Customer Reviews

Shadowgrounds

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I really enjoy this game. Even with a top down format, the graphics are great and the overall game play is challenging without ever getting too hard. I would recommend it to anyone who just enjoys fun shooter games. Delivery was prompt and the game was in excellent condition.

I got this game for a good deal and then didn't play it for a long time. I wasn't sure what to expect anymore when I finally decided to give it a try, but I was pleasantly surprised! I just finished it and I have to say that this is a very fun game! It's nothing super epic, super amazing, or groundbreaking, but it takes an old style of game (top-down-view action/shooter) and does it very well. The story is quite good for a video game like this and has a good conclusion (no stupid cliffhanger or huge loose ends, thank goodness!!). The graphics and animation are certainly well done, though not incredible, the soundtrack is very, very good, the characters are amusing, the weapons are interesting and fun to use and upgrade, and the action is engaging, visceral, and entertaining. It's a pretty simple game to get into and not too difficult, though it can be a bit challenging, but still not too hard, in a few parts towards the end.
If you want to have a blast blasting alien monsters with high-end weaponry, this is a great game to try.

One of my favorite games of all time. The music is awesome - I am buying the soundtrack. Graphics are excellent. Third person game play is refreshing in a world of too many first person nausea-inducing games.

Would not recommend thsis game. Was not aware that it all takes palce in the third person; camera view from above about 30' away. Aim point for guns is about 20' from the shooter. The scenes are so dark that the aliens are in your face inside the aim point before you know it.