I finally played it after skipping it back in the day and I gotta say it was pretty good actually. The format of the missions is kind of like a streamlined SA2, you can run through them like regular sonic levels, the ones where you grab a gun and kill things are like the tails and eggman levels, and the ones where you hunt a certain number of items or enemies are like the knuckles levels.
There was definitely a level or two that fricking sucked undeniably, like Lost Impact where you have to find 40 of the chaos frickers and it takes like actually half an hour, but other than that I thought the game was a fun time and spent the afternoon doing every mission in each level. Really doesn't deserve the hate and is easily the 3rd best 3D Sonic right behind SA1 and 2.
 It's All Fucked Shirt $22.14 |
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It's All Fucked Shirt $22.14 |
I said this before but if you check reviews from the era they complain about literal bullshit like "it feels like a Dreamcast game" or the fact that it's a darker take on the series as if that's not allowed. When people hate on it today they do so on the basis that "it's edgy".
People very rarely talk about the actual gameplay, which is literally just SA2 (which is well-loved) with some extra mechanics. One or two bullshit sections can be forgiven.
>I finally played it after skipping it back in the day and I gotta say it was pretty good actually. The format of the missions is kind of like a streamlined SA2, you can run through them like regular sonic levels, the ones where you grab a gun and kill things are like the tails and eggman levels, and the ones where you hunt a certain number of items or enemies are like the knuckles levels.
It would have been better if they used SA2's engine, only Shadow levels, with three stories (Hero, Neutral, Dark) and last story.
I regret not buying this when I was young because I loved Sonic games, but I remember it getting mediocre reviews and Heroes soured me. I bought a copy off ebay for PS2 a couple days ago, just waiting for it to get here
My homie you should have done some research beforehand, as the PS2 version is plagued by some very noticeable lag spikes and slowdown. It’s still playable by all means (it’s the first version I completed) but you will have an infinitely better time with the GCN or Xbox versions. Just like Heroes, PS2 got the short end of the stick.
Heroes for xbox has problems too, it gets drop frames worse than ps2
I don't have a gc/wii or xbox unfortunately.
>is literally just SA2
Nah, it uses the awful Heroes engine. If the had SA2's level design philosophy and physics it'd be a masterpiece.
If this is just "SA2" but with guns, then SA2 must clearly not been about physics, which is the only reason Sonic used to exist. But I get it, modern sonic gays today don't like physics and think Sonic is just a edgy anime game with combat.
You hardly even use spin dash in this game. You just run through loops or do that Chaos warp thing through the level.
>You hardly even use spin dash in this game.
Exactly, so it's never ever going to be "SA2 but with Guns". SA2 had you use both spindashing (Sonic/Shadow stages) and guns (Mech stages)
Shadow focuses on the later far more and they don't even play the same way regardless. Shadow is just not SA2 at all, and shouldn't be forced into this to defend Shadow. Shadow is its OWN game.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a lot slower than SA1 and SA2
This is what I've been saying for years. It's literally just SA2 with guns. Anyway glad you enjoyed it OP
>There was definitely a level or two that fricking sucked undeniably
Yeah. Alien tank mission, cyberspace mission, find Cream mission, fricking computer room... 1/3 of the game. Also you can softlock yourself during final stage.
But the rest is okay, I've enjoyed it too. Glad you've had fun OP.
>find cream
I creamed in Amy, so if you're looking for cream just check there and you'll find plenty.
Tails stop cucking Sonic while he's busy
honestly if it were released today i think it'd do well, palworld shows that noone really cares about edgy anymore
I disagree, the level design is a lot worse and the only way you can have any fun is if you ignore the hero/dark missions and just run through the levels. The argument 'they're like SA2 knuckles levels' doesn't hold water for me. Those levels were open levels and designed around it. Shadow levels are long corridors and if you missed that chaos fricker around the corner you're spending the next 20 minutes doing laps of the stage until you find it. The story is offensively bad and the 'good' part, the partforming gameplay, has all of the problems Heroes has. I could agree it is better than heroes, but it's not anywhere near SA1/2.
It's less important but I think the story is offensively bad. And I don't mean in the SA2 way where it's cheesy and takes itself too seriously. I mean the way its told is terrible. At least half of the endings don't make sense as resolutions. Don't do a multi route game if you cannot make events logically follow each other. Like, I had an ending where Shadow went to space with Sonic to save the world, but then he ran into Eggman on the way. Then he beat Eggman and the story just ended. Why did he do that? Was the world saved? Where did Sonic go? It isn't told like a story with a beginning and an end, you're just collecting endings. Another example is the 'dark' ending of full hero, where Shadow for literally no reason just attacks Sonic. No attempt to explain it, no attempt to explain what happens after (does he save the world anyway? is he evil now?) It just ends and you check off another ending cleared. Terrible. This is leaving aside that it tries to wade into SA2's story at the end and actively makes the story in that worse in doing so - which docks it points too. I usually wouldn't be so harsh on story in a Sonic game but it is SO bad here I had to.
>Another example is the 'dark' ending of full hero, where Shadow for literally no reason just attacks Sonic. No attempt to explain it, no attempt to explain what happens after (does he save the world anyway? is he evil now?)
This is because of the shitty dub. The Japanese version makes it clear that he's still good, but wants to take the opportunity to fight Sonic and prove that he's the best.
I didn't like switching between hero and dark mid level. or that there are 300+ "endings"
should have been a "hero" story and a "dark" story. like in SA2.
chaos control is broken and guns should not have been a main game element (not saying it was a bad thing)
the use of guns and chaos control should have been replaced with chaos spear.
other than that it was fine.
It is better than heroes and 06 but that is not saying much, it is still a turd and you like it because you are either a furry or a modern gaming apologist.
This board unironically like 3d sonic slop
fricking yikes
It's not just this board. The entire 2000s generation are all autistic adults that demand validation for their shitty childhood.
It will all be over in 10 more years when the boost generation shit themselves demanding boosting and meme humor Sonic to come back.
I AM THE ULTIMATE HEDGEHOG
THIS IS WHO I AM
[laughs like a fricking maniac]
> THIS IS WHO I AM
Not a shadow of who I want to be
Try to understand
This is what you made me
And you're not ever gonna change me
>CHADroes out of nowhere
It became trendy to hate due to reddit
Regardless of who is responsible, the game’s embarrassing aesthetic choices sealed its fate from the get-go. It would’ve had to revolutionary gameplay in order to override its donut steel meme status, which evidently was not the case.
people on the internet complained about non-Sonic levels in SA1/SA2. What does Sega do? They give them a game of only Sonic levels with Shadow the Hedgehog and people realize only Sonic levels in a game is boring but instead they blame the edgyness and other stuff.
Fact is besides very few levels most of the game can be played without picking up the guns or vehicles.
the handling is a lot worse then SA2, shadow can't turn as tightly and he accelerates a lot faster then the level design would like which gives the game a really awkward start and stop feeling
also the game is unironically not edgy enough. in jak 2 you can kill random townsfolk but meanwhile shadow doesn't kill a single enemy solider trying to shoot at him, even the other aliens can't take them out - they just fall over injured once you take out their health bar
I had this game as a child (for PS2), it was one of my first few games. I realized it had flaws but pretty much loved it. I sunk hours into the branching storylines. To this day I refuse to believe the notion it is "one of the worst games ever." is it like a good game? idk I'd give it like a 5 or a 6, but not one of the worst, even some good parts.
Why does the black Sonic hold a sniper rifle? I cringed a little.
It's barely enjoyable to play through once, let alone multiple times for god knows what ending is the true ending. The combination of the stage design and the objectives is obnoxiously tedious. I'd take any part of the Adventure games over anything in this game. Hand me that fishing rod and send me to death chamber, just as long as I don't have to warp back to the beginning yet again to find something in a dull corridor.