Speaking with Chair Entertainment's co-founder, Donald Mustard, I was curious about their future plans, for "Shadow Complex" but also for their next game. Turns out there's not much going on in terms of "Shadow Complex" DLC, but their next project has already jumped into the design phase:

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It's been nearly two months since "Shadow Complex" released on Xbox Live to critical and commercial acclaim. The game, a side-scrolling adventure shooter, definitely raised the bar for what was possible in the downloadable space and introduced a whole new group of gamers to traditional Metroid-style gameplay.

Now that the game is done and dusted, I spoke with Donald Mustard, the creative director and co-founder of Chair Entertainment, to understand a bit about what went into its creation. First up, the map.

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Tim is on vacation (the bastard), but that doesn't mean you won't get three games worth checking out this week. You can probably guess my number one pick, but hey, it's too damn good not to give it the nod! Watch "Game Plan" episode 4 above, and we'll be back to our normal format next week.

We're just about out of the woods. Decent games are finally starting to come out again, and the gloomy, crap-filled days of July are long behind us. There are a lot of games that have either come out already this month or are coming out over the next week or two. Which are going to steal the most of your precious time?

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In a rare move, Chair Entertainment was able to send out download codes for "Shadow Complex" more than a week before the game releases to the world on XBLA. So, of course, I've been playing a lot of it. My review is embargoed until next week, but I thought you guys might be interested to learn just how quickly the game can be finished.

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I've been playing through a preview build of "Shadow Complex" for about a week now and I'm happy to report that it will live up to its predecessors like "Metroid" and "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night." And, thanks to some Unreal Engine-powered visuals, it looks a helluva lot better, too.

Throughout the game you'll explore a giant, labyrinthine military base, collecting items and objects to help you progress deeper and farther. There's a lot of cool gear to discover, but if you're looking to go into the game fresh, you may want to stop reading right here. For everyone else, read on, spoilers ho!

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Xbox.com's Major Nelson spread the word today on what games would be included as part of Microsoft's Summer of Arcade, as well as their prices and release dates. Without further ado:

July 22nd - "TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled" (1200 MS Points/$15)
This seems a little steep, considering it's really just the old game with updated (albiet very swank-looking) graphics. If I recall, the original adventure took about 2 hours to complete and doesn't exactly have the level of depth as, say, "Bionic Commando Rearmed," which released at 800 MS points.

July 29 - "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" (1200 MS Points/$15)
"Street Fighter 2 HD Remix Extreme Ultra Megamix" had a lot of value and great netcode, so I feel like this is in-line with what we've come to expect for a $15 game. After all, there are dozens of characters and there's that terrible soundtrack to look forward to!

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Chair Entertainment was in town today to show off "Shadow Complex," the non-linear, "Metroid"-styled action adventure game based on the "Empire" series of books by Orson Scott Card. Phew, that's a lot to pack into one sentence!

While I spent about an hour delving into the massive game world, Donald Mustard (co-founder of Chair) finished by revealing some "Master Challenges" that the game has for the hardest of the hardcore. One of them was titled "Jason Bailey," an obvious reference to the "Justin Bailey" code from "Metroid" (which allowed you to play as Samus in a bathing suit). In "Shadow Complex," the "Jason Bailey" challenge is achieved by finishing the game in under 2 hours.
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Two of the best games that showed at this year's E3 were "Uncharted 2" and "Shadow Complex." Both are exclusive to their platforms (PS3 and 360, respectively), and both are played from different perspectives (over-the-shoulder vs. 2D side-scroller). But their heroes? Cut from the same block of wood! I couldn't help but notice the similarities, but if you missed it, here are some of the more glaring examples.

They Have The Same Sense of Style

The lone hiker with spiky hair look is definitely in, and both guys seem to be rockin' it with style. Later on in "Shadow Complex," the hero gains a power suit which boosts his abilities, but at the start at the adventure it definitely looks like they shop at the same store.
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Chair Entertainment announced in early 2008 that they had nabbed the rights to make "Ender's Game" games, which is all fine and dandy and fits nicely with their previous multiplayer-centric game, "Undertow". Imagine my surprise, then, when they showed up at E3 with Epic Games to reveal that a completely different Orson Scott Card-based game had been developed and, even more surprising, that it's looking great. Thanks to some hands-on time, "Shadow Complex" has jumped to the top of my most anticipated downloadable games list.

What It's Doing Right
Inspired by Greatness
"Shadow Complex" is inspired by "Metroid" and "Castlevania". They even said it right there in the Microsoft press conference. It's a 2.5D game that focuses on exploration, but features action to break up the gameplay. You'll start with nothing but the clothes on your back and a flashlight, but as you progress deeper into a mysterious underground facility, you'll gain upgrades which will allow you to access more locations.

They're really not even trying to hide the similarities to its predecessors. Double jumps, guns that shoot platforms which you can then walk on, etc. Hell, the map is straight-up ripped from the square-based map of "Super Metroid"! It's not subtle, but I'm fine with that, those were great games.

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