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News
• Trine out on Linux. Hugely successful XBLA and PC title, Trine, has been released on Linux via the 'Humble Frozen-byte Bundle'. Trine 2 is expected to be released later this year to Linux.
This month, I am continuing my series of reviews on the games included in The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. Due to the number of games I have queued up to review in upcoming issues of Full Circle, I am bundling two games into this review.
Shadowgrounds, and Shadowgrounds Survivor, are both Sci-Fi top-down shooters set on the planet of Ganymede. Both titles focus around an alien invasion of the planet and an attack on the human base. In Shadowgrounds, you play as a engineer, Wesley Tyler, who thought the game has to repair the base, fight off the alien, and escape the planet. In Shadowgrounds Survivor, the story focuses around three playable characters as they try to escape the planet. The story is solid on both titles, which is told through cut scenes and in-game video messages. Shadowgrounds features story items such as Email messages, Documents, and diary entries. All these can be picked up throughout the game, and help to expand the story further.
Shadowgrounds is a shooter, but it is unique by not using the traditional first person view. You play the whole game from a top down prospective, which works perfectly well. The keyboard is used to move the character, while the mouse is used to point your gun. It does not take long to get used to the new view, it may even encourage non-fps fans to try this shooter out.
The missions are focused on completing a series of objectives, and you will be moving around dark buildings, shooting aliens, activating objects and recovering items. Missions are enjoyable, but do become repetitive as most of the objectives are similar. What makes this game enjoyable is shooting aliens and the excellent atmosphere. Most of the game is played in the dark, with the odd flickering light. The torch attached to your gun can display light only in front of you, which adds an excellent tactical and gameplay element. You will have to be careful how you position your torch, since you could have aliens sneaking up behind you. This really does add to the tension and atmosphere. Shadowgrounds features a varied arsenal of weapons and explosives, which are very satisfying to use.
Both the graphics and sound are good in both titles, which really helps to improve the gameplay. While the graphics are dated in Shadowgrounds, with some solid improvements in Shadowgrounds Survivor, the graphics are still good by today’s standards. Its standout graphic effect is the lighting from the torch. A solid soundtrack can be heard throughout, with sound effects which add to the tension and atmosphere of Shadowgrounds.
Both titles feature a decent length story campaign, Shadowgrounds boasts co-operative play while Shadowgrounds Survivor has a Survival Mode.. Based on the style of game in Shadowgrounds, it is really begging for a Co-Op mode. While Shadowgrounds features this mode, and allows up to 4 players to play though all the missions from the story campaign, the mode has not been thought through at all. Co-Op can be played on only one computer, and not over LAN or Internet. For most people, this makes Co-Op completely pointless. Shadowgrounds Survivor has a far better extra mode, in the form of Survival Mode, which sends hordes of aliens your way, and you have to survive for as long as possible.
Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds Survivor are both solid shooters, which are slightly different to traditional action titles, thanks to its horror atmosphere and viewpoint. The story is very plain, but plenty of cut scenes and objects can be found throughout the game - which help to add some background to the main story. Missions are enjoyable, though repetitive, and bring nothing new to this shooter genre. The graphics and sound are solid throughout, and improve the atmosphere of the game. Co-Op play is really lacking, and should have been a crucial feature of this title. The port of this title to Linux is poor, and requires a good system to run this game well. Overall, it is an enjoyable shooter, but falls short in many areas.
Score: 7/10
Good: • Interesting Story, with story items to pick up during game • Solid Gameplay • Good Atmosphere • Enjoyable Survival Mode (Shadowgrounds Survivor)
Bad: • Co-Op not fully implemented (Shadowgrounds) • Becomes dull & repetitive over time • Poor performance on Linux