Shadow the Hedgehog

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:

 

Got it, disliked it. I did not get any of my questions answered.

Why does Shadow look like Super Sonic? (Except black)

How do we go from a huge lizard to a hedgehog?

 

It may be tied to events that happened in Sonic Adventure regarding those questions, though this is unlikely since Shadow is older than Sonic. Their appearances are nothing more than pure coincidence so don't ask again

However, one should have asked the real question to where did the source for Shadow actually come from? Every artificial lifeform needs a DNA template to take from

 

To be honest I hated the game...=(

Why the fastest and ultimate life form needed guns and a motorcycle was beyond me...besides making shadow look more badass. And the gaming system was a little boring I must say. All the sonic games went downwards after "Heroes" imo.

 

i rented this game and i didn't really like it either it was kinda boring

 

Coincidence? I doubt it.

If you consider it, my question can be answered.

I think Shadow is from a Sample of Sonic. I remember someone saying something about a stone tablet with Super Sonic and Chaos # on it. It would make sense that they crafted Shadow in his likeness.

 

It makes no sense. Shadow is more than decades older than Sonic so there's no way it could have been. Shadow was created through Black Doom's blood. The mirroring design was purely on the character designer. HAD it really been from a sample of Sonic, then this would have been revealed in the game

 

Would it?

There is much stuff not revealed in-game.

Perhaps not a sample of Sonic then. But I am sticking to my tablet theory.

Supporting my theory is a line by Shadow. "Sonic... You are the ultimate life form."

 

personally i liked it, the story was actually decent.
only thing that could have made the game better is if there werent any weapons that koind of ruined it for me actually

 

Those were merely words of encouragement, not an actual fact

 

Saw the trailer n' i knew it was gonna suck. Why on earth would he need guns n' the ability to drive cars? It's just so daft. Besides, most new Sonic based games are rubbish anyway, in my opinion. Would've been a waste of money.

 

I'm too lazy to quote and read your entire first post.

But anyway, I'm just posting here to tell you my opinion of the game.

I have this game and I've played and beaten it.

I liked it quite alot!:D It was pretty good!:D

I'm not hard to please when it comes to video games.

They don't call me VideoGameCrazyMan for nothing!:D

 

I played the whole thing. And it was awful.

I thought MAYBE it would be good with the guns and such... what a mistake.

 

It looked so cool...and yet...not. The reason everyone loved shadow was because he was normal and not some overly sappy character like sonic whose sentences always ended with "LETS DO IT TOGETHER!" or something along the lines of "SONIC SPEED!"

Shadow was like Sonic (the game)'s Riku. Then they gave him guns...oh shadow, how far you've fallen...='(

 

Hated it, absoloutly horrible game play, they might as well have a neon sign on shadow's back saying "we're implying he's black"

when you take out jumping as the main form of attack and replace it with real weapons, you remove an element that makes sonic games great, regardless if sonic is the main or not, I saw no reason for shadow to use guns, he's the exact same in SA2 as sonic, so why not here?

Also the vehicle sections were about as unneeded as they were pointless, he's a hedgehog who's just as fast as sonic, so why the hell does he need wheels to get around anyway?

Far too many split choices which were just an attempt to make people play more than once, although except with a different winner at the end of the game there was no real difference except a few different levels depending on your path.

I was not happy Sonic team.

 

Yeah...The guns were completely unnecessary, IMO. The homing attack could take care of nearly every enemy, except a few bosses or so. Being a Sonic fan, I was really disappointed by this title...Shadow was my one of my favorite characters after SA2B, but ever since Heroes, he's become a washed up cliche. IMO, at least.

 

No one is forcin' ya to use guns. No one says ya HAVE ta use them XD

The vehicles? While they may have slowed you down, I already previously pointed that they serve as the protection for your Rings

 

bubbles and magnetic fields are what protect your rings, not cars >.>


And i was saying it from the viewpoint of someone looking at the game as a whole, not my preferred playing method.

 

Shadow is black so of course he'll have a gun.

lol racist much?

 

I was waiting for the white text...
otherwise...