While Undertow may not be the latest Xbox Live Arcade game, I'm sure it's one most people have in their collection. It's a game that a lot of people didn't give a fair shot because it was given away to compensate for certain connection issues back in 2007 on Xbox Live. A lot of people have forgotten the game supports a great drop-in/drop-out 3 player co-op campaign. Luckily, we're here to remind you.
The game places players in control of three different underwater races; each race has four different classes that can each be upgraded three different levels. Got that? The classes range from a human diver, a mech type suit, a small sub, and a cruiser. There's even sharks (ok they are dolphins) with lasers (ok it's lightning)! There's a nice variety here, and as you take out your opponents and earn points to upgrade, a class advantage can really tip the scales of battle.
The basic premise of Undertow is similar to a conquest or domination game mode in Battlefield or Unreal Tournament. You take your character and hold an area for a certain time, ticking down opponents points with the more zones you have captured. The co-op works like the aforementioned team based games.
Looks incredible for 50MB!
Most of the games gorgeous maps contain five points to capture, which brings strategy in communicating with your teammates on the optimal area to capture. You'll swim through huge towers of seaweed just to capture a small underwater base. You'll dive into caverns trying to hold points for just a few more seconds. It's all very frantic, and it's all very fun.
During our play sessions we did run into some instances of lag, making it very difficult for players to hit their targets. It seemed hit or miss, but it was a problem.
The four hour game is just about the right length and rarely disappoints. Developer Chair had even managed to throw a few boss battles into the mix. It truly is amazing what developers used to do on Xbox Live Arcade with 50MB. I still say it was a mistake to lift that. Do yourself a favor, if you have Undertow sitting on your drive still - go back and finish it with a buddy. I guarantee you'll have some fun! There's even an expansion available that adds more co-op!