Classic Sonic gameplay meets a cussing, angst-ridden hedgehog and mindless third-person shooting. What do you get?

User Rating: 8 | Shadow the Hedgehog (Player's Choice) GC
The Good:
+Several paths to take
+Great in-game music and vocal tracks
+Wide variety of weapons to choose from
+Using the vehicles is tons of fun
+Is more than another bad Sonic game
+Has enough replay value to keep you playing for months
+Involves more than getting to the end of every level
+Sonic+GTA+Metal Slug= Fun

The Bad:
-Most missions are completely linear
-Gun mechanics are awful
-Graphics look somewhat dated
-Voice acting is extremely cheesy
-Vehicles are nearly useless, which sucks because they're fun
-Multiplayer is not only pedestrian, but also as limited as it gets
-Nothing to unlock after Expert Mode is completed


Many gamers are likely familiar with Sonic, the speedy, blue hedgehog that made gaming history when his first adventure was released on the Sega Genesis. The game was a benchmark in the platform genre, and eventually spawned three sequels; Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. Following this was the critically acclaimed Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast. This too spawned a sequel; Sonic Adventure 2. But, unfortunately, everyone's favorite blue hedgehog began to go downhill after Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 were remade for the Nintendo GameCube.

The remakes were poorly received by long-time fans, and none of the Game Boy Advance handhelds or even the 2003 game Sonic Heroes, which critics claimed to be truer to the original 2D-roots of previous Sonics than any other 3D Sonic, could bring the franchise back to commercial success. Sega assumed the younger audiences were losing interest in Sonic, so they created Shadow the Hedgehog, a game starring Sonic's evil clone, Shadow. Critics hated it, but I'll give you my opinion.

I don't like the Sonic games, because they are all pretty much the same (collect rings, stop Eggman), but this game was a true exception to that opinion. In Shadow, they included many weapons, including guns, to use in combat. The guns are auto-aimed, but it doesn't really matter, because they end up hitting your target as long as you're facing in its direction. Many critics attacked the addition of guns, profanity, and a darker tone, but I see those as more of an improvement than a loss.

The story for most Sonic games are usually about Eggman taking over the universe or some crap like that, but the story for Shadow is actually pretty good. Shadow loses his memory, and gets diagnosed with amnesia. He is confronted by Black Doom, an evil sorcerer who tells Shadow he knows of his past. Shadow doesn't believe him fully, and eventually heads out to find the Chaos Emeralds (a common item in other Sonic games, but in this game, they serve a completely different purpose), which is said to help him learn of his past for real, for reasons unknown.

Throughout the game, Shadow can choose to do Dark, Hero, or Normal missions in each stage. If he chooses Dark, he helps Black Doom and is after the GUN soldiers, a group of elite supersoldiers who are trying to stop Black Doom. If he chooses Hero, he helps fellow Sonic characters such as Tails, Knuckles, Rogue, Omega, Charmy, Vector, Espio, and even Sonic himself. If he chooses Normal, he doesn't help anybody and basically takes everything for himself. The objective in Normal is just to get to the end of the level, like other Sonic games, but the objectives in Dark and Hero are much different, and at times, more complicated.

There are, however, similarities to Sonic games. You still collect rings. You still get ranked after each mission with either an A, B, C, D, or E, with A being the best and E being the worst. You still have your classic Homing Attack. You still grind on rails. You still have timed boss battles with Dr. Eggman. However, there are many differences too.

When Shadow does not have a gun equipped, pressing the B button allows him to punch, and the X button is used to Spin Dash instead, giving the game elements of third-person shooter gameplay, which I enjoy. However, when Shadow shoots, the gun blasts are chaotic no matter where the bullets spray, and since the guns are auto-aimed, the shooting elements are almost mindless. It's your typical shoot-'em-up gameplay.

The game's profanity is very mild; all Shadow says is 'Damn! Not here!', or just simply 'Damn it!'. Sometimes he says things like, 'You're going straight to hell!', but that's about it. The swearing gets repetitive, but unlike what critics stated, it really isn't a big deal. But, with the weapons' violent theme, frequent mild language, and dark tone overall, I think that the game should have been rated T.

Also, you don't lose all your rings when you take damage. In most Sonic games, you lose every single ring when you get hit no matter how many you have collected, which I think is actually unfair. In Shadow, you only lose 10 rings when you are hit. This, I think, is much fairer, so I have to give Sega credit for that.

While Shadow has a gun, he is able to strafe left and right while holding the R button, which makes his weapon aim more forwards. In previous Sonic games, the R button isn't even used. Shadow also has two gauges that fill up depending on whether he does Dark or Hero missions. When either gauge fills up, pressing the Y button enables him to unleash a special move. When his Dark gauge fills, he performs Chaos Blast, which is an explosion that kills everything on the screen at the current period of time. When his Hero gauge fills, he performs Chaos Control, which is a speed boost that takes Shadow further into the level within a matter of seconds, which is only useful if you are doing a Normal mission while destroying the enemies the Hero character is after.

There are many miscellaneous objects in the game, too. There are many vehicles you can find, including motorcycles, trucks, hovering saucers, and cars. The vehicles are nearly useless, and aren't as fast as Shadow is on foot, but they are worth hitching a ride or two to have a bit of fun. Depending on which side you take, the story takes you to a different stage at a different time. You must repeat the story mode many times to unlock new stages to replay. Taking the Dark route takes you up on the chart, taking the Hero route takes you down, and taking the Normal route takes you straight ahead from the first level. From then on, you can choose whatever path you desire. After replaying every mission and getting an A rank on all of them, you will unlock Expert Mode, which tests your survival skills; once you die, the entire mode starts over.

Aside from all of this, there is also a multiplayer mode. It supports up to two players, and you can choose between the original Shadow, a golden Shadow, and four robotic designs of Shadow. The game is Deathmatch, and you can choose to play a 3-game match or a 1-game match. In 3-game match mode, the game is a best-two-out-of-three matchup, so if one player gets two wins in a row, he/she automatically wins. You can keep going by selecting YES when the CONTINUE screen pops up, to continue the action. Players get a kill when the other player gets hit when he/she has no rings in possession, or if the other play commits suicide by jumping in a pit or something like that. The multiplayer isn't even close to as valuable as the single-player, but it's still worth a bit of your time with a buddy.

BOTTOM LINE: Shadow the Hedgehog is a pretty good game with Sonic gameplay mixed with third-person shooting and racing against time. Long-time fans of Sonic might not be satisfied with the shaky controls and gunplay, but for those of you looking for a simple platform/shoot-'em-up game with lots of replay value and a fun, basic multiplayer, go ahead and check it out. Do NOT listen to the reviewers. The game is good. If you don't believe this lengthy review, check the game out for yourself. Thanks.