Shadows of the Damned PlayStation 3
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
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  1. Game Informer
    Jun 20, 2011
    93
    Shadows of the Damned is unapologetically adolescent, but instead of trying to be cutely ironic and wink at players, the humor comes off as genuine, playful, and fun. Even if you don't find the idea of a sniper rifle called "the Big Boner" funny, you should still enjoy the solidly designed shooting and bit of thought required to play the game. Grasshopper has finally come into its own, and I hope it carries this momentum (and Mikami) forward to whatever project is next.
  2. Digital Chumps
    Jun 28, 2011
    88
    Shadows of the Damned has a lot going for it, and a few drawbacks as well, but the point to take away is that it's just a really fun game to play through.
  3. Cheat Code Central
    Jun 21, 2011
    90
    I guarantee you won't know what's going to happen until it has, and more often than not the results are hilarious. If you want to experience a game that's different from everything that's come before it, Shadows of the Damned is for you. It's a tasty concoction of horror, humor, gore, and naughty bits that's guaranteed to make you laugh, scream, and beg for more.
  4. Strategy Informer
    Jun 21, 2011
    93
    Its freshness shows just how stale a lot of the industry is and it's what's needed in an era of grey, modern shooters.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 72 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Dionysus-Jones
    10
    I'm currently on Act 3-2 (about 5 hours in). If you have any interest in Suda 51's dark humour & art style as a developer, then this game will not disappoint you. Shadows of the Damned is a perfect combination of eerie & hilarious, and while graphically the game doesn't break any new ground, the game more than makes up for it with it's stylistic visuals and unorthodox gameplay elements. Not to mention, the musical score is a unique achievement all its own; which can only be described as Silent Hill meets Planet Terror.

    The combat, more often than not, is intense and enjoyable; and the boss battles are fun & challenging without being frustrating. My only gripe is that the controls can feel a bit clunky & sluggish at times, but not any more so than say Resident Evil 4. The one-button 180 degree turn mechanic helps remedy this to some degree, but on occasion the sprint button does feel unresponsive (and it really should have been mapped to L3 instead of R1). Again, this is a minor gripe, and it doesn't occur frequently enough to hurt the gameplay. Aside from that, the game does feel like it will probably clock in at around 10 hours. However, I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, so I'm probably looking at about 12 hours. Personally I'm okay with this.

    The light & dark gameplay mechanic is somewhat similar to what is found in Alan Wake (and is executed just as well), but it definitely has the Suda 51 trademark -- shooting munching goat heads as light sources, and igniting fireworks machines instead of boring flood lights. Goat heads you say? Yes... absolutely. And even the game's main character is as baffled as you. Upon discovering this, he aptly replies: "What do I have to do to unlock a door? F##K a horse?"


    Buy this game now. Support creative game development.    … Full Review »
  2. Big-Gamer
    10
    Most fun I had this year!! DON'T listen to the reviewers which gave the game negatives, they are unfair because they complain about the gameplay being too similar to Resident Evil 4, but how come no one complains about Dead Space?
    Some critics say its too repetitive, but aren't all shooters repetitive? We still all love shooters even so.

    Legendary japanese names such as Suda Goichi who is known for his crazy ideas in his games directed No More Heroes, Shinji Mikami who is the guy who basically created the third person genre and created the Resident Evil series, and Akira Yamaoka who made the creepy sounds for the Silent Hill series, they all 3 team together to make this awesome game.

    Design:

    This game has a punk and B-movie style feel to it, its design is unique, especially the vibrant neon colours which renders the strange new hell. This hell is like no other hell expressed before, it has like a medieval design to it and goes by it's own rules.

    Those out there who like Quantin Tarantino and Rodriguez should love this as this game is heavily influenced by movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and Grindhouse. Some reviews pointed out that they did not like the dialogue in the game, but it is meant to be cheesy because it is also influenced be Evil Dead.

    FIRSTLY, this game was made to give the players pure fun and is not meant to be taken seriously. The dialogue is there to make you laugh as it is influenced by B-movies, the main character swears alot, makes memorable quotes with his mexican accent and acts badass, he reminds me alot of Ash from Evil Dead. He calls his gun the Boner because it can extend and become bigger. The main character's demon partner, Johnson has a british accent and is hilarious, he tours you around hell as he used to live there, he reminds me of the robot with the british voice in Portal 2.

    Story:

    The story of the game is about a demon slayer, Garcia Hotspur, who has upset the lord of demons, Flemming by killing one too many demons. Flemming kidnaps Garcia's lover Paula to get revenge on him for what he has done to his minions. Garcia, with the help of his demon partner and friend, Johnson, who has the ability to shapeshift into different weapons, set out together to kick the prince of demon's ass, and to bring back his lover, the story progresses along the way and odd things happen.

    Gameplay:

    The gameplay plays like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, it is an over the shoulder shooter in which you aim with a laser sight and walk while aiming, headshots are vital to execute demons quickily. You upgrade your guns in the game alot as you progress through the game, making it more dangerous for your foes. Light and Darkness play a big role in the game, you must lure enemies away from the darkness, as the darkness makes demons invulnerable and then shoot them with a light shot to make them vulnerable. If you love bosses to fight against, this game is made just for you.

    Overall:

    I give this a 9.5/10 as this game is like no other, it is random in a good way because it is full of surprises, and has a B-movie style to it.

    The gameplay is great overall besides from the rarely occasional camera problems when you are aiming in a tight space, but that doesn't effect the overall experience as it does not happen much.

    There is no new game which means you can't start a new game with your upgraded weapons after you have completed the game which is a little bit of a disappointment, but you can always play the game on the harder difficulty if you have completed the game on normal. You can always experience the crazy journey again or try to unlock trophies.

    It is like experiencing a 10-12 hours Tarantino and Rodriguez movie which everyones gotta experience, its ashame there isn't much hype to this game. Definitely a must buy.

    Story: 8
    Gameplay: 8.5
    Design: 9.5
    Enjoyment: 10

    Overall: 9.5    … Full Review »
  3. batlantern_87
    9
    I just finished this game, and I don't know what people are complaining about. It's a campy gridnhouse game, of course it's going to be immature and cheesy. You don't go see The Dark Knight not wanting to see Batman do you...The game sets out to be a thrill ride to Hell with some cheesy jokes along the way and it does just that. The game play is smooth and fun, although later parts in the game get a little frustrating which is the only thing keeping this game from gaming nirvana. The story is simple, go to Hell to get your girlfriend back from Hell. It's a road trip game. Along the way you get amazing new weapons with great upgrades, and you face harder and harder bosses. That's a good thing, the game play is varied enough that you wont get bored. I beat this game after 2 gaming sessions, its almost impossible to put down. Don't miss out on this amazing game!… Full Review »
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