversed as new powers are unlocked. Also, I never get that dreaded directionless feeling that has left me wandering lost in so many "Metroidvanias". Simply bring up the map, and a blue line shows which rooms you need to pass through to reach the next goal. Getting through those rooms will require some environmental puzzle solving, eliminating enemy troops, and maybe even a boss fight. The blue line is a relatively basic feature (that can be turned off if you desire), but it's an excellent design decision in a series of well thought-out game mechanics that limit frustration and provide players with choices on how they want to approach Shadow Complex. This depth of planning is also evident in combat detail.

Sure, you can simply shoot every enemy in the game until they succumb, but there always seem to be creative ways to tackle each situation. That could include shooting down turrets that then fall and explode upon soldiers below, sneaking up behind baddies and taking them out with a melee attack, or a myriad of other options based upon what powers you have obtained. The same principle also applies to the mech-based bosses you'll run across. Sure, they all have patterns and specific weaknesses, but the battles aren't so rigid that you can't skillfully force your way through as well. While I don't want to give away the various power-ups you will obtain for your suit, I will say that there are some unique and extremely satisfying abilities. The leveling system is also brilliant, not only awarding you XP for disposing of enemies, but also for exploring new areas of the map.

There are a few minor faults with the game, but it almost feels nit-picky to mention them. The jumping animation seems slightly stiff, as does the way you bounce off enemies' heads should you land on them. Also, enemies in the 3D plane can be finicky to hit depending upon the positioning of your character. Aside from that, the only complaint I have is that you might find yourself stumbling into the end game sequence prematurely. I was exploring with the intent of picking up missed items and getting the last suit enhancements when I unknowingly triggered the final encounter. That said, the game encourages multiple play-throughs as your character's level carries over to your next game and you can't get all the Achievements the first time through. With regards to Achievements, the game does a great job of tracking your progress on cumulative Achievements (like reaching 50 head-shots) and how you rate against your friends with in-game pop-up windows.

All in all, Shadow Complex provides one of the best gaming experiences of this generation. The game does so many things right and has such exceptional presentation that I could go on and on. Since I'd rather spend the time on a second play-through, I'm going to end this review here. Just know that once you've played Shadow Complex, you're expectations on what constitutes a $15 downloadable game are going to be forever changed.

Outstanding
Outstanding | Very Good | Fair | Poor | Awful

Recommended Buy Price: $15.00
Current MSRP: $15.00

"Shadow Complex" was provided for Shipwreck's review by Microsoft Studios. The game's story mode was finished in six hours with 52% item collection and 74% exploration. I spent an additional thirty minutes playing the Challenge Mode which consists of obstacle courses you must get through with a specific set of powers. The game is available exclusively as a download on the Xbox Live Arcade.

Wombat’s Take:

With Microsoft upping the minimum file size for an Xbox Live game, Chair Entertainment’s Shadow Complex truly shows the potential for how great a downloadable game can be. The game takes the classic side-scroller and makes it feel brand new by adding depth of field, 3-D cut scenes and some of the best graphics seen on a downloadable console game. Sure, Peter David’s story - if mostly forgettable - does its job well, pushing you towards the action and giving you a reason to be there. In the end, isn’t that all we need our story to do? The only other shortcoming I found would be aiming at enemies deep within the z-axis. This can literally be hit or miss at times, but it is not prevalent enough to warrant a drop in score. As a total package, Shadow Complex may be the best Live Game to date and possibly one of the best games to grace a console this year.

Outstanding
Outstanding | Very Good | Fair | Poor | Awful

Recommended Buy Price: $15.00
Current MSRP: $15.00

"Shadow Complex" was provided for Wombat's review by Microsoft Studios. The game was played to completion with 85% exploration in just under 10 hours. An additional hour was spent trying out challenge rooms. The game is available exclusively as a download on the Xbox Live Arcade.