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Shadow the Hedgehog was a spin-off game and part of the main Sonic the Hedgehog series that was released in late 2005 by Sega and Sonic Team for all three sixth-generation consoles. It is the third game in the series overall that does not have the name 'Sonic' in the title and the first game to feature Sonic as a playable character in a form despite that said character is not the main character

Shadow the Hedgehog's gameplay is similar to that of the Sonic Adventure series in which the player plays through expansive courses and defeats enemies and obstacles in his/her way. Rings still serve the same purpose by protecting Shadow. If the player is hit without any Rings on hand, a life is lost.

The most controversial aspect of the core of the gameplay lies in the firearms, specifically, guns, that Shadow can pick up and use against his enemies on the battlefield. The firearms can range from pistols to assault rifles or even laser weapons. Shadow can also pick up melee weapons, both from item crates and the enviroment he destroys around him, using STOP sign poles or other pole-shaped obstructions. Shadow can also pilot vehicles in order to get to new areas he may not be able to reach himself. Since the player controls Shadow, the traditional techniques from Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes are carried over to here such as the Homing Attack, Spin Attack and the internalized Light Dash where Shadow dashes along a path of rings.

The most unique aspect of the game however, is the 'Hero and Dark'' system. In Sonic Adventure 2, players could choose to play as either a hero or villain, which would choose as to which characters they would play. In Shadow the Hedgehog, the player has free reign over which side he/she chooses and can side with either side at anytime they wish. The player may even choose neither and play as a 'Neutral' instead, which is often what Shadow wants. Hero and Dark sides have their own unique mission characters who will assist and help you in your goals and in return, they ask for you to complete a mission they have given you. These 'Mission Characters' (with the exception of Dr. Eggman, Doom's Eye and Charmy) are playable via a second controller, though both players share the same screen like in Sonic Adventure. Choosing sides also effects the storyline, his allies, his enemies, and Shadow's ultimate fate to either rule, destroy or save the world. There are ten different endings in which to unlock and over 300 paths for the players to choose, each with a title. When all ten endings are unlocked, the true 'Last' story becomes playable

Aside from affecting the storyline, choosing sides also influences Shadow himself in-game. This comes in the form of Shadow's Chaos Powers which are represented by opposing gauges that can be filled up by defeating enemies, protecting or destroying your surroundings. When the blue 'Hero' guage fills up, Shadow becomes 'Hero Shadow' as his body emits a light blue aura which allows him to use his signature technique, Chaos Control and is granted invincibility. In normal levels when this move is utilized, Shadow zips right through the whole level. In boss levels, it slows down everything around Shadow while he moves at normal speed. The duration of this zip/warp depends on how much energy there is in the game. The teleport ends when he runs out. When the red 'Dark' gauge is filled, Shadow becomes 'Dark Shadow' where he emits a crimson red aura and is granted unlimited ammo for the current weapon he wields and a new power call Chaos Blast where he unleashes a devastating burst of Chaos Energy that damages everything in its radius.

There have been mixed opinions about this particular game. It is the first game in the series to use the 4Kids cast in lieu of its original cast ever since Deem Bristow, Eggman's English voice actor, had passed away. This was done in order to keep continuity between the series and Sonic X anime. Not surprisingly, this caused a massive backlash from fans which would continue to effect the entire Sonic fandom as a whole for years to come. Also touched upon was the gun and vehicle aspects of the game as fans kept noting that since Shadow was a physically superior creature, there was no absolute need to to have firearms, though it should be noted that the enemies were given a more realistic air since Shadow was up against more than just Eggman's machines and that the vehicles gave Shadow a defense for his rings despite slowing him down. It should also be noted that the use of guns attributed to Shadow's character as he is one willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Graphics have also gained complaints. The game reuses the in-game 3D models from Sonic Heroes. though with a but more detail to them. The CGI graphics for intermissions however, were stunning. The story itself was also complained about as none of the ten endings were canon and only served as 'what ifs' though the Shadow Androids theory returned in this game.

Unlike the bratty fanbrats, I for one, loved this game. Shadow was indeed my favorite character and it gave me a chance to actually experience Shadow's Chaos Control power, which I enjoyed lots in Sonic Adventure 2

And opinions or questions? o:

I went around in the general Role Playing section annd.....I'm not exactly pleased with all the topics. Almost everything is the same thing: involving the Organization XIII. I know this sorta sounds stupid, but can we possibly limit the number of Org. XIII rp topics? There needs to be more original material around.

Another thing is the character reference thing. Can we perhaps stop with all the art theft when it comes to references? It's not uncommon to see artwork ripped from Japanese language art sites and H games. We need people who will at least draw reference pictures for characters without an accurate image for them