Back in January 2008, 360 owners were given a free game after the Live system succumbed to an overload of new gamers over the Christmas holiday. That free game was “Undertow.†For those who got it for free, there were mixed feelings about the game’s overall charm and playability, while everyone else who got stuck paying for it was left unimpressed by the game’s boring story and punishing difficulty.
However, regardless of how the game managed to find itself on your 360’s hard drive, “Undertow,†is a decent game that ultimately fails to provide anything else but a fun, yet shallow gameplay experience. In spite of that though, it isn’t for everyone.
Ever imagine what would happen if someone threw a retro shooter like “Geometry Wars†and a modern team-based shooter like “Star Wars: Battlefront†together in a blender, adding a few British accents for spice, and a story that involves the lost city of Atlantis, all because you ran out of decent ideas for video games? Okay, probably not, but if you did, “Undertow†is what you would have been left with. The same retro-shooting fun and team-based shooter elements that made GW and Battlefront such enjoyable titles are here in Chair Entertainment’s 360 title, but the redundant and boring story will make the you feel you have nothing to play for.
Taking on three different story lines, “Undertow†tries in a Quentin Tarantino-esque way to tie everything together. However, the same problems riddle all three stories, as they feature characters that lack the charisma to allow gamers to fall for them, making the cut-scenes in between levels a bore and something you’ll eventually just skip through.
Aside from the story that would best be used as gamer repellent, the gameplay of “Undertow†is strong, addicting and extremely challenging. The dual analog controls on the 360 are a perfect fit for the game and make destroying enemies fun and fulfilling. While the graphics on the whole look more like a tribute to “Blast Chamber†on the PSX and are far from current generation, the colorful backgrounds and solid-frame rate keep this game from being a complete eye sore.
Nonetheless, “Undertow,†has its redeeming qualities. The multiplayer mode is fun, granted you can find capable players online and the challenging achievements will make those who consider their Gamerscore the end all, be all symbol of their gaming abilities want to push forward and conquer the tough A.I. In the end however, it remains to be seen if the solid gameplay can make up for the shoddy story and repugnant graphics. Rather, you’ll just get the feeling that this gameplay engine would be so much better in a different setting.
With that being said, for those that don’t need great graphics or a compelling story line to get their daily fix of gaming goodness, “Undertow†may be worth a look. For everyone else though, “Undertow,†is an easy one to pass up.
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