''Undertow'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Chair Entertainment Chair Entertainment Group, LLC (stylized as ChAIR) is an American video game developer based in Salt Lake City. The company was acquired by Epic Games in 2008. History Chair Entertainment was formed in 2005 by Donald Mustard and Geremy Mustard ...

for the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (or XBLA) was a video game Digital distribution in video games, digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox (console), Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publisher ...

service.

Gameplay

Undertow features a 15 level campaign for single-player or co-op and two multiplayer modes for up to 16 players. Players select their race (Iron Marine, Nemoidian, Atlantean, or Elect) and unit type and are then launched into battle. Each of the four races features four unique, upgradeable unit types ranging in ability from the fast and agile to the large and powerful. Players have the ability to unlock and purchase unit upgrades as they acquire points. Each unit type has three levels of permanent upgrades. Through conquest-style battles, players obtain points by killing enemies, accomplishing team goals, and capturing check points. Points and a variety of power-ups can be used to further upgrade unit abilities.

Plot

''Undertow'' is set underwater, where an aquatic alien race known as the Elect launches an attack on the polar ice caps, causing them to melt and flood the planet. Most of the human race is decimated in the destruction. The remaining humans band together to reclaim the planet back from the alien race. The Iron Marines, an elite group of underwater divers, are sent to combat the alien threat. Elsewhere,

Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; also known as Prince Dakkar) is a character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction books, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (1870) and '' The Mysterious Is ...

and his followers become enraged at the oceanic disturbances, and join the fight. With the city of Atlantis thawed by the melting of the ice caps the

Atlanteans As an adjective, Atlantean (or Atlantian) means "of or pertaining to Atlas or Atlantis". Atlantean may also refer to: * Atlantean figures, a type of ancient artifacts * ''Atlantean'' (documentary series), a trilogy of TV films discussing the or ...

also become a threat, vowing to reclaim the planet and rule again.

Marketing

On April 23, 2007,

announced through a company press release that ''Undertow'' was in development for Xbox Live Arcade. The news was first reported in a "first look" preview on IGN.com and quickly became popular news item across all other major gaming news sites. In addition to the news, the company also released a 30-second teaser trailer, which revealed the first footage of the game in action. Chair began production on ''Undertow'' in the fall of 2006 and the game was released on November 21, 2007. On January 18, 2008, Microsoft selected ''Undertow'' for its free game offer from January 23 through January 27 as compensation for the holiday traffic/outage experienced on

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

. Given the game's strong focus on multiplayer, Chair welcomed the opportunity to participate in this promotion as the immediate influx of hundreds of new players greatly enhanced the competitive game play experience. A single

downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...

pack was released for the game. Titled "Path of the Elect", the pack featured a new five-mission campaign following the story of the Elect, the aquatic alien race responsible for flooding the Earth, as well as new multiplayer maps.

Reception

The game received numerous Editors Choice Awards from gaming publications and websites, including Official Xbox Magazine, IGN, and Team Xbox. IGN also selected ''Undertow'' as its Game of the Month for November 2007. ''Undertow'' was nominated for Microsoft's 2007 XBLA Awards and 1UP's 2007 Editors Choice Awards and was selected by Official Xbox Magazine as its 2007 Game of the Year for Xbox Live Arcade. As of year-end 2010, ''Undertow'' has moved more than 634,000 units.

References

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External links

Official website
2007 video games Chair Entertainment games Multiplayer and single-player video games Shooter games Unreal Engine 3 games Video games developed in the United States Video games set underwater Video games with 2.5D graphics Xbox 360 games Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Xbox 360-only games