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Awoo.

is shadow the hedgehog so bad?


drnknssofshdw

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As far as the whole Sonic thing, I still believe that the only reason he didn't help was because he was paralyzed. Remember when Shadow defeats Black Doom? In one of the scenes after that, we see Sonic and the gang on the ground, where they were when they were paralyzed. This implies that they were stuck there until Shadow defeated Doom.
...they were in the Black Comet when they were first paralyzed.
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As far as the whole Sonic thing, I still believe that the only reason he didn't help was because he was paralyzed. Remember when Shadow defeats Black Doom? In one of the scenes after that, we see Sonic and the gang on the ground, where they were when they were paralyzed. This implies that they were stuck there until Shadow defeated Doom.

He was outside the comet at the end, he was paralized INSIDE the comet. Not only that, but Sonic says they were able to make it out of the comet.

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As far as the whole Sonic thing, I still believe that the only reason he didn't help was because he was paralyzed. Remember when Shadow defeats Black Doom? In one of the scenes after that, we see Sonic and the gang on the ground, where they were when they were paralyzed. This implies that they were stuck there until Shadow defeated Doom.

No. They were paralyzed inside Black Comet. Later, they get unparalyzed, and escape. This also happens before Doom is defeated, because Sonic radios in to tell you this. Hence being outside in the ending.

EDIT: Beaten twice!

Edited by El Gran Gordo
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Well, I'm not trying to say that Sonic is willing to let someone else do all the fighting. Just practically, he can't get up into the tornado with Devil Doom. He can't put up a fight because he doesn't have the emeralds. And he's fully aware that Shadow is capable of defeating this super form, because they've fought with and against each other. He knows it's better to hang back in this fight.

Sonic trying to be a hero at the end would make him look like an idiot, and it wouldn't mesh well with the story.

Edited by Badnikz
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As far as I'm aware, every character is made to look like an idiot in this game except for Shadow. Of course Sonic is going to be retarded about everything; he's just a sidekick here. (This is also why Sonic was a moron in Tails's story in SA1, haha)

Sonic was just written out because Shadow was necessary to hog all the damn spotlight.

Edited by Jake
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ps: short and brief answers only thanks

Okay.

is shadow the hedgehog so bad?

Yes.

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This topic reeks of "lol"

Shadow was not what I wanted out of a spinoff. I'd give my reasons, but everyone else already has.

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Can't say it won't be long but this should break it down for anyone wondering:

The good:

- Love 'em or hate 'em, Shadow is the most richly developed character in the Sonic universe, and the branching storylines that dive into his past and future prove this to a T.

- A lot of running and gunning if you're into that kinda thang (and who isn't?)

- Shows the true power, potential and inner workings of Shadow. No matter how you feel about him, you can't deny that his bad@$$ery is front and center in this game.

- Bangin' music, one of Jun Senoue's finest and more consistent Sonic soundtracks for the next-gen IMO (even if it's drowned out half the time by the in-game SFX)

- Gorgeous CGI cutscenes (too few and far in-between though) and decent in-game graphics

The bad:

- Slippery controls in running, aiming, driving, etc. Variety is the spice of life, but if you can't get the main gameplay polished enough, then a bunch of other elements pasted on won't help the experience much.

- The game engine, borrowed from Sonic Heroes, isn't nearly as fast, sharp, or detailed, making the game look kinda fugly in some parts.

- The hero/dark elements need some serious work. The game doesn't explain the side-switching mechanic to you, you automatically/annoyingly switch sides if you run into an ally, and no matter what your alignment is, EVERYONE tries to kill you.

- Poor script accompanied by typically cheesy VO's (although Jason Griffith rocks as Shadow), which water down/sugar up the ensuing melodrama to the point where you can't take it that seriously. That's bad, considering that the game takes itself waaaay too seriously for its own good as it is. Which leads me to my last point...

- You know that Sonic Team was trying oh so hard to get that T rating. They pulled out all the stops and cliches, from the guns, the vehicles, the blood (or at least the references), the dark overtones, the Satanic aliens, the constant cursing. This game reeks of poserdom, so much so that it was sweet justice when it got one of the first E-10 ratings in game history. Maybe they'll think twice about making Sonic cuss again.

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- Love 'em or hate 'em, Shadow is the most richly developed character in the Sonic universe, and the branching storylines that dive into his past and future prove this to a T.
He's not developed so much as he is overexposed. They explored some interesting points in SA2, but past that it's all fluff. They just threw on this whole alien business without regard for his original backstory or actually exploring what it means for Shadow...instead, it's just goofy plot twists and Shadow running around being angry and occasionally emo.

- Shows the true power, potential and inner workings of Shadow. No matter how you feel about him, you can't deny that his bad@$$ery is front and center in this game.
"True power"? Ha! Shadow's fucking pathetic in this game. Chaos Blast is the only attack he has that's worth a damn; everything else is piss-weak to the point of being worthless. If you want to kill anything bigger than a bat, you need a weapon. And I can't remember anything in the game that's anywhere near "badass".

- You know that Sonic Team was trying oh so hard to get that T rating.
Funny thing with that, I believe it was heading towards a T, then they changed the Black Arms' blood to "alien blood" specifically so it didn't get a T.
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He's not developed so much as he is overexposed. They explored some interesting points in SA2, but past that it's all fluff. They just threw on this whole alien business without regard for his original backstory or actually exploring what it means for Shadow...instead, it's just goofy plot twists and Shadow running around being angry and occasionally emo.

"True power"? Ha! Shadow's fucking pathetic in this game. Chaos Blast is the only attack he has that's worth a damn; everything else is piss-weak to the point of being worthless. If you want to kill anything bigger than a bat, you need a weapon. And I can't remember anything in the game that's anywhere near "badass".

Funny thing with that, I believe it was heading towards a T, then they changed the Black Arms' blood to "alien blood" specifically so it didn't get a T.

Well whether or not the Black Arms truly fit into the scheme of things that well, I think it did explain Shadow's origins pretty thoroughly, tying in the plot points from SA2 and revealing others. It helped tie up the loose ends behind the true purpose of the Eclipse Cannon, how Shadow became so powerful, a lotta things. Plus at the very least he has a backstory compared to the other characters, overblown as it may seem (cuz now there's the problem of "what now" with Shadow, lol). And he did muse on his purpose in a few instances, emo and melodramatic as it was. I said it was there; I didn't say its execution was that good, lol.

Same with the "bad@$$ery". Even if the presentation of such was lackluster at best, Shadow's game was where the player can see what he's capable of; which he'd better, since its his daggone game lol. The use of guns, weapons, and vehicles did mar the appearance that he's one of the fastest, most powerful characters in the Sonic universe, but it does show he's got range lol. And on top of that, the game has shown he can lift up a bus with one hand, run fast as Sonic, show competent combat skills, set off a enveloping wave of Chaos energy, bend time and space to teleport from point A to point B, and single-handedly defeat a voracious alien species (with a little help from his friends). It's all about subtext dude, lol.

In the end, I feel you though. Potential itself doesn't equal a great product. But considering how us Sonic fans like reading between the lines and hanging on to the silver linings of games that critics usually rip to shreds, this is what I gathered from playing StH.

Edited by YelloGecko
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The moment a series tries to be "badass" when it didn't have to in the past (see: Sonic CD cutscenes) is when you know that it's really dead in the water.

Big piloting the Tornado in SA1 was more badass than anything Shadow could ever dream to pull off.

Edited by Jake
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Forreal though, I think Sega/Sonic Team need to take a cue from Mario. I'll never forget that interview, when the composers talked about what the main theme should be like for Super Mario Galaxy, and Koji Kondo (I think) said no to one entry that was a cutesy-cuddly space-tinged tropical beat, made cuz the other composer thought Mario was tailored for kids. Asking what would should define him in this outing, Kondo responded "Mario is cool"

You wouldn't automatically peg Mario as "cool," but when you think of all the stuff he's done, can do, and will do, he really and truly is cool in his own right. Same with Kirby. A lil' puffball skipping through flowers in a land of utter saccharine...that can swallow an enemy and transform into everything from a missile launcher to a street fighter to a dual-wielding lightsaber (wielder)!! Sega nailed it back in the day, from the Sonic CD cutscenes to all the way back when they first broke the character in. He was Mickey Mouse-cute, but had a slight edge to him that gave him a natural sort of cool, while being able to break the speed barrier through loop-de-loops, fighting robots and countless other things. All without having to tote a gun or utter a damn cuss word...oops :)

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Being "cool" or having "attitude" is NOT the same thing as being "grim n' gritty" or "badass". Sonic games have always been filled to the brim with coolness and attitude, but it's pretty much only when Shadow hogs the spotlight that it goes for the badass and grim n' gritty approach, usually with laughable results.

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Okay.

Yes.

Epic win for Dreadknux? I'd say yes it is bad, inFAMOUS does what Shadow don't and that let's you decide on being a badass or goody goody by blowing shit up or doing good deeds... too bad SEGA doesn't have the time or patience to do a sandbox style Sonic game, shit it wouldn't be that hard combining all those levels into one gigantic world would it?

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To be honest, in my own opinion? It's not bad. Infact, despite the dark, gritiness of it all, and I'm gonna get alot of hate responses for this so *activates flameshield*, I think it resembled more of a Sonic game than Sonic Heroes did, and Heroes was more colourful and nostalgic.

I don't want to get too much into it, as I've done my part on the short and briefness, but if anyone wants me to elaborate, I will.

Edited by The_Soul_Gauge
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*insert JezMM's opinion on the game here*

Also as for the canonicity of the game, the game itself really gives away that "there is no canon ending. You decide whether Shadow turns good or not". The endings that are in Shadow are just mere "possibilities" of what could have happened according to the player because its up to the player how Shadow's story evolves, hence why being fully evil or fully bad isnt the only options. You can be semi-evil, semi-good, quarter-evil, completely neutral, etc.

Or compare them to the Chaotic Good/Chaotic Evil/Lawful Evil etc. Since thats what it typically goes after.

Hell if you'd want, Shadow's story could eventually be that he gets his lego on with Amy and gets a kid called Dark but Dark gets killed by the tooth fairy so Shadow becomes all angsty, kills the tooth fairy and realizes the world is a cruel place enough for him to not give a shit about his future or past.

Shadow is only a mere guideline in the canonicity of the game since nothing is implied in the future games to be solid, nor do they reference to black doom or anything in the next games. The Last Story is just an excuse to say CONGRATULATIONS NOW YOU UNLOCKED SUPER SHADOW like they do in every new-gen Sonic game etc.

Edited by Ego
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I hated the concept of Shadow the Hedgehog. I already was put off because I thought the last major Sonic game I played (Heroes) was complete trash. It didn't help that other people were bashing the hell out of too. ..Then I played it.

Honestly, this game is nowhere near as bad as other people make it out to be. It wasn't perfect, of course not, but at the very least I could play it and actually enjoy it long enough to complete a story path. I feel the exact same way about Sonic '06.

Unlike Heroes, which had me pissed off less than halfway through my first playthrough. The aiming system? You all say it's bad, but I don't know. Maybe I just have a real knack for that sort of thing, but I had no issue ripping people a new one with the various weapons in the game. Could the aiming have been better? Yes, but I still think the overall gameplay beats Heroes any day of the week. I just can't stand that game.

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  • 2 weeks later...

WOW i just read somewhere that Shadow the hedgehog was voted 'Family game of the year' by the sun newspaper in britain....weird.

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Because nothing says 'family friendly' like a black anthropomorphic hedgehog holding a gun!

But seriously, even with the guns and violence Shadow The Hedgehog pretty tame compared to many other survival, horror, fps etc. games. Remember there are many, MANY families out there who happily play and let younger children play games like GTA which is full of violence and swearing. ShTH is probably tame to them.

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I liked that some things from SA2 were back (President, levels and stuff) and I thought the Super battle was fun because I always wanted to be shooting enrgy blast at people as Super Sonic, but I thought it looked almost exactly like the Super battle in Sonic Heroes. And at the end I think Shadow should've said "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog" instead of "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog". I mean i'm fairly sure its supposed to be like SA2...

By the way: Am I the only one who thinks Maria looks creepy in this Pic? I mean seriously look at those eyes. o.O

post-1157-1250247408_thumb.png

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By the way: Am I the only one who thinks Maria looks creepy in this Pic? I mean seriously look at those eyes. o.O

Have you seen how she looks in-game in Shadow The Hedgehog? Her facial features like her eyes are really big and anim

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Is Shadow the Hedgehog so bad? Let's see....broken controls mixed with an awful level design, with a disappointingly thin plot with really badly executed branching paths, laden with out of place cussing and guns that's far more laughable then badass.

The only things that aren't bad, but just mediocre, are the music and graphics, but I cannot find a single "brightspot" for the game. Not one. IMO, it's the worst 3D Sonic game ever made, worse than even Sonic 2006, 'cause Sonic team at least seemed like they tried to do SOMETHING with that title.

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Shadow the hedgehog is an awesome game!! The most awesome game EVER!

If you think otherwise we can solve this IRL at summer of Sonic

WITH A FIGHT

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