Shadow the Hedgehog OST Review

Summary

The music of Shadow the Hedgehog has pretty much been forgotten by fans simply because they were upset they did not get Sonic Heroes 2. When I judged Shadow the Hedgehog as better than the Sonic-classic, I sighted the music as a reason. Does that decision remain? 

Defiantly. As I acknowledged then, the OST doesn't have the same variety in genres as other games, mostly relying on a heavier rock vibe. But this is a spin-off...

Sonic Riders' OST is awesome, but it did not diverge into many other genres either (in that case being mostly electronic/techno/future ish). Knuckles Choatix was a funky creation, but most of its songs used the same type of instruments and themes as well. Spin-offs adopt their own style, but for some reason that seems forgotten when it comes to this OST. 

It does have variety while keeping in with its own themes. "The Ark," for example, has its guitar/percussion, but it has its higher pitched artificial qualities. With those "back to the mic" samples, the song could have easily been in Sonic Rush. That song is actually a remix of Final Rush from SA2, and there are quite a bit of remixes and hints of SA2. The calm piano-led "Lost Impact" is also a remix of Sonic 3D Blast's Panic Puppet (Saturn), and some music like the "I Refuse" cutscene seems to reference "This Machine"/Heroes.  

Listening to this music alone, even levels I thought of as boring like Sky Troops seemed far more interesting (the level's brown/rocky design may have been to blame). 

Best Song: Central City

Runner-Up (s): Westopolis, Lethal Highway, The Ark, Lava Shelter, GUN Fortress, Lost Impact, The Doom, Digital Circuit, Mad Matrix, Death Ruins, Final Haunt, Space Gadget, Cosmic Fall, The Last Way, Blue Falcon, Heavy Dog, Egg Beater, Egg Dealer, Black Doom (boss), Black Bull, Battle Mode, Menu, Title Screen, Awake Hero/Dark, Chaos Control, 90% of the Cutscene music  

This was a tough choice--Leathal Highway, The Ark, Lava Shelter, GUN Fotress, Lost Impact--there were a lot of good options. Central City seems to be the best summary of the game's tension. It's speedy, guitar heavy, has synthetic parts that keep it a bit wacky. Rough, distressed, panicked...perfect for the city that's about to be blown up one way or another.     

Worst Song: Iron Jungle

Runner Up (s): Flying with Tornado

This is perhaps the only song that seems to live up to its "boring" reputation. I don't know if I'd call it generic, but it's short and quickly becomes repetitive (this level could be pretty long I think). It sounds a bit familiar but that doesn't save it.  

Best Vocal Song: I Am...All of Me

Runner-Up (s): Never Turn Back, Chosen One, Waking Up, Almost Dead, E.G.G.M.A.N. (Dr. Robeatnik Mix) 

"Never Turn Back" and "Chosen One" could have easily taken this spot, but "I Am...All of Me" is phenomenal. The lyrics perfectly switch from one contrast to another--"Brave hearted hero, black hearted evil"--and the vocals perfectly capture anger and confusion. It the ultimate theme for the game (and for Shadow's journey). 

It's a real shame that it's just been dubbed the "edgy" theme ("Almost Dead"? Way edgier).   

WHY, GENERATIONS? WHY UNLOCK SPLASH HILL LIKE 2ND AND I AM ALL OF ME 2ND TO LAST?! YOU SUCK!

Worst Vocal Song: All Hail Shadow

Runner Up (s): -____-

Uh...what is this doing in the worst section? This song is awesome. NOTHING EVER FILLS THE HOLE INSIDE YOUR HEART! 

I really like the whisper-y "bow your heads now all hail Shadow," and while the chorus might have been a fairly stupid concept, the rest of the lyrics are so fitting. 

However (surprisingly) I think this is the weaker of the vocal songs. I guess the fact that Crush 40 covered it (better) kinda' takes away from it.  

I felt like listing the Eggman remix would be a cheat, besides...

E.G.G.M.A.N. (Dr. Robeatnik Mix) > E.G.G.M.A.N.

Final Ranking: S

I was pretty indecisive about this one, A rank or S rank? There's nothing really wrong with it. Epic stage music, vocal themes, cutscene music, menus music...Underrated and mislabeled, that's for sure.  

I don't think it's better than the S-Ranks I've given so far, yet it seems just as good or better than the previous A-ranks...

I guess this will be the cut-off point for S ranks.