Undertow
This game lives up to its name, it pulls you under
Tags: Undertow Categories: Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Dec 28th, 2007
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Undertow (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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Undersea combat has never been so frantic, as it is in Chair’s Undertow. The XBLA release brings an interesting take on arcade shooters. Set in a world where aliens have melted the ice caps, and left humanity to survive in the deep. The battle mechanics seem more out of Battlefield than Robotron 2084, but the system delivers a game that works well in both single and multiplayer modes. The dual-stick control scheme is something right out of the Arcade era, and should be easy enough for amateurs to pick up, but precise enough for hardcore gamers.
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The single player mode has the same game play as multiplayer, but it is mixed with cut scenes that introduce the various unit types available. The whole game has this weird Jules Verne meets William Gibson feel to it. The planet has been flooded so most people are confined to diving gear as they scavenge through the ruins to survive. The Iron Marines are the first race you play, a pretty standard feeling class. The Nemodians are the key to the Jules Verne feel of the game, their armor and vehicles have that distinctive 19th century feel to them. The final playable class is the Atlatians. Their unit designs are a mix between organic aquatic life, and futuristic technology. As the story knits together there is a final class that isn’t playable. The aliens that flooded the planet come to claim it as their own, and wreak havoc at the bottom of the sea.
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The game play closely resembled the control point system used in the Battlefield games. Considering the infinite ammo and upgrade systems, taking and keeping control points can elicit some pretty intense battles. The only complaint I have is the detail level of the characters. The backgrounds are very lush and have much more detail than the usual XBLA games. The characters however lack that same detail: all but the largest creatures are vague shapes. The cut scenes depict very well designed characters and units, and for all the work that went in to designing the characters, it would be nice to see more of them.
Undertow features a couple different ways to play multiplayer, and with the use of bots, it should be pretty easy to get a game going. The servers are still a little sparsely populated, but as long as you aren’t trying to play at 6 AM, it isn’t hard to find an opponent. The game’s simple mechanics make it easy to compete online, but play through the single player campaigns to get a feel for the maps.
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Undertow is a strong title well worth checking out. Its mechanics may not be for everyone, but it is at least worth checking out the demo. With both a solid multiplayer and a decent single player mode, this is well worth the meager investment required.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ A great mix of modern mechanics with classic arcade action. + Single player story mode is very well done. |
9.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - In game characters could look better | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Undertow is a whole lot of fun, and it delivers a full size game in a small package. The classic arcade action makes it easy to pick up, but it manages to deliver enough depth to keep you engaged. | |
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Tags: Undertow
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Dec 28th, 2007 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
