Shadow the Hedgehog is certainly a unique game in the Sonic franchise. Heavily flawed, but there is enjoyment to be had.
This game tries to clear up all issues and unlock the truth about Shadow the Hedgehog. It is certainly a unique game to the Sonic franchise - it's gameplay is totally different to that of any other Sonic game and it's vibe is totally different too.
The story starts with Shadow reminsing about Maria. He is confused and wants to know who he is and why he feels so haunted by himself. Then suddenly the Black Arms, a race of aliens, arrive to take over Earth. The leader, Black Doom, (real creative names Sega...) tells Shadow to join him if he wants to know the truth. Shadow is confused by this and so teh adventure to find himself begins. You ultimately decide what path Shadow takes, and the game has 10 different endings to see. And then the bonus unlockable story appears.
Gameplay is spread over 32 (?) levels. Each ending will require you to complete 6 levels to reach the end. Which level you progress to will vary according to what missions you complete in levels. Levels either have 3 or 2 missions in them. There are hero missions, neutral missions and dark issues.
The neutral mission is always just to get the end of the level. Alot of hero missions will require you to destroy all the aliens and alot of the Dark missions require you to destroy all the GUN troops. This is where one of the games biggest issues lies. It is very easy to miss enemies as Shadow moves extremely quick and it can be hard to miss an enemy or too hiding in the corner camoflaged with the level. You can backtrack and warp to various places in the level with the checkpoints, but this is annoying!
Other missions include fetch missions where you have to collect a certain amount of objects. Others include collection 400 rings, destroying battle ships, activating defence mechanisms etc.
Shadow may retain abilities from past games, but believe me, the game feels NOTHING like any Sonic game you'll ever have played before. You still have the homing attack and extreme speed. The speed sections in this game are few and far between. It's not a speed-platformer game at all. It's mostly a beat em up with platform elements thrown in.
Shadow can also use his Chaos Powers here. There are 2 guages at the top of the screen. One fills up by doing good deeds and the other fills up by doing bad deeds. When the Hero Guage is full, you can use Chaos COntrol to zip through the level - however this is kind of pointless if you are doing Hero missions, because you will often bypass things that are needed to complete the mission. When the Dark Guage is full, you can unleash an explosion called Chaos Blast. It is pretty fun to use.
Weaponary plays a big part in this game. There are lasers, pistols, swords, machine guns, homing rocket launchers even a suck em up chicken gun! Contrary to what you may hear, the weapons work well. The idea of Shadow having guns may sound daft, but at least the actual gameplay mechanic works well. There are also vehicles in the game. The cars are a complete waste of time. The mech jumper (lets you jump really high) and Black Volts (bird creatures which you fly on) are the only useful methods of alternate transportation.
Now the game does not handle very well at all. They decided to use a modified version of the Sonic Heroes engine for some reason, which worked fine in heroes, but not so well here. You slip and slide all of the place and it just doesn't control very well at all.
Graphics are a bit eh if I'm honest. It's nothing particularly impressive. The CG cutscenes are amazing though. The music is hit and miss. It has some alright tracks in it. Not really much of the upbeat energetic OTT beats that I love here, but some decent tracks, not up to Sonic game OST standards, but maybe you'll like it.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a game that gets alot of flack. Sure it is certainly flawed and just makes the story of Shadow even more confusing than it was initially. But the idea of choosing your own path is great and there are some satisfying moments in the game. I'd suggest borrowing it or renting it. I'll give the game credit, it is different and has a unique dark synister vibe which I do quite like. Shadow is what it is. A heavily flawed decent game.
- Milesprower2K9 Original Reviews