Shadowgrounds (fun budget overhead/isometric action game)

[geo]

It's certainly not Crusader (one of my favorite action games ever ), but I've been fond of a Finland-developed action game called Shadowgrounds. It's technically a "top down" shooter (some reviews compare it to Smash TV or Robotron even), but in "free camera" view it reminds me of Crusader on some ways.

The game has its faults (you get 5 "spawns" per mission in lieu of a real save system; and there's no Internet or LAN multiplayer, just co-op at the same computer), but the customizable weapons and destructible environments are a lot of fun, and have me occasionlly flashing back to crusader. There's a 3-level demo available, and Valve is going to sell the game (Shadowgrounds, not Crusader  ;D) on Steam starting May 8 I think.

Official site:
http://www.shadowgroundsgame.com

I learned about Echo Sector when I was looking up some Crusader info for a post I made at the forums. There's a sequence in Shadowgrounds where you have to battle a malfunctioning mech.  8) It reminded me of some Crusader moments.

Here's the thread where I was babbling about Crusader :
http://www.shadowgroundsgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2332#2332

This is the first game from a tiny Finnish developer called Frozenbyte. I was just excited to find a fun action game that wasn't an FPS or third person over the shoulder game.

Long live Crusader!

 

[geo]

Here's my Mech moment. I was stuck on this in the game, but finally stumbled on some "minigun" ammo and was able to blast it from behind. In Crusader, I would've used an EMP rifle first and then blasted it with rockets.  8)

 

[Keenan]

Looks cool. I haven't bought any games from Steam yet. I just might for this one!

I didn't like the guy that posted under your message saying that it's just like Shadowgrounds..... Makes me mad.

 

[geo]

I think that guy was being sarcastic.  ;D Either that, or he was some overexcited Finnish guy.

I'd take it as a compliment. Like I said, the world could've been filled with Crusader clones (it was a top 10 sales game in its day) and better yet sequels, but Doom, Duke Nukem 3D etc. took over the world instead. 

If Shadowgrounds interests you, visit the site for demo download links. There's a 3-level demo that gives a pretty good idea of how the game plays. Be sure to try the "free camera" mode, which gives something closer to a Crusader feel (but uses the mouse for aiming, not keys).

 

[Keenan]

There was going to be about four more Crusader games from what I've learned doing research, they were called:

No Mercy
No Survivors
No Quarter
Crusader 2

 

[geo]

I only knew for sure about No Mercy because my No Regret strategy guide had some concept art for No Mercy in it.

In retrospect, it's a shame Zurovec followed Chris Roberts and then ended up doing nothing (Loose Cannon never came out). If only he'd stayed with Origin....

I have a few Shadowgrounds gameplay movies at Putfile. You need a codec installed in Windows Media Player capable of playing MPEG-2 stuff (most people have one via a DVD software player or something).

My Putfile gameplay movies page
http://www.putfile.com/metalmandroid\

i belatedly realized most people can't play MPEG-2 movies as streaming stuff (it usually requires a non-free add on or DVD player software on your computer). So I added a couple MPEG1 format Shadowgrounds movies that should work for everybody. They're at the top of the page above with "MPEG1" in the title.