New Shadow the Hedgehog details

[Crazy Penguin]

I like the multiple story-line paths idea, but I don't know how well they'll be able to pull off the changing of Shadow's past. That seems like a cheat to me. The player's actions should affect what's happening during the game, not what happened before the game started.

How's it supposed to work? If you team up with Eggman Shadow turns out to be a robot but if you team up with GUN he turns out to be a GUN clone? If that's the way they're going about it then it doesn't make sense, it's a cheat. How can what you do in the present affect what happened in the past? Or are there going to be some playable flashbacks?

It would be much cooler if each story path gave you different clues about Shadow's past and the player had to piece the clues together to figure out Shadow's one true past.

And if Shadow is going to be given multiple possible origins then which one will future Sonic and Shadow games follow, if any?

[Green Gibbon!]

Also the Way of the Samurai games, Zettai Zetsumei Toshi, and the last few Metal Gear games, if you're talking about action games specifically.

[Double-S-]

CHRONO TRIGGER YOU FOOLS.

[Squirrelknight]

Shadow The Hedgehog allows players to collect an arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and objects to rocket through more than 50 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.


<IMG SRC="http://ghzforum.nathantsui.com/upload/files/shadow1.jpg">

It doesn't sound so much like GTA to me... It just sounds like a total rip of Ratchet and Clank, except they replaced Ratchet with a character that's even stupider.

And I'm guessing those things Shadow is fighting in that screen are the "aliens" the blurb mentions. Goddamn, ST could've atleast stylized them a little so that they'd fit in with the Sonic aesthetic.

Well, atleast they haven't dragged Sonic himself into this. Yet.

[big_smile]

Like if you team up with Eggman Shadow turns out to be a robot but if you team up with GUN he turns out to be a GUN clone - if that's the way they're going about it then it doesn't make sense. It would be much cooler if each story path gave you different clues about Shadow's past and the player had to piece the clues together to figure out Shadow's one true past.

And if Shadow is going to be given multiple possible origins then which one will future Sonic and Shadow games follow, if any?

The story could feature multiple Shadows, who start their quest simultaneously, unaware of the presence of the other (similar to how the multiple characters worked in Sonic Heroes and the Advance games). Instead of Shadow's origins changing to reflect the player's choices, the game will simply switch which Shadow the story focuses on. Accessing all the multiple endings will unlock a 'last' mode that validates all three stories, by showing the Shadows teaming up to stop yet another dragon-like final boss. ^_^

[Esrever]

I over-quoted in my earlier post. It's not the mutliple endings that I thought was weird (multiple endings are great!), it's giving players control of Shadow's past. CP's post spells out pretty clearly what I think is wrong with that. How can one Shadow be the original, a clone, or whatever else all at the same time? It sounds like a massive mess to me... Shadow's story is plenty vague as it is.

BigSmile's idea of multiple Shadows is one possible workaround, but I got the impression that Shadow's past was going to be something you could "choose" based on your in-game decisions. That sounds to me like you always start as the same Shadow, not one of several...

[Professor Machenstein]

It doesn't sound so much like GTA to me... It just sounds like a total rip of Ratchet and Clank, except they replaced Ratchet with a character that's even stupider.

I never played Ratchet and Clank. Maybe the whole picking-up weapons deal rips off the game, but does Ratchet and Clank have the same speedy in-game engine as the Sonic Adventure games? At least we get all running stages not any of that treasure hunting/fishing/team-action rubbish, am I right.
As for the whole multiple-pasts thing, I find it weird too. Maybe it won't be so bad, seeing that the Shadow fan-girls will choose the past indicating the Shadow you're playing as in the game is the real one, and us non-Shadow grumps will choose the ending where the Shadow in the game is the clone from Sonic Heroes. Either way, I hope this is Shadow's final appearence. Metal Sonic should be Sonic's main rival.

[firemario1001]

At least this might end the pointless debates over Shadow that we've had to put up for the past 5 years.

I'll be saving my money for an actual shooter. You know, like Timesplitters 3

[chriscaffee]

How can what you do in the present affect what happened in the past?

Quantum mechanics.

[Ngangbius]

It doesn't sound so much like GTA to me... It just sounds like a total rip of Ratchet and Clank, except they replaced Ratchet with a character that's even stupider.

It sounds more like Jak II/III than Ratchet and Clank(Dark and moody, yet cartoony lead character, guns, vehicles). But then again, I've only played the first R&C game so I don't really know if the atmosphere and gaming mechanics is very different in the sequels.

[G.Silver]

The ability to "choose" Shadow's past speaks well for Sega's attitude regarding him, they obviously don't care how he comes about. It suggests that whatever goes on in this game, since you can discover multiple "origins," none of it has any effect on whatever games they decide to do later and Shadow the Hedgehog will be its own unique game that has nothing to do with anything else. Admittedly that ignores all this "it will be a great cornerstone franchise money blahblahblah" but hopefully it just pushes Shadow further away from Sonic's proper games.

[Professor Machenstein]

... Does that not qualify it as a spin-off?

[Frieza2000]

And if Shadow is going to be given multiple possible origins then which one will future Sonic and Shadow games follow, if any?

Traditionally, Sonic Team has never put much effort into continuity. And by not defining a specific answer to Shadow's identity, they get away without disappointing all the fans who've formed strong opinions about it over the last few years.

You never know. It could be a good game. HAVE YOU PLAYED IT?

It could be a good game, but it's already a bad story.

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.

[Spazz]

LAME

[SegaSonic]

oh boy, what happened to you Iizuka...youve been on Crack again havent you?

Guns, vehicles, Aliens...I think theyve been plying too much Halo and Jak.

[Professor Machenstein]

Hold on, wait. What if the reason we're controlling Shadow's past is because the game takes place in Shadow's past? Here's what should happen: after Sonic Heroes, somehow Shadow gets warped goes back into the past using Chaos Control. Not only does this event mess with the time and space continuum, but also gets Eggman involved. Somehow he too is warped back in the past. Then, Shadow realizes no matter what just happened, the strand of time is now screwed up. Here is where you control his distination and find out if the Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2 really died, or actually survived the Final Hazard. There has to be a reason Eggman is in the game. Maybe he enlightens Shadow that he really is a clone. If this game is Shadow's final appearence and he dies or something, it should show him being escorted by to spirit of the original Shadow and Maria to Heaven, along with the other clones. Now that would be a nice story.

[Timestones]

Or in a more likely scenario, Shadow's screwing around in the past results in Sonic being his father!

[Professor Machenstein]

Yeah, but... Sonic wasn't alive at the time Shadow was made. Maybe you meant the other way around, which would be quite ludacris actually. I know you were joking, but the sort of concept kind of freaks me out. But Shadow should die in this game, reguardless if he's the real Shadow or not.

[CM August]

aliens

weapons

vehicles

cornerstone title

new brand with a complimentary lineup

God, no. Nononono.

[Professor Machenstein]

What's wrong with aliens? Were they not in Sonic CD too?

[Zeta]

Hold on, wait. What if the reason we're controlling Shadow's past is because the game takes place in Shadow's past? Here's what should happen: after Sonic Heroes, somehow Shadow gets warped goes back into the past using Chaos Control. Not only does this event mess with the time and space continuum, but also gets Eggman involved. Somehow he too is warped back in the past. Then, Shadow realizes no matter what just happened, the strand of time is now screwed up.

. . . and through it all, he's assisted by Frank the Rabbit?

[Professor Machenstein]

Hold on, wait. What if the reason we're controlling Shadow's past is because the game takes place in Shadow's past? Here's what should happen: after Sonic Heroes, somehow Shadow gets warped goes back into the past using Chaos Control. Not only does this event mess with the time and space continuum, but also gets Eggman involved. Somehow he too is warped back in the past. Then, Shadow realizes no matter what just happened, the strand of time is now screwed up.

. . . and through it all, he's assisted by Frank the Rabbit?

Yipes! Don't give Sonic Team any ideas of making anymore characters. They could be watching us. *Eyes shift* I WOLD SUR WUV A MIKE DA TOAD

[Spazz]

What's wrong with aliens? Were they not in Sonic CD too?

I dunno about aliens, but there were <i>supposedly</i> some UFOs or sumthin in Sonic 1.

[Professor Machenstein]

What's wrong with aliens? Were they not in Sonic CD too?

I dunno about aliens, but there were <i>supposedly</i> some UFOs or sumthin in Sonic 1.

You do know they can be seen in Wayne's World, right?

[chriscaffee]

I think he means the UFOs in the Sonic CD special stages.