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Shadow the Hedgehog
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 15 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega Studio USA
Genre(s): Action, Platform
Players: 2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)
Release Date: November 15, 2005
Summary
Shadow The Hedgehog allows players to collect an arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and objects to rocket through more than 50 unique missions. In his feature debut, Shadow is tormented by a dark past, struggling to discover his true identity. He is caught in a complex battle between aliens, the G.U.N. army, and Dr. Eggman, and discovers that he may be the very element that will tip the scales between good and evil forever. Is he an android created by Dr. Eggman? Is he the original Shadow simply suffering from amnesia? Or is there an even more sinister explanation? Now, gamers will decide in a race against time by choosing between any number of routes by which to unveil the secrets of his past. Multiple endings reflect critical decisions at every stage of the game. Gamers have ultimate control over Shadow's past, with the potential to rewrite his history time and time again. [Sega]
Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Play Magazine
I narrowly recommend it for series die-hard, unless it keeps you from buying "Rush", in which case you should opt for your DS all the way. [Dec 2005, p.58]
Computer and Video Games
If you're a die-hard and quite old Sonic fan, Shadow the Hedgehog will probably disappoint with its weird mish-mash of styles and the same awkward and flawed 3D play of "Sonic Heroes." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
Read Full Review >Game Over Online
Shadow the Hedgehog has a couple good ideas that are ruined by sorry gameplay. What happened?
Read Full Review >MS Xbox World
I wouldn’t class this as a game that belongs within the Sonic franchise but as a unique game featuring Shadow and all his friends including Sonic.
Read Full Review >Official Xbox Magazine
Frustrating core gameplay problems overshadow the edgy urban setting. [Jan 2006, p.64]
IC-Games
The magic of the 2D versions have all but been lost in a search for technical accomplishment and it suffers terribly for it.
Read Full Review >Team Xbox
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.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
This premise would still be stupid even if Shadow didn't suffer from slowdown issues, a nonexistent lock-on system, a horrible camera, and bottomless pits in which to fall. But it does, and it is stupid--just like this is a stupid way to spend 50 bucks.
Read Full Review >Xbox World Australia
An ultimately flawed platformer that falls short of its goals of innovation and another game that is marred by its attempts to appear darker and more mature.
Read Full Review >Total Video Games
As a long-term Sonic fan Shadow the Hedgehog fills me with absolute dread and disdain; it’s an abysmal game that manages to expand upon the issues of previous Sonic games, whilst completing negating the core ingredients of the Sonic series.
Read Full Review >Gamestyle
Considering the series' rich history, no gamer should be forced to have such mediocrity tarnishing their childhood memories.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
Unlike last years popular and more importantly, playable, "Sonic Heroes," Shadow The Hedgehog is a misstep in almost every direction.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
Shadow the Hedgehog doesn't really do anything new, and doesn't really give the impression anyone's trying particularly hard.
Read Full Review >Sydney Morning Herald
The action is also largely mindless, with a poor targeting system and a game camera that never quite follows the action the way you want it to.
Read Full Review >IGN
A long list of shortcomings, from stupid level design, unrefined controls and useless gunplay to disappointingly outdated graphics.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
Shadow the Hedgehog fails to live up to its pedigree due to terrible controls, an uncooperative camera, and an overall lack of effort.
Read Full Review >Times Online
Sega seems to be lazily exploiting a franchise that appears way past its sell-by date. Reinvent the character by all means, but give him back his sharp edges.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
The new gun combat is horrid. [Jan 2006, p.138]
AceGamez
The poor controls, tricky camera and an irritation-filled gaming experience is unfortunately what Shadow the Hedgehog is presented as, and this doesn't deserve to be found under too many Christmas tree's this year.
Read Full Review >Thunderbolt
From its stripping down of the series’ most successful gameplay elements to its obviously desperate addition of weapons and ‘street’ cool this is still a product of a development studio with a good imagination. But also, it seems, a lazy one only too happy to jump on the same GTA bandwagon that’s currently carrying way too many developers.
Read Full Review >Gaming Age
Combine the relatively poor visuals with monotonous level designs, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a level with no real visual cues of where you are within the level.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
What possessed Sega to go in this direction is beyond us. Maybe maintain the edgy appeal that Sonic never had in the first place. In doing so, they betrayed the very thing that makes Sonic well...Sonic.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
soundwave gave it a1:
What is this? This game suffers from a huge amount of gameplay issues. The levels are extreamly poorly designed, they deploy every annoying aspect you could think of including the 'defeat x number of guys but you are now stuck in an area where you cant reach that amount' and 'OH MY GOD! Pits all over the freaking place!' mechanics. This makes the levels painful to play. The camera is probably the worse I have seen in a game in a long time. It never allows you to see enough of the enviroment to know whats going on and it tends to always behind something. The 'center camera' button does nothing but make it jerk around for a second or two. The guns are just weak. You cant aim your self, the game just seems to randomly pick targets for you to fire at. This is a great pain since the game attempts to play a good and evil idea. So you end up shooting everything in a sight ratjer then just the good or bad guys. This game was just a pain to play. It actually felt like I was being punished for playing it. Its a fustrating, slow, story disaster, poorly thought out, unfinished, pile of game poo. Stay away from this... far away.
