Shadow and Rush, Opinions and General Bitching

[PSMad]

So the two 'big' Sonic games this year have been released and I wondered if anyone has picked them up and more importantly what people think of them after playing. I got them both today, a day early no less and it's half good news, half bad.

First the blindingly obvious out of the way; Shadow isn't looking too good. I'm refraining from calling it a steaming turd until I finish it (indeed, I'm only 2 levels and a boss fight into it). Unfortunately the beginning isn't brilliant. It starts off well enough with a typical angsty opening with Crush 40 metal and CG cut scene.

It starts proper and oh dear, I've got mixed feelings. It tries so hard to be your friend but utterly fails. The graphics are poor but the voice acting is ok for the most part, Sonic's voice in particular being an improvement (Charmy’s makes me want to shoot him). It's nice to have an option with your missions but they are shoved down your throat too much, Sonic or Dooms Eye getting pissed if you attack the wrong thing. At this stage I don't care about the Black Arms so I'll help Sonic and he wants me to kill 45 Black Arms. Ok, no problem... Ah, there's only 45 in the entire level. The potential to miss just one is infuriating. Fortunately there is a way to get about, checkpoints acting as teleporters.

The less said about the boss battle the better though. The Black Bull or something. Shoot its eye. You are supposed to homing attack it in places but the homing attack usually turns to cack just as you've reached the top of the chain of bad guys feeding you up to the target.

It's got a hell of a lot to do to keep me interested. No sign of Eggman to help out either.

From the bad to good. Sonic Rush is fairly good. I've hard people complain about how hard it is but I've a theory on this. I booted up the game expecting the first level to be a breeze. At the end of it I just managed to get across the finish line in one piece. The reason? I totally underestimated the difficulty. On my second play through the same level I aced it because I expected a challenge and to be honest, got to grips with the boost mode.

The 1st boss too, you've seen the videos so have seen how 'easy' it is. Haha, it’s another exercise to fool you into underestimating it. Sure it's easy to avoid the hammer attack and bop it on the head. The rolling bit is easy to jump over and it doesn't even hurt you if it hits you while in mid jump. 2 hits left and, wow, the music got faster. I have to jump the rolling block twice now, easy. One more hit and the rolling thing has been dodged twice and a third... shit, I messed up my jump. What? NOOOO! Sonic has just been rolled off the side of the screen. Instant death. "Try again and this time jump better" the game laughs. Second time through the boss was aced, with an S rank no less.

The graphics are cool, I love the music and am relishing the challenge. If it keeps up the high quality I’ll be a happy man.

[Plorpus III]

The more I play Shadow, the more it grows on me. The only thing I still absolutely despise is the space levels, especially the one where you're on tiny pieces of the ark that are falling into the abyss. Fuck bottomless pits. And Vector's voice.

[(...)]

Just bought Shadow on Xbox. Didn't get Rush because I don't have a DS, but IGN reckons its the best Sonic game ever made.

Long story short, Shadow rules! It's basically sonic adventure with guns. I'm only about three levels into it on the neutral path.

- It's got the best cutscenes of any Sonic game (including Sonic CD)
- It's got the best soundtrack of any Sonic game (except for Sonic CD)
- The gunplay isn't as stupid as it sounds, and it's actually quite satisfying to use a machine gun on a screen full of enemies or beat up an Eggman robot and steal his weapon.
- The graphics are basically like the old Dremcast games, except it all runs at 60fps and has a few new graphical effects (sky bloom, screen warps etc)
- It's fcking fast!
- All bottomless pits are kept to a minumum (except for the flying fortress level )

I'd say it's an 8/10 game.

[Samface]

Well, I got Rush this morning.

Fantastic graphics, phenomenal music, good handling, ace Special Stages.

Bottomless fucking pits and cheaply placed fucking enemies every-fucking-where.

I lasted about 4 hours then gave up and took it back to the shop, exchanging it for Wario Ware Touched. And I'm glad I did.

[James McGeachie]

Well, I got Rush this morning.

Fantastic graphics, phenomenal music, good handling, ace Special Stages.

Bottomless fucking pits and cheaply placed fucking enemies every-fucking-where.

I lasted about 4 hours then gave up and took it back to the shop, exchanging it for Wario Ware Touched. And I'm glad I did.

I'll admit, there's a few annoying bottomless pits at points, but they hardly ruin the game, it's fucking incredible in my opinion and for that I'll excuse the few cheap deaths I've had.

The cheaply placed enemies are there to give the Rush mode or whatever its name is a POINT.

EDIT: Buy this fucking game

[G.Silver]

Can anyone tell me what the language options are for Shadow?

[Green Gibbon!]

I don't have the game, but according to the PDF manuals posted a couple weeks ago, the PS2 (and I assume Xbox) versions have Japanese and English audio with all the usual subtitle options. The Cube version has the subtitle options but only one dialogue option (English I presume).

[Ngangbius]

Just curious, when will you review Shadow the Hedgehog...or will you let someone else do the dirty work? Heh.

[James McGeachie]

With a 4.9 from IGN, Shadow is averaging 50% from reviews so far. Now I don't base everything off scores, but all signs so far point to that game being absolute fucking garbage that isn't worth talking about.

More people should be playing Rush, anyone who has a DS and likes Sonic has no excuse to not at least try it rargh and this last boss is the fucking cheapest thing ever.

[Green Gibbon!]

Just curious, when will you review Shadow the Hedgehog...or will you let someone else do the dirty work? Heh.

I'll get the Japanese version when it comes out next month. I feel as though I have a duty to play it properly and post whatever kind of scathing review it deserves, but the museum page is a long way off.

I'll get the Japanese version of Sonic Rush in a couple of weeks, though to be perfectly honest, I haven't seen anything to distinguish it (in my eyes) from the wildly insipid Sonic Advance games. I'll probably post that review before Shadow.

Actually, I still haven't even started Colossus yet...

[SegaSonic]

Just curious, when will you review Shadow the Hedgehog...or will you let someone else do the dirty work? Heh.

I'll get the Japanese version when it comes out next month. I feel as though I have a duty to play it properly and post whatever kind of scathing review it deserves, but the museum page is a long way off.

I'll get the Japanese version of Sonic Rush in a couple of weeks, though to be perfectly honest, I haven't seen anything to distinguish it (in my eyes) from the wildly insipid Sonic Advance games. I'll probably post that review before Shadow.

Actually, I still haven't even started Colossus yet...

So Im not alone! Im also waiting for the Japanese versions.

do you think the Japanese Shadow and rush will have English menu option?

[Ritz]

Rush? No, probably not.

[The Doc]

Hey, I've already offered myself up as a sacrifice to the sucky video game gods.

I'm highly qualified. I'm a virgin.

If you are surprised by anything at all in the previous two-line paragraph, you are clinically retarded.

[CM August]

I'll get the Japanese version when it comes out next month. I feel as though I have a duty to play it properly and post whatever kind of scathing review it deserves, but the museum page is a long way off.

Just to get confirmation, is it absolutely impossible to play the Japanese version on a PAL Gamecube? If I'm going to get this game, it's going to be the WITH the Japanese voices and WITH the most tolerable graphics and controls it has to offer.

[Light Speed]

Umm, I think you can with a mod chip or a freeloader, not positive though.

[Brazillian Cara]

I'm willing to give a chance to the 4Kids cast. But that's not saying much, since it'll probably be the last time I'll have to handle with american dubbers in Sonic games.

[Double-S-]

Between Shadow of the Colossus and Shadow the Hedgehog, one rocks face and the other sucks ass. You should play the one that rocks face.

[Squirrelknight]

I played Rush for about 15 minutes and found it to be mildly enjoyable, definetly an improvement over the Sonic Advance games... Though that's like saying herpes is better than gonhorrhea. But seriously, Sonic Rush isn't the abortion of a game I thought it was going to be. Well... at least for the first 15 minutes. We'll see if the quality of the level design takes a dive later in the game. The graphics are nice, at least.

I haven't played Shadow the Hedgehog yet, nor do I plan to do so anytime in the near future. You know it's bad when "We Give Everything a 9.9" IGN hates the game. I got a coupon for a free videogame rental at Blockbuster, but even for free, Shadow the Hedgehog is way too expensive. I think I'd rather rent Barbie Horse Adventure or that 50 Cent game.

[James McGeachie]

Just fully completed Rush, Super Sonic and all, good ending, great extra boss music, great game.

Also one of the cheesiest ending songs so far.

[Ngangbius]

Does the ending song have lyrics or something?

[James McGeachie]

Yes, well, sort of, more so than the other tracks in the game, as in, they actually make sense and mean something.

[Ngangbius]

So it is actually cheesier than "You Are My Hero" from Sonic 3D Blast(Flickies Island)?

[Segaholic2]

DON'T DISS RICHARD JACQUES

[James McGeachie]

Well I'm probably exaggerating a bit, all the cutscenes around the end have a feeling of extreme cheese though, which is all set up by the following lines of dialogue.

[spoiler]Sonic: As long as you have the power of friendship

Sonic: The Sol emeralds....

Sonic: will NEVER lose their glow!![/spoiler]

[Ngangbius]

DON'T DISS RICHARD JACQUES

Hey I like Mr. Jacques compositions as much as the next person, but I have to admit that "You Are My Hero" is one of the cheesiest songs in the Sonic franchise.

[spoiler]Although I like it. XD[/spoiler]