Between jackin’ carz and smokin’ sum pigz, apparently Sonic Team USA couldn’t be bothered to correct their broken game engine that they’ve been recycling since Sonic Adventure 2. IGN gives Grand Theft Hedgehog a 4.7. I lol’d.
But look on the bright side! If you pre-ordered the game, you’d get a free Shadow the Hedgehog beanie!
A BEANIE =O
I’d rather just pay for the beanie tbh. Be much more worth while.
WHAT?!
So wait, does this mean there’s another reason Sonic games haven’t been doing so well lately besides the fact there’s no guns in them? Wow I bet there’s a few marketing execs scratching their heads a lot now!
Buy now: Shadow Beanie! [size=67](Bonus: Shadow the Hedgehog game included)[/size].
Meanwhile the traditional 2D Sonic Rush for DS was well received, IGN gave it a 9.0.
What the hell happened to Sega? I’m sure someone somewhere thinks it’s perfectly fine to release garbage if it means turning a profit…
Edit: Some of IGN’s points bother me, but I think it’s wise to wait for a few more reviews to enter the limelight before condemning the game completely.
sigh
I really, really wish I could speak candidly about things like this, but alas, I cannot.
To be honest, though, I feel bad for the marketing guys whenever I see comments like the ones above. Why is it people always assume it’s the marketing guys that make the decisions? Particularly on a franchise like Sonic/Shadow, where marketing guys are least likely to have any control over what happens?
Apologies on that Abadd, your point is well taken yet it’s unlikely to make me change my ways when the next opportunity for a cheap shot comes along.
‘Marketing Exec’ has effectively become a metaphor for a mentality, if anyone anywhere along the line has made a compromising decision based on an assumed market trend or demographic they can be branded a ‘marketing exec’.
Of course what constitutes a compromising decision will never be judgeable until it’s group or individual reception is seen. And in fact the idea for Shadow struck me as theoretically cool, but everything I had seen made it look just like a reactionary concept grafted onto a tired play system.
Oh, don’t worry… I understand why you said it. Like I said, I just feel bad for the chaps because, well, they aren’t always the ones who are responsible, but it seems like they are the most likely culprits.
But, I shouldn’t say any more on this subject 
I still be it sell millions. Naka and the Sonic Team USA must take the blame for this . Sonic Team USA for even thinking about this game(much less making it) and Naka for giving the go-ahead.
I felt the same about Sonic Fighters , this game goes against every thing SONIC stands for (ie no Violence). With any luck Sonic Team USA will stay well away from Sonic next Gen and that games will get the series back on track
I’m going to be a bit of a Sonic fanboy here. I feel the IGN review was a tad unfair, not only towards Shadow the Hedgehog, but towards the DC Sonic titles in general. I had absolutely no problem with the lock on or camera in SA1 or SA2, and generally found that those who did were only lacking the stuff (i.e. skill).
I’d like to point to the preview videos for Ninja Gaiden Black on IGN. A video called “we pwn 2 doppelganger Ryus” was basically a weak player using far too many elixirs, every drop of magic he had and basically spamming the same (flawed) attack AGAIN and AGAIN.
Also, saying that Shadow’s graphics are “Dreamcast like” is supposedly an insult. In truth, the Dreamcast graphics are still ****ing amazing. Even after playing the GC and Xbox, which have much better specs, the Dreamcast’s graphics are still extremely well utilised in many titles, and the cartoony world that Sonic’s universe is set in doesn’t really ask for much in terms of raw, graphical power. We do not want a “Lunatics” makeover for Sonic.
Ultimately, I’m going to say this. If Shadow the Hedgehog gives me 20+ levels of the Speed Run gameplay of Sonic Adventure 2, I will buy it. If it gives me 20+ levels of the buggy, boring and ultimately unfair level design of Sonic Heroes, then at the very best I’ll wait until I can buy it second hand for $20.
I might have to agree with Arcie on this after all. IGN shouldn’t be bashing all the loops and corkscrews in the game when they are exactly what fans have wanted all this time. Describing speed-based gameplay as outdated is also uncalled for.
Also… how are “Dreamcast-esque” graphics (in this game) a bad thing when even the almighty PS2 can’t handle them without struggling to keep up a constant frame rate?
I, too, agree with Arcie. Shadow the Hedgehog, from what I’ve seen, looks like a welcome return back to the “formula” of Sonic Adventure 2, but with new elements added to it. The levels where Shadow is riding upon the back of a dragon-like creature in the air (check out the screenshots on the web) remind me a bit of Panzer Dragoon, too.
Honestly, if you had trouble with the lock on system in Sonic Adventure 2, then you should probably not be playing video games, because SA2 ran incredibly fast paced and accurate, for me. I had absolutely no trouble attacking enemy after enemy and then jumping onto a rail. I found it to be one of the most technically demanding games, in some respects, and that brought me a lot of entertainment.
Indeed, the DC did also have quite good graphics. A lot of games made nowadays, I don’t see much improvement over the DC. And if that at all factored into their scoring of the game, then minus 10 integrity points for them, because the Dreamcast is more or less in the same “era” as systems like Xbox, PS2 and GC; it’s not like it’s a damn Sega Genesis.
I’m going to wait to try out Shadow the Hedgehog for myself and see what I think. I’ll most likely rent it sometime. It looks like a very fun action game that would be both fantastic and chaotic, and a few minor flaws, if any, probably won’t stop me from enjoying it.
That’s just me, though.
…well my opinions have been changed quick.
They’re not giving us really anything new…but I did indeed enjoy SA1 and 2 so why should I complain? As long as it’s better than Heroes…I think I’ll be ok with it.
Lock on and camera problems? Camera problems only really occured if you decided to run full pelt into a wall, then attempt to turn around, only to force the camera straight into a wall. Ok, it happened with some characters getting in the way as well, but very rarely. And I agree! Lock on was not a problem at all. They gave you a full chance to learn how to master it early on and many an oppurtunity to practice.
Well I’ve been converted…I’ll buy it. Perhaps.
i was lookign at this game in Argos today while i was n the security room, have no idea what the gameplay would be like, but in terms of the actual characters i’ve kinda lost touch witht he series
As arcie said about Sonic Heroesm i also think it was… not good to say the least. And so many Sonic Mega Collections, some of you may know i’me not a very big fan of re-releases.
Then again for all I know Shadow the Hedgehog could play amazingly, but it doesn’t seem like it could be good continuation to the series in my eyes, which i allways see as being left off from SA2
Well, I just returned home from Blockbuster, having rented Shadow the Hedgehog. I suppose I’ll see what I think in just a moment, now. 
A few levels into it, Shadow the Hedgehog seems to be a lot more entertaining than that review would let on. The controls are pretty easy, and very close to Sonic Adventure 2. Everything works pretty well. I haven’t had much of an issue, and the fact that you get to choose 3 different paths in each mission makes it rather interesting (good, evil, or for your own gain, etc.). Lots of fun. And quite a bit of cursing, too. Haha. It’s lots of fun, though.
Isn’t that all that really matters in the end?
I know it’s very easy to look uponthis game as a cynical cash in, but do you really think that anyone at Sonic Team set out to make an average game? Do you believe that all those developers and programmers slog their guts out to make something that’s just “ok”?
I’ve no doubt that the game was influenced in part by the current marketing trends. However, I’m also sure it isn’t a million miles away from what Sonic Team had envisioned in the first place, either.
I feel like qualifying something here, I didn’t even look at the IGN review yet, or any others for that matter. I consider ‘unfair’ reviews to be a given anymore, mainstream game reviews are always compromised by bogus ‘objectivity’ at this point, I’ve no doubt Shadow the Hedgehog was victimised in some way or another.
Since it’s necessary to read between the lines in both cases, once that technicality is dispensed with any old ‘biased’ opinion from some random gamer is likely to be more useful to judge a game by. In my case Sonic has never been entirely my kind of game anyway, so view my comments accordingly.
I wish Sega/THQ gave the amount of advertising to GUNSTAR FUTURE HEROES,a much worthier game IMO than Sega is giving to SHADOW. The advert(while cool) is all over the telly at the moment. The bigger crime of course is if this game does make a substantial impact on the game charts due to the advertising campaign where a much better game like GUNSTAR didn’t even make it to the top twenty.
As great as they are, Treasure games simply don’t do top-twenty kinds of sales. They are for a fairly specific (albeit loyal) crowd of gamers.
That being said, they sure do know how to make kick-ass 2D games. Man, they kick ass.