Shadowgrounds

by Meridian 4

Product Features

• Face enormous monsters in boss battles
• Destructible environment allows you to wreak havoc with your arsenal
• Upgrade weaponry with powerful modifications
• Visit exciting locations, including a secret military base and the alien-infested colony New Atlantis
• Fight side-by-side with NPC allies against massive alien hordes

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000ES3X1Q
• Item Weight: 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 25, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,919 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

What lurks in the shadows!Product InformationShadowgrounds brings fresh air to the action genre with its unique top-downperspective explosive action sequences innovative weapon upgrade system andmoody soundtrack. Addictive gameplay and audiovisual fireworks set the scene fora near-future tale of epic heights.  Be prey to the vicious aliens - orprepare to strike back before it's too late!Mankind's longest dream - to reach out to the stars ? started to becomereality in the 2050s when technology research reached a point where a planetcould be terraformed into a suitable home for man. Nine unmanned spaceships werelaunched with the purpose of starting a chain reaction of life on Ganymede thethird moon of the Jupiter system.The Ganymede project was declared a success after three decades of hard researchwork. Manned spaceships were sent to Ganymede which was still cold batteredand dark but also a new beginning a new home for hundreds of men and women.The human colony grew over the years and now in the year 2096 over 8000 peoplelive on Ganymede.Step into the shoes of Wesley Tyler. He's an ordinary man ? ifthat?s what you call a senior mechanic at the IGTO's Repair Base onGanymede. He once was a security expert at a state-of-the-art fusion facility.But then things went wrong accidents happened and Wesley Tyler asked the wrongquestions. He got the blame - and a dropship ticket to the outskirts of theGanymede colony.Now he works day in day out at the IGTO Repair Base. Life is dark cold andfrustrating. But all that is about to change when the electricity system startsmalfunctioning once again and Tyler is sent to check out what is wrong.Product FeaturesUpgradeable weaponryUse a devastating arsenal of high-tech weaponry to dispose of the alien threat.Each weapon has multiple upgrades that maximize the carnage. Examples include apinpoint laser that cuts the aliens in half and and a railgun that fireswall-bouncing bullets - kill several aliens with only one shot! Check o

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good game..., October 8, 2006

By 

J. Markum "KLoWnTaZ" (Tennessee U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadowgrounds (Video Game)

I Liked the General playability The freelook wan't to my taste however(Glad It has the option to turn it off). My player tended to get stuck on objects and doorways alot when i tried too peek and shoot around corners(This is a bug and should be fixed). Enemy design is original in it own way and they are fun to figure out each weakness. Weapons concept was great however targeting in the overhead view is sometime difficult. I think the idea of no savegames is acually a good idea however maybe savepoints would have been useful for some players. My final point is the story. Interesting concept and execution however the ending was anticlimactic I think it should have been more rewarding after the endboss was so hard. I loved the plot of it but maybe the detail was were it fell short.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadowgrounds...A well done action game., January 8, 2007

By 

R. Nicholson - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shadowgrounds (Video Game)

A very good, interesting game that got better as it went along!

This is a third person shooter with weapon upgrades; the location is on the alien infested moon, Ganymede.

The Pros:

1.)Good, spooky atmosphere; many darkened rooms and outdoor areas that are only partially visible with your flashlight beam.

2.)Audio; although not dazzling, it is effective in adding a sense of edginess of the overall game play.

3.)Initially I was disappointed that this was a 3rd person vs. 1st person shooter. However, with time this concern was less and less important in the overall game play. The third person overhead view does help with showing you a little bit about the rooms immediately next to you. (some with obvious aliens inside) This had the advantage of allowing you to plan ahead.

4.)10 different weapons, each with 3 different upgrades available (some of which are very useful, others less so, but then again it depends a lot on the opponent(s) you are up against at the moment) The weapons upgrades were varied enough to make choosing an improvement (and using up those hard earned experience points) a matter that required some thought, but overall was a lot of fun.

5.)An interesting variety of monsters, each with his own strengths and weakness; half the fun is trying to determine that weakness and picking the appropriate weapons that will be effective against it. Not as easy as it sounds.

6.)An intriguing assortment of ways to defeat your opponents by using your surroundings and your different weapons to your advantage. (some obvious, other less so)

7.)The action was, at times, intense and hectic but never boring.

The Cons:(singular)

1.)No save game feature: the game has ten sections of varying length and difficulty. You have 5 lives for each of these game sections. If you lose all five lives you must restart the section (not the entire game) again from the beginning. Initially this was annoying, but with time I liked this system as it gave me time to study the surroundings and try different weapons when I'd have to replay a level.

All in all, a great action game that was intense, exciting and had no trouble holding my interest. 5 Stars!

Addendum /08:
Having played and finished the sequel to this game, 'Shadow Ground Survivor' I'd recommend that this game; is the much better of the two. This sequel is, in general OK, but it's much shorter, easier and less intense; however the ending is do-able on the newer game.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good But Not Great, June 15, 2011

By 

Veil_Lord - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shadowgrounds (Video Game)

I picked this up with the sequel for less than five bucks, so you know my starting point. I love this kind of game in general. It is sort of like the old Contra ones, though top down view.

The Good

+Cool weapons with alternate fire
+Nice upgrade system that forces some choice, but you still get enough good stuff
+Decent looking alien models
+Satisfactorily long (maybe 10 hours)
+Controls are tight
+You can duck and roll if not carrying heavier weapons
+The mini-gun secondary fire as a sentry gun is awesome!

+/-There is no in level save, but you do get five re-spawns per level
+/-You can't take much damage and die pretty easily

-Voice acting is terrible.
-Partners are far more trouble than they're worth; you get stuck on them, can't move, and die.
-Graphics are a tad weak by today's standards, though it looked fine to me.
-You can't carry med kits so you sometimes have to backtrack.
-Some weapons stink
-There's no dash button

All in all, I'd recommend the similar Alien Shooter II - Vengeance as a better overall game, but I don't at all regret getting this one. Heck, they're cheap now so just get both of 'em.