Customer Reviews

Shadow The Hedgehog

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Even with recent advancements in video game technology, very few games offer a mix of everything gaming has to offer. First person shooters, and racing games come by the dozen, as do games about soldiers, crooks, or mystical anime-like worlds. Shadow the Hedgehog, the newest addition to the classic Sonic series, combines the best aspects of these popular gaming concepts, enhancing the over-all Sonic experience.

Simply, Shadow is an inverted version of Sonic the Hedgehog. Those unfamiliar with Sonic Adventure 2, might assume this to be cheap characterization on the Sonic Team's part, but it is actually just the opposite. Visually, yes, Sonic and Shadow are extremely alike. Shadow's colors are just flipped from Sonic's and his look is more menacing. The actual background of Shadow's character however, is more complex then any other character's in the series. In fact, Shadow's past and personality are the bases of the game. This is a huge step up for the Sonic Team. Sonic Adventure 2, which also centers Shadow's motives, is the only other Sonic game that has ever truly regarded any kind of thought out story line. Sonic Heroes, Sonic Adventure, and pretty much all of the Sega Genesis Sonic games, gave you a very clear mission; Defeat the Evil Doctor Robotnik using some Chaos Emeralds, and thus, save the world.

The Story line in Shadow the Hedgehog is: who is Shadow? Is he good, evil, misunderstood, indifferent? Does he want to help human beings, or does he want to kill them all? It is the player's job to decide. And the great thing is, you can change your mind right in the middle of game play.

Here's how the system works, the order of stages depends on the mission you choose with in each level. For example, level one, Westopolis, throws Shadow into a situation where aliens are attacking the city. You have three options: You can either, help Sonic and the G.U.N. army defeat these aliens; You can assist the aliens in killing off all the soldiers; Or... you can blow everyone off and snatch one of seven chaos emeralds, hidden near the end of the level. There are over twenty levels, all of which are huge 3-D environments, with lots of directions and little crevices to choose from. It is actually a combination of the path-set levels in Sonic Adventure 2, and the exploration based levels in Sonic Adventure.

Its easy to choose which path to take, as the game's other characters are always meeting up with you as you play, and trying to sway you to follow their directions. You can also reference each mission by pausing the game. This takes you to a menu of your options. Often I would be very close to finishing a mission, and at the very last minute, decide to just blow everything up. This is possible because for good deeds, a meter on the top of the screen fills up in blue, eventually giving you a special move called, Chaos Control, allowing you to wiz through the level in double the speed.. If you choose to be wicked though, another meter fills up in red, giving you the power of Chaos Blast, which is the equivalent to a mini-nuclear bomb. Each move is very nicely animated and easy to control.

The weapons are also a nice addition to the game. There are special weapons, which can be found in Shadow-colored boxes. Each box has four weapons to choose from. I recommend the vacuum chicken, which sucks up all your enemies, but the chao doll shooter is nice too...

Regular weapons, which you steal from your enemies, include missiles, bazookas, machine guns, plasma lasers, hand guns... basically all the good stuff. This might seem violent for a Sonic game, but aliens just turn into green blobs when you shoot them. Soldiers and army fighting machines? ...Okay, I know, shooting soldiers is a bit dark, but again, its not like blood flies every where. Soldiers just yelp and beg for mercy after you shoot them. There are no violent graphics or real solider deaths, so its hard to feel too guilty once you get into blasting them all. That, and its fun to watch their machinery explode.

Getting back to the "darkness" of the game... Some very minimal, almost silly swearing has been added to the dialogue. Trust me, it is not offensive. Its actually kind of goofy. Also, the voice actors have all been re-casted, so, aside from the harmless cussing, lines are delivered a lot better then those of previous Sonic games. Though, be warned of the cheesy "mwhahaha" crap every now and then.

Other problems that have been addressed: The angle issue that the Sonic Team is notorious for, is actually a lot better. There are a few levels where I had some problems with it, but very rarely did they cost me one of my Shadow lives. The animation, especially in the major cut scenes, is really nice, great actually. It is very clear, textured, well lit, and nicely directed, though some of the human characters move a bit awkwardly. Still, in Sonic Adventure 2, the animation of a human character, Maria, was practically deformed. She looks a lot better in this game, I promise.

Lastly, the soundtrack to Shadow the Hedgehog features digitally mixed, guitar-heavy, electronica-like themes. The tracks with vocals, which are played during the introduction of the game, and as the credits are rolling, range from Marilyn Manson rip-offs, to even a semi-eighties/The Cure techno track. The best theme is one called The Chosen one. Its very pop-rock, but actually has a really somber chord progression. It almost stands alone from the game, just as Suteki Da Ne does in Final Fantasy X.

Over-all, Shadow the Hedgehog is a major advancement in Sonic games, that features very polished animation, and a detailed story-line, which the player has control over. It is "dark" but not offensive or truly violent, and includes well-produced music and voice acting.

I have played this game and I have to say that this game is not bad. Yes, the game is challenging. If you are looking for an easy game then this one isn't for you. It seems too many of today's gamers want easy spoon-fed games that don't require much finger dexterity. They want games that are not true games but instead are interactive videos. Shadow the Hedgehog harkens back to the good old days of video games when twitch control was the rule of the day. Remember Galaga? How about Pac-man? Sure they didn't have a storyline like many of today's games but they sure were fun as heck. Today's games are about storyline like Grand Theft Auto. Yesterday's was about pure action. Take Strider for example. I'll take that one any day over GTA. If you like a challenge, then this one is a game for you. It seems that Sega gets a lot of bashing because people have a lot of expectations for them. Granted this game isn't the best in the series it still is a fun game. I have played and replayed this game and cannot understand what all these bad reviews are about. It makes one wonder if they really gave it a chance. If you liked Sonic Heroes or Sonic Adventure like I did, you will like this one. Sonic Heroes, too. I don't understand why people give negative reviews of Sonic Heroes. It is a great game. But that is another story.

First of all, let's good a review from someone that has actually played this game. I am 11 years old and I know that saying the word d*** is wrong. now seven year olds don't know as well and THREE year olds definitely don't. First of all, don't blame SEGA/Sonic Team for the game being rated E 10+. It is ESRB's (Entertainment Software Rating Board) fault. I'm sure if SEGA/Sonic Team had the choice, they'd name it E. Also, I think the complaining parents are really lazy because they don't spend a good 15 minutes that you could use to talk to your kids that cursing is wrong (although the curses in this game aren't even censored on live TV anymore). Instead of using those 15 minutes of writing a pointless review, talk to your kids. When I was FIVE, my parents took responsibility and talked to me about curses. Also, about gunplay. Do you think just by playing a videogame, a kid would want to shoot people's heads off? If you tell them not to while they're still young, it could make a huge difference.

My actual review for the game consists of this. This is a new type of game that SEGA has made. Without those constant curses (I'll even tell you that they are annoying), this game has nice sound and music (not counting the wierd comments by some characters). The gunplay is a nice touch to a game that is supposed to be naturally fast-paced. Many will disagree saying that there is no lock-on and the game did too much work. Well, if you're trying to just get to the end of the level, that could actually help. The story was okay, it told a lot about Shadow's past. But *SPOILER WARNING* in the last story, Shadow does give up his past, which is kind of a disappointment, *END SPOILER WARNING* and I really think a really good character will now go to waste. He will possibly never have a big role in a SEGA game ever again. The graphics were okay, some say they could have used some work, but I thought they were okay.

All in all, Shadow the Hedgehog is a great game, which has annoying curses although that is not a good enough reason to buy this awesome game.

My 9 year old just got this game last night, loves it. He has all the other sonic games, I even like to play them with him. So imagine my surprise when I hear over and over again "DAMN, Damn it" and did I actually hear the sh.. word?
When Shadow falls off a ledge. his reply is the same, you guessed it. And guess how many times he falls in a course of a level? I am nearly over the gun thing, after all the gun is for killing wierd aliens and opening walls. But I am not getting used to the constant words which are not necessary. I know what you may be thinking..... My son is NINE years old, and it does say E-10. And I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps it would be fine for teens. So before you write a response saying I should "mind my own business or lighten up" this review is mainly for other moms who may need to be aware of this before purchasing for a younger Sonic enthusiast.

My son just now had a great idea. He changed the language to Chinese, that way he can still hear the effects and I don't have to hear those words... either that or we'll learn how to curse in foreign languages.

I beat this game in 2 Hours because its short.I beat about 6 times.Its not boring though some of the missions take too long to finish.I'm not saying its bad its Just Shadow says ''Damn'' also Knuckles, Espio.And I noticed on the second mission the voices were from the show Sonic X.Which I didnt like too much.Though dont lets little kids play this.Its rated E 10 for a reason.I say get the game!

The problem that all of the Sonic games have had since their advance to the 3D realm is that they do not emphasize the SONIC part. Case in point, Shadow the Hedgehog does the exact same thing. Rather than focus on the speed factor of Shadow and the notion that the game should have fast paced high octane action, it instead comes off as a somewhat stiff cross between Shinobi (PS2) and Mario Sunshine (GC).

The game features some of the same things from past 3D Sonic games (I.E. rings do not deplete entirely when you are hit, a homing jump attack, etc.) The newest features though are the hero/dark bars and the inclusion of weapons. Of these two features, the weapons feature has received the most chagrin. Despite this harsh criticism though, the weapons do actually improve the game and it's SLOW pace. They allow Shadow to take out multiple enemies rather fast in situations that would seem almost impractical without them. They also help emphasize Shadow's "rebel" persona, so they work with him much more than they would if the character would be Sonic. As for the dark/hero bars, this feature works somewhat like this: Depending on who you attack in each level, one of these two bars will go up. If you attack humans/good people, your dark bar goes up, and if you attack villains, your hero bar goes up. When one of the bars are fully charged, Shadow can perform a super move that either heavily damages the area around him (dark) or allows him to fly through most of the level you are currently in (hero). Of these two attacks, the hero one seemed to be the most annoying, especially in missions where you were trying to complete the hero objective. The move would make you skip past too many things, and then suddenly you would not be able to complete the mission objectives. So you end up not using the hero attack most of the time, unless you sincerely just want to get out of the level you are in, and forfeit advancing the storyline of the game in the hero or dark directions.

That being said, the game has a large amount of replay value. Each level branches off to another three possible levels. In order to take on of the three branches, you either have to complete the hero objective, the dark objective, or the neutral objective of the level. Completing one of the three will send you to the corresponding level. You cannot go back in levels however, and if you want to revisit them, you will have to start a new game. You can however do isolated instances of them after you unlock them, but they will not be in the story mode.

And while we are on the story mode mentioning- the game features a storyline, but it is a little dumbed down. While the details will not be gotten into, it is basically a constant decision for the rebel hedgehog to side with an evil alien, go it alone, or chose to help his "friend" Sonic, all while not having much character development along the way. The voice acting that accompanies this is appropriate though, but it could always be better considering the other incarnations of Sonic.

The game also features a "helper" in each level, much like Sonic and his buddy Tails. The helper cannot die, and sometimes it actually gets in the way. You can turn the helper off though by switching to either solo or dark in the pause screen.

And while the game does seem SLOW in a lot of places, there are a few instances where you can pick up some classic Sonic action. These instances are few and far in between, and when they do happen (I.E. spinning and bursting through walls and going through loops), they go by so fast you feel almost cheated.

Shadow will not salvage the Sonic series, nor will it probably create a new spin-off franchise (unless sales say otherwise.) The game feels stiff and confining in many levels due to the small rooms and the redundant and unimaginative mission objectives. The storyline is ALRIGHT, but it blatantly caters to younger players, so it is hard to judge it from the perspective of a 22 year old. Shadow is recommended as rental, but is advisable against being a purchase unless it is for a younger gamer. Old school fans of Sonic- look toward the next Sonic game.

The only people who appreciate Sonic the Hedgehog games nowadays are those who are under 15. Nobody else has the patience for the overwrought storylines, the unwieldy controls, or the repetitive level design. Unfortunately, Shadow the Hedgehog has all three.

Controlling Shadow is probably the most difficult thing to do in Shadow the Hedgehog; Shadow accelerates from a standstill to a way-too-fast top speed almost instantaneously. This is fine, as long as you want Shadow to run in a straight line - but once you get him up to speed and start trying to turn left or right to avoid obstacles, things get hairy, as suddenly he controls more like a high-speed overweight tank. Sharp turns are not Shadow's forte. Vehicles are included for driving, but considering Shadow himself can outrun most of them on foot there's not really much of a point - unless you're trying to "look cool", something that will no doubt appeal to the aforementioned 14 year olds.

Guns are not exactly Shadow's forte, either. Firing them often feels awkward - especially if you try to shoot while moving, which feels like it was tacked on at the last moment. Most guns will auto-target the nearest enemy, but for those that don't, like rocket launchers, accurately aiming the targeting reticule can be next to impossible.

The storyline is laughably melodramatic and almost impossible to understand, thanks to the game's 11 different endings. The storyline is presented as a set of branching pathways and there are many occasions where you'll be shown a story sequence that doesn't actually have anything to do with the branch you chose in the previous stage. The actual dialog feels like it was written by a 5th grader - it's rife with unintentionally hilarious drama and lots of unnecessary swearing, all in a hollow bid to make the game more "mature".

Visually, the Playstation 2 version of the game suffers from reduced effects, smeary-looking textures, and a seriously inconsistent framerate, making an already bad game look even worse with choppy, blurry graphics. If you absolutely need to play this game, look in to the Shadow The Hedgehog for the Nintendo Gamecube - but I'd suggest you stay away altogether.

I have to say, it's a quite good game. And to everyone complaining about bag graphics, poor camera views, and such like that, you have to realize, if they tried to make it too much better, you might still be waiting for it to come out. But then again, you do make a good point. Considering, it already took them quite a while. (Them and they refering to Sega.)

The slight language was shocking, but considering it's rating Everyone 10+, it's not that bad. I mean, nowadays, just about all children by the age ten know the word damn. And it isn't exactly a Sonic game, considering the main character is now Shadow, and it was made for a more fixed age audience. Besides, it's not like other Sonic games haven't slightly hinted at mature behaviors..

But, what really ticks me off is when your trying to do the homing attack, and you kind of spur off in the wrong direction, and die. Especially when it's a boss.

Then, there's the music. I really like the music quite a bit. I really like it when video games have good music, that goes with each level, and place because if the music didn't go...it would totally knock my playing all out of wack.

But what I really would like is for the gameplay to have the flashy, smashy, bashy, fast attitude of the intro music video kind of thing when you first turn on the game. And also, what disappointed my brothers and I was that...you could only be Shadow, an orange Shadow, or different colored Shadow robots/androids in multiplayer. We were hoping, at the least, we could be Sonic, or maybe an Black Arms alien. Something other than just Shadow in different colors. I mean what is he, a shirt!?

I guess it's ok...but a little disappointing, I guess. If your a Shadow fan, I suppose you'd have a good time, being able to control Shadow, on this journey to find himself. Normal sonic fans may be disappointed though...since it strays far from normal sonic games. But then again, it is titled 'Shadow the Hedgehog'. Not 'Sonic The Hedgehog: Shadow's Choices' or something like that.

That's all I have to say. Overall...I say it's a three. Or maybe a three and a half. I think my little brother thinks it's a five though. Considering he told me, and has been on it for a long time. I think it would, be good for kids maybe eight-twelve, because of the slight language, and weapons, but also at the ages of eight-twelve, it may be easier to overlook the bad things, and have a good time.

This game is bad. It just is. This game moves too fast to be a shooting/fighting game, and it moves too slow to be a Sonic or Shadow or whatever game. I played it once or twice and I got tired of it. Anyway, guns don't work out for a Sonic game. The shooting was probably something the designers added in in about two seconds. They probably just put it in there so it might sound cool. I wouldn't even recommending renting it. I am glad I rented it instead of buying it.

Here's my opinion on the game:

Scores out of 5
Gameplay : 2
Graphics : 3
Fun : 1.5
Durability : 1
My Overall: 1 or 2

I hope this review was useful to you

I've been a huge fan of Sonic The Hedgehog since he began scrambeling Dr. Eggman waaay back in 1991 and have been both pleased and impressed at where Sonic Team and Sega have taken him over the years. This time however, it looks like Shadow, Sonic's look-alike rival from Sonic Adventure 2, is taking his first steps in Sonic's awsome frictionless sneakers: he's going solo! In Shadow The Hedgehog our favorite black furred rebel is caught in the middle of a four-way battle between Sonic and friends, G.U.N. (Guardian Units of Nations) Federation, Dr. Eggman and his latest scheme (whatever it might be this time) and a new alien menace called The Black Arms who's leader, Black Doom, seems to know Shadow and remembers some deal they supposedly made concerning the chaos emeralds fifty years ago. What's cool about Shadow is that you get to choose which side to fight with and you get to use guns, swords, vehicles and other objects that you can pick up and commandeer throughout the levels. It's also darker and moodier than any ordinary Sonic title, it even has some mild laguage in it:ie, Shadow says "Damn it!" when he gets hit, (then again, that's pretty much what I say when he gets hit too), and when he falls off the screen it's "Damn, not here!" and even Knuckles says damn sometimes! (Just for concerned parents out there) Good or evil? the choice is yours. Either way, you'll have a blast and Shadow's life will change forever, ultimate life form or not.