Rank @ End
Summary
Edgy!
Gameplay and Level Design
The gameplay is pretty good. It's got the speed of a Sonic game mixed with other elements. The guns are easy to adjust to, and there are many types. Sometimes choosing the right weapon means the difference between a A and C Rank (Hint: choose an Alien Weapon over a GUN one, even if it doesn't have as much ammo--it packs a better punch). The vehicles are more disappointing. The cars/cycle are fair, and the hovercraft would be okay if it were a bit faster. But the odd "jumping" and shooting ones are a invitation for disaster. Chaos Control and Blast are awesome for giving invincibility and unlimited ammo alone, but are even better considering their abilities.
The missions could be a hard/easy, and it really depends on each specific one. As a whole I think it was a good idea because they are technically optional and fit into the plot so that they are not as random/forced as missions in, say, the Secret Rings.
I like the visible designs. There are a lot of distressed scenes and spins on familiar locations. The maze that is the level layout, however...for most it's manageable, but Mad Matrix, The Doom, and some others are hard to navigate. Having 80% of the path covered in toxic waste in levels like Prison Island wasn't the best plan, either.
Story and Characters
The main idea of an alien invasion makes for an action-driven plot. Unfortunately Black Doom lacked "Mephiles" level creepiness. I think having a "lacky" or even treating Doom's Eye as a different character would have helped keep the leader more of a mystery (instead of a demanding son of a bXXXX). Except for being tied to a "promise" that he knows nothing about, Shadow does not have a good reason to side with the Black Arms.
Adding some "behind the scenes" with GUN and the President may have been an attempt to mature things. It would be fine, if not for the constant 2 cutscenes that ALWAYS play after Westopolis. I like the GUN Commander because it explains GUN's overzealous behavior in SA2. Sir, the hedgehog we caught just escaped from one of our helicopters because we wouldn't give him pizza. A HEDEGHOG?! MOBLIZE THE TRUCK, NOOOOW! But sir, that Truck will crush the cars parked-- I GAVE YOU AN ORDER SOLIDER! Yes sir!
The flashbacks proved interesting, but considering all of the talk about the past and it's importance, I kinda' wish there was more of it. It feels like more time is spent with Shadow thinking he is an android than with Maria's death or promise.
Overall, I think the different paths was a smart move, but it makes it hard to tell what's "canon." I wish one of the endings would have been the "true" events (the neutral-hero one, maybe?). The last story is a bit long to watch, and I'm not sure if it's worth it. The Black Doom reveal is cliche, and I almost wish the villain had explained so at the beginning to confuse Shadow then. The video with Gerald and Maria was the best part of Last Story, plot-wise. After Shadow's huge quest to "find the truth," he decides to throw it all away? I like it in retrospect, but at first I really didn't like how he tossed Maria's photo.
I liked that the supporting cast was either able to help, or could be ignored. There is a large cast and it's cool to see Shadow bond with characters he wasn't really seen with before like Knuckles and Espio. Still, story-wise Rouge's character is underused. At least Omega got a role in the android plots. She's there for the fight with Doom in the dark end, but not in the cutscene? What's with that? And I think she would have fit in the neutral-hero end better than Vector.
Music and Voice Acting
The tracks really fit the situation. Central City and Westopolis are intense. Lost Impact is slower and more mysterious. More of a electronic vibe is used for the levels that take place in the digital dimension. The entire game does not have the same diversity in genres as a traditional Sonic game, but while being mostly edgy-rock and guitar-heavy, it's awesome. The vocal tracks, including the likes of "I am All of Me" and "Never Turn Back," are possibly some of the best in the series ("Chosen One" is particularly fitting), though it's a shame some of them had to be "lost." Sadly that resulted in the neutral-dark path not really having its own theme.
This game (along with Rush) was the first to feature the 4kids cast. I'd say it was a move for the better...but I can see why people were upset. Jason Griffith's Shadow voice is perfect, but his Sonic voice here is a bit odd. Instead of saying "Yo!," for example, it's a drawn out "Y-ho!" Rebecca Honig (usually Cream) voiced Maria in this game differently than she did in Sonic X. It's not bad, but I'm not sure if it was better than her voice in SA2. Some characters like Tails are louder/annoying while others like Cream are hard to hear. It wasn't their best, but generally the cast did alright.
Visuals and Graphics
I liked the grungy menu, but by the time I got to the fire in Shadow's eyes I felt like it was too far. CG cutcenes look good, but why did they waste time on the Eclipse Cannon scene? I don't care if it's an Independence Day reference, "real" Maria's deserved that quality.
The graphics aren't good. The designs are cool but the execution is clunky and looks like garbage.
Final Thoughts
- This game is misportrayed as overly violent and edgy to the point of cheese. They overdramatized things especially in the intro and with the box art, I'll give them that. But the guns aren't realistic in the slightest, and are quite an improvement from Gamma/Tails/Eggman's weapons.
- Oh, and the "assassinate the President" mission was shooting a plane that will survive if the mission is completed or not.
- I did not mind Shadow swearing. I found "damn, not here," relatable. But it was a bad idea for the other characters (Sonic, Knuckles, Espio) because it seems unnatural (especially Sonic).
- I kinda's wish the game HAD been rated Teen, just so people would not XXXXX about it.
- It's pretty hypocritical, too, because fans will say the guns and swearing were mistakes and than rant about the dub of Sonic X censoring swearing, alcohol, and death.
- Though it wasn't seen as a good move at the time, I like the 4kids cast a lot. They'd get better more in the 2007 range.
- I get why fans were upset with what happened, in particular with Ryan Drummond (who wasn't even informed of the change!). But even though Griffith's Sonic was different, it was still that "Sonic-type" of voice that Drummond, Jaleel White, and even the OVA guy seemed to have. The change to Roger Craig Smith's deeper, 2010-esque take on Sonic was so much more radical.
- It was cool to have two sorta' warring factions fighting, but it'd be BETTER if they acknowledged the player. If you're helping GUN, do they have to shoot at you?! The Heal Canon can help, but really?!
- It was cool to see the different sides of Shadow.
- Expert Mode is pretty cool and the instructions could be funny.
- Forget Heroes and Generations. This is Charmy's best game.
Final Ranking: B
I gotta' say, I was on the fence between giving this a B and a C. I guess the replay value gives it the edge (no pun intended).
An experimental game, Shadow the Hedgehog is not without its faults. It is fun, though. The plot was not perfect, but having aliens invade remains a better point, and the mission/plot structure isn't bad. I'd have to say the gameplay is pretty good for a modern game, and easier than many other shooter-games. Shadow had its own, "darker" theme and stuck to it, which I think is fair since it's a spin-off. Still, it's not gonna' work for people who look for more variety.
