I'm Going To Make A Quick Withdraw

IGN: Shadow the Hedgehog Review

Game review sites tend to all read the same way. If one site loves a game, then chances are all the other review sites will love the game. Likewise if one site hates a game, then all the other review sites love the game. I don't know why this is, but I'm going to guess the reason is because unlike movies, most people who buy games agree on the same thing: They want fun games. And while there are different genre's, if someone reviewing "Final Fantasy X" loves RPG's, then anyone who likes RPG's will likely love "Final Fantasy X." I normally agree with reviews.

Sometimes I'll differ a little bit on a grade, but otherwise I usually see eye-to-eye with most of the reviews. One of the biggest conflicts with a review I've had recently is with "Shadow The Hedgehog." Now I am a huge Sonic The Hedgehog fan. Screw Mario and his mushroom jumping games (which are fun, I'm not saying they are), I've always preferred the Sonic games for their speed, loops, and eventually great gameplay inovations. While most of the Sega Saturn Sonic games left quite a bit to be desired, I've enjoyed pretty much all the Dreamcast and Gamecube Sonic games ("Sonic Shuffle" being an exception to the rule).

The latest Sonic game is "Shadow The Hedgehog," which takes place after the events of "Sonic Hero's," stars "Sonic Adventure 2" show stealer Shadow, and sports a darker world and storyline, originally earning the game a (what would have been very controversial) Teen rating, but thanks to the ESRB adding a new rating, the rating got appealed and received an Eveyone 10+ rating (which is still kind of high for a kids game). I didn't really get a chance to play this game till January of this year, and despite all the absolutely horrible reviews this game has received, I find myself disagreeing with them, as I feel this is a fun game.

This isn't a great game, but a fun one none-the-less. One thing I do find strange though is that I agree with most of the points made in the reviews. Yes, the graphics should be better by now. Yes, the camera is still a little whacked. And yes, since there is the whole "good/evil" choice you can make, it would be helpful that to not kill the good guys if you on there side (and vice-a-versa). Yet, I still find the game fun. I was thinking about this, and I think I understand why: I'm used to these problems. Seriously, while it is annoying that most of these problems have been present since "Sonic Adventure" came out in 1999, and I would love to see them fixed, the bottom line is that I'm used to the problem. So when the camera went all crazy on me the first time I played this game, it didn't raise a red flag because I was used to it. I know, it's sad but true. And since I'm such a big fan of the Sonic series, I guess I'm not marking these things against the game itself. This proves one thing about game reviews: They are not always right. They usually help greatly, and when a game magazine dings a game it's highly recommended you take them seriously to a certain extent since you stand to lose $50, but they aren't always right.

If you are a big Sonic fan, "Shadow The Hedgehog" should do wonders for you. Unlike "Mario Sunshine," some of the added stuff in Shadow really works, and it makes the game more interesting then it would have been otherwise. Now if you'll excuse me, I still have about seven endings that I want to unlock, and those endings aren't going to unlock themselves.

Currently Listening To: Peter Cetera - One Clear Voice