Metareview - Shadow the Hedgehog
by Ben Striegel 
{ Nov 21st 2005 at 9:00AM }
It's been said before, and we'll say it again: just because a game is good in two dimensions does not mean the same is true for three. Case in point: Sonic the Hedgehog. The original 2D Sonic games revolutionized the platforming genre, and, if current trends are any indication, they just keep getting better. So how does Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Team's latest foray into three dimensions, stack up? Well, it ain't pretty…
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Team Xbox [5.3] - "Practically nothing works the way that it should. Guns are bad, the camera is worse, and the mature departures that the story takes from the rest of the series are truly what will have the fans raging on the message boards."
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IGN [4.9] - "Shadow the Hedgehog is proof that Sonic Team needs to get with the program if it plans to compete with legitimate current and next- generation software. This is Sonic Adventure with guns and less polish, and players today are far more discerning than they were six years ago."
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GameSpy [2 out of 5] - "The whacked camera angles mean there's less control over these moments compared to the old-school games, but the sheer adrenaline rush is almost enough reason to explore more levels to see if it comes back. There should have been far, far more moments like this in the game, and this literal lack of momentum kills Shadow the Hedgehog's potential."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Back_Lit @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Once and a great while everyone drops a bomb...pity it had to be SEGAs turn =/
aceflash11 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
I still can't the score of the game. I love it!
Jack @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Ouch who doesnt love critics. Anyway I saw some of the game and it looked interested, I'm not really into these type of games, but I did play sonic 1 and 2 on dreamcast they were good, dont know why it went bad.
E-Male @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
I think the Hedgehog has gone the way of the Tomb Raider...Hopefully the next gen can pick up the pieces of both of these shattered icons.
Tamo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Proving that adding a gun
Does not equal fun.
A little poem for everyone to enjoy.
theo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
However I am LOVING Sonic Rush for the DS. Amazing game even better than Sonic 2 - now my $150 alarm clock is being used again.
No annoying touchscreen controls - sonic how it should be sidescrolling and FAST!!!!!
computerdude33 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Personally, I find the game fun. The controls are a tad varied from other Sonic games, the camera problems were there since Sonic Adventure, and the guns are easy to use. Then again, I'm playing the (superior) GameCube version. (I did hear that the controls were a bit hard to get used to on Xbox, though)
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
What?! The "dark" Sonic game with guns isn't fun? The hell you say!
/Sarcasm (duh)
Seriously, did anybody have high expectations for this game. Is Sonic even in the game? Every iteration of Sonic since it's 16-bit days has focused less and less on Sonic himself, until finally it has nothing to do with him at all.
I don't know why they don't just do what they did with Sonic 3/Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Just let us play different "campaigns." Each character goes through the same levels, but the different abilities open up new paths, etc.
That really worked on the older games. Plus, if you didn't like Knuckles or Tails you weren't missing anything. You didn't have to play as them to complete the game. Everybody wins.
Better yet, Sonic only.
Lost_Canadian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Give me a 2D-Sonic game with a 3D environment on next-gen hardware. Sonic never translated well to 3D, so stop "beating a dead horse". Go back to what made the Genesis games awesome.
CapAmerica @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
I'm glad this game is getting poor reviews, I wanted this game to tank ever since I saw the first E3 trailer.
spike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Completely agree with you #5... i got Sonic Rush yesterday and I've been playing it A LOT. That game is really sick... I haven't unlocked any of those special stages you control with the stylus yet though :(
Paranoised @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Sonic Adventure on the dreamcast was great, and the genesis games are legendary.
Its no suprise that this game stinks, our blue hedgehog is not in it.
giz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
"Sonic the Hedgehog. The original 2D Sonic games revolutionized the platforming genre"
ummmmmmm i think you will find mario did that......
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
#13
Things can be revolutionized more than once.
Sonic revolutionized the genre by adding an element of speed that was not present (and never has been) in Mario games. It provided a new twist on an already established genre. It single-handedly helped SEGA stay afloat with a system that was technically inferior to the SNES.
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Interestingly, the DS game, in all its 2D glory is getting A+ ratings everywhere
Jeff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
"It single-handedly helped SEGA stay afloat with a system that was technically inferior to the SNES."
The Genesis was not "technically inferior" to the SNES - that's a myth. They both excelled in different areas. It's like saying the Pentium 4 is inferior to the G5 - I guess that was true when Apple said it was, right? Anybody can spin this sort of thing however they want, depending on what specs they focus on.
Fact of the matter is the Genesis had a faster processor by a factor of two. The SNES had a larger color palette and better sound (though the sound advantage was negated with the Sega CD, which also added new sound hardware). But this is what Sega meant by "blast processing"; that was simply their way of saying "our machine is faster". I doubt the Sonic games could have been done on the SNES - in fact, someone did try to do an unauthorized port and the results were mixed (pretty herky jerky).
As for Sonic in 3D, yeah, Sonic Adventure was great. It basically *was* a 2D Sonic in a 3D space. Everything after that has gotten worse, though.
1up_clock @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Okay, now Sega's starting to worry me.
Shadow: On all three consoles, 3D, "moody" crap that appeals to 7 people, seems like a horrible rip-off of Rachet and Clank, far to much hype = CRAP.
Sonic Rush: On the DS, 2D, classic feel that appeals to anyone who hated the 3D Sonic games, seems like another blah GBA Sonic game, next to no hype = THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER?
Babu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Sega needs to successfully take sonic to 3D, mario did it, sonic needs to pull it off. In a day and age where visual is everything, a 2d sidescroller just wont cut it. Most of the populous is going to go for a flashy looking 3D game over a good ol sidescroller. Sega needs to get this franchise into 3D-Land, but so far they are failing. But undoubtedly - it is a requirement if they want to sell the franchise to millions.
denjinflash @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
bravo, jeff(#16), saved me from writing a genny/snes comparison.
anyway, yeah, this game sucked long before it was released..
seriously, i don't understand what yuji naka and gang were thinking when they came up with this game!
sonic adv 1 was great, but things after just weren't as good or just no good(..heroes, this game..).
for sonic, things have got to go back to the old megadrive days where it was about speed, good gameplay and tunes. no boring stuff, just plain sonic.
here's hoping that "sonic the hedgehog" on 360 and ps3 will be great.