Shadow the Hedgehog - Sonic Was Always Good

UPDATE: Check out Shadow Reloaded. A cool mod that makes tons of improvements to the game. Link below.
Something I didn't mention is that the game separates Hero points and Dark points. And when doing a Hero or Dark mission, opposite alignment points detract from your final score. This encourages you to only attack the opposite faction enemies, adding just a little bit more variety to the game.
You know, I was genuinely planning to end the coin gag with this video. But with all you saying you wanted it to keep going, I figured I had to do something. But I thought it was time to evolve the joke a bit. And this is not its final form.
Hope this thumbnail doesn't cause me any trouble. It's too good of a joke to not. But I do have a backup ready if it does.
Here's a link to a spreadsheet I put together compiling all of my Sonic recommendations.
docs.google.co...
You can support me here if you want. ko-fi.com/pari...

[@SuperMSL]

I don't know if the game ever tells you this, but you can just press left or right on the d-pad to change what mission is selected without going into the pause menu.

[@Pariah6950]

Congratulations. You've done something few people can. You blew my mind with a Sonic fact I did not know.

[@slashy1622]

@@Pariah6950 gonna blow your mind even more. If you press down on the D-Pad you will disable all partner characters even in levels that do not have a neutral mission. IIRC There is special Shadow dialogue that only exists in this mode because the game still needs to instruct the player what to do at hint markers.

[@Pariah6950]

@@slashy1622 Damn. I knew about the Shadow solo dialogue, but not that D-pad thing. Ya got me.

[@redbananaboomerang3278]

I remember figuring that out as a kid when I owned the game and thought it was funny to rapidly change who was my partner

[@BlueBoboDoo100]

Another little-known fact about the game. Much like earlier Sonic games, if a second controller is plugged in, they can control the hero partner characters, but not Black Doom. My brother and I would switch to the hero mission but still work together to complete the dark mission tasks. Pretty funny to see Sonic attacking the G.U.N. soldiers then immediately blame Shadow for it. "Shadow, what are you doing?!"

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

I love how the thumbnail is just a gun. Literally says all it needs to. 🤣

[@LupinticDream]

It's nice to hear someone say something positive about this game's controls for once. I've always felt this game controlled better than Heroes, but I couldn't ever find the right words to explain why the controls feel better to me, and here you did so splendidly. Thanks for that.

[@PersTG]

Nice fujiko mine pfp

[@belitithd284]

RUPAN

[@jamainegardner4193]

Yeah I never really got the feeling that Shadow controlled anywhere near as bad as Heroes. With Heroes it felt like I was fighting just to keep the team in one straight line as the slightest twitch sent them from Seaside Hill to Albuquerque. Meanwhile in Shadow all the platforming challenges are perfectly doable, even in the tougher stages like Cosmic Fall and Lava Shelter.

[@epicness877]

Most things control better than heroes

[@e-tean-son4146]

They are fundamentally flawed but they aren't as bad as people say

[@meleeludens]

Glad to see someone else who loves this game as much as me! Could always use another Shadow fan; I mean, you know what they say, the more the merrier!

[@moonhead9282]

shadow fans unite

[@ShadowSaberBaroxio]

Shadow the Hedgehog could have been the perfect game with just a few small changes: First: After a cutscene where Shadow is informed of each mission, a dialogue box opens where you select your mission BEFORE the level plays. You won't be attacked by the faction you chose. Other mission objectives do not load in.This gives you more agency in where you decide to take Shadow's story and makes your mission simple. Second: Mission objectives are marked by each checkpoint, which changes color depending on whether everything between it and the last checkpoint is completed. Thus it's easy to know whether anything has been missed. There's also a map along with in-game dialogue whenever you get close to a mission objective. Third: The "Kill every single one of the opposing faction's forces" is altered. Rather than killing 100% of the enemies, there's a threshold you have to kill before reaching the end. Going out of your way to kill all 100% without wasting time backtracking gives you an automatic A rank. If you don't go out of your way to get every one of them, you can't get the A rank. And if you're forced to backtrack, you can't get the A rank either. So only those who want the A rank need to worry about plumbing the level for secrets. This also lets you hide final objectives in the secret doors - giving them an extra use. Chaos Control works like SA2's Mystic Light Speed Dash Attack, which lets you snap to each enemy and kill them in one hit, and once there are no more enemies, transitions into what it normally does for platforming sections. In return however, you lose infinite ammo in this mode. Also, it doesn't take you off the beaten path, so it can't find the hidden enemies you need for 100% A rank. Last: As you mentioned, once you've gone through a level, you can always choose to return to that level at any time, take a look at the secret cutscene, and then chose another mission instead. This cuts down on the amount of playthroughs tremendously, though. So after all of a level's missions have been unlocked, I'd let you play the level as either faction's side character (i.e. Sonic, Doom's Eye, etc.). Each side character would have unique attacks, so it'll be interesting to see them interact with everything. Who wouldn't want to see Maria kick the ass of an Artificial Chaos?

[@Pariah6950]

Lots of really good ideas here. This would be quite an improvement.

[@Hewasnumber1]

Small correction: most “defeat x amount of enemies” objectives don’t require you to take out ALL enemies, just most. Of course, there are exceptions, Westopolis and Lost Impact coming to mind first, but there’s occasions like Black Comet’s dark mission, where you only have to take out most enemies, not all. It’s still annoying if you really don’t like planning a perfect route, but I still thought it was worth pointing out.

[@chaironathursday59knuckles54]

you can actually have a second player play as the side characters if you plug in another controller and while they're not that different from shadow it does mean you can see maria kick the ass of an artificial chaos already

[@Breeze-III]

I literally agree with you on everything. This game gets overlooked because of Shadow's "edginess", but I still think it's a fun game. Definitely in my top 5.

[@epicgamingwithgeorge]

Same here

[@jinxyjangle]

I think the edginess isn’t that bad to be honest. Shadow has amnesia and only remembers the GUN soldiers killing Maria, which kinda explains why he’s like that in this game.

[@e-tean-son4146]

What about those how genuinly hate the game regarless of it's a Sonic game

[@Hewasnumber1]

@@e-tean-son4146Dude, why are you commenting under and watching so many Shadow The Hedgehog videos if you hate the game so badly? You have to be actively looking for these videos just to spread vitriol whenever anyone says anything remotely positive.

[@e-tean-son4146]

@@Hewasnumber1 copium, that's all :v

[@dragonlanceproductions6298]

I have inifinte respect for this man. Making a review that is so agenst the common opinion... and its a review of a sonic game? Like; regardless of what you think of this guy's opinion that takes a lot of guts nowadays.

[@Jbelnap510]

I don't remember them replacing the rings with [REDACTED] in this game, but I guess it does tie into the game's darker themes.

[@legoboy7107]

You mean replacing the coins with [REDACTED]. Rings are a Mario thing.

[@derekstryder2281]

@@legoboy7107 I thought Sonic's thing was Pepsi Cans?

[@legoboy7107]

@@derekstryder2281 Yeah, that's what I said.

[@RemnantCult]

I'd never thought I'd see a Shadow the Hedgehog Defender video in my life. I feel less insane for the very same take now.

[@WeeAddy]

I'm commenting before getting through the first minute, because you starting off - right away - with how people don't consider this mainline... THANKYOU. Like, how would it not be!? I never understood how people argue it's not. Just cos Sonic isn't the main character? LITERALLY follows SA2 and Heroes, and plays like a Sonic game - with weapons. Okay, watching the remaining 54mins now. You keep making me love this deep dive into every game, because for so long, fans are so torn - and you've been the closest to myself in someone who has liked every single entry, in some way, so far, even with their flaws. It's so refreshing. EDIT: Today I learned - Not using your Blast gives you the ability to run over the green goop!? THAT'S NUTS. Chaos Control gives you infinite ammo!? And lastly... All A rank gives a better version of the levels which is strictly Point A to Point B!? - I might, genuinely, have to 100% this game now for the first time.

[@legoboy7107]

Bit of a tangent, but the first thing you and Pariah said about whether Shadow is a mainline Sonic game reminds me how I feel the same way about Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. People always say that's not a mainline 2D Mario game or even a Mario game at all because...I guess just because Mario's not the main playable character (except that he's still one of the main characters who's always with you, and you even do get to play as him every now and then), and the fact that it ended up starting a Yoshi spin-off series sometime _after_ the game's release, or something? Can't really think of any other reason, because after playing all the classic 2D Mario games back to back in a single marathon, including Yoshi's Island after Super Mario World...mechanically the game is literally a 2D Mario game in almost every way, like it's literally the next evolution of 2D Mario after Super Mario World, minus the step backward with the world map thing. I was constantly seeing stuff from the previous 4 Mario games pop up again and again but evolved and more polished (particularly SMB3, there's a lot of Mario 3 elements in the game) and all integrated together in some really cool new ways, and all culminating in the best final Bowser fight in the whole series up to that point to boot. It even has a lot of things I see people long for in 2D Mario after the NSMB games like a more creative artstyle and actually trying all sorts of new and creative twists on the 2D Super Mario Bros. formula, as well as getting rid of a few conventions I hear people constantly ask to be gone like points and the timer. Heck, even though the NSMB games regressed on some of the evolutions Yoshi's Island brought to the table, they still take quite a lot from that game. The game was even initially subtitled Super Mario Bros. 5 in development, as the 2020 Nintendo gigaleak revealed, which is honestly a more accurate title than "Super Mario World 2," because that implies it's a sequel specifically to Super Mario World when it's not, it's just the next SMB game in general. And heck, it was part of the Super Mario Advance re-release series on the GBA as well, certainly seems like it was intended to be a main Mario game when it was made. So yeah, random tangent you probably don't care about, but I feel like Yoshi's Island is also in the same boat as Shadow The Hedgehog, it's just another example of this whole weird thing. This whole idea that "oh this game is not a mainline game because you don't actually literally play as this one main character" when that's essentially the only reason and the game is in every other way, mechanically or otherwise, blatantly the next game and evolution in a series just ticks me off. Just because one plays as a different character in one game doesn't automatically make it not part of the main series, especially when the typical main character like Sonic or Mario is still in the game in a relatively prominent role, it's what the rest of the game is like mechanically/narratively/otherwise that determines that, provided it's at least in the same universe. Why is the character you happen to play as apparently the most important deciding aspect of a game above all the other factors? Welp, I went for way too long writing a random KZbin comment AGAIN lol.

[@WeeAddy]

@@legoboy7107 I would wholeheartedly agree with you. If the title "Super Mario World 2" wasn't enough to canonise it clearly enough, I don't know what else does. I will say, though, that title always annoyed me because it never played or felt like the original SMW, but I always looked at it as "Yoshi's Island" first, as that's the more prominent title. And in that regard, my GOD it's such a fantastic game. Unrivalled in its own series (Yoshi, not Mario). Hell, Pokémon's even having it now with Legends Arceus - but it's absolutely a main series game. People really do get hung up on "It has to be EXACTLY the same mechanics" or playable character, cos I mean - other than guns - Shadow IS the same mechanics.

[@legoboy7107]

@@WeeAddy Oh yeah, the Super Mario World 2 title in particular can be kinda misleading, because yeah, outside of having Yoshi and taking place in Dinosaur Land, it's not really a sequel specifically to just Super Mario World and thus doesn't play exactly like that, which is why I think the development title of Super Mario Bros. 5: Yoshi's Island is much more fitting because that's a much more accurate description of the game. SMW2 implies it's specifically a sequel to SMW and thus should play mostly like and be derivative of that game specifically, while SMB5 rather depicts it as simply the next mainline 2D Super Mario Bros. game, the sequel to all 4 previous games that takes elements from all 4 games and evolves them, not just the ones from SMW specifically (like I said, if anything there's really a lot more SMB3 in Yoshi's Island than SMW), while also adding its own new additions and ideas and identity. So kinda it's own thing but in the same way all the previous SMB games were each kinda their own thing, while all still having the same overarching formula (with the possible exception of SMB2 USA but even that is still very SMB-styled so not really). It's not just more Super Mario World, it's Yoshi's Island, it's its own game, but it's still in every way a mainline SMB game and was intended to be as much. But when I hear people say "Oh it's not a mainline Mario game, the SMW2 name was just slapped on there to boost sales and that's it," that just annoys me, because that's not true at all, the fact that it was originally called SMB5 in development alone proves that (since I doubt that title was intended for release given that SMW didn't have the "SMB4" subtitle in the final release even though that game undeniably IS SMB4), let alone how much it takes and evolves from the previous 4 games and the influence it had on later games. But hey, if some people wanna write it off as not a Mario game even though it literally has some of the exact attributes I hear people ask for in 2D Mario after being sick of the NSMB games, then well that's on them, it's their loss for missing out on a fantastic 2D Mario game that has most of the same mechanics plus new ones of course but actually has its own identity too, something I see so many people complain about the lack of (and rightfully so) with modern 2D Mario.

[@MariKyuu]

Not *strictly*. Central City and The Doom will pull a sneaky on you, since they'll lack goal rings in Expert Mode

[@MistaRobinson03]

I love how well designed this video is , it’s more put together than bigger youtubers who claim to be sonic fans. Honestly this video brought back a lot of childhood memories and made me remember how much fun I actually had with this game before the internet ruined it for me. Not once in any other video have I heard somebody talk about how in boss fights Chaos Control stops time and i’m like I know Sonic X and adventure 2 fans have played this game how are y’all not interested by that ?? you can do chaos blast and chaos control in a game finally and nobody appreciates it. I really loved how you gave your honest opinion of this game and wasn’t afraid to admit you liked this game in some aspects and even gave it props of being a good game with good gamplay (bad level design at times) but still good gameplay. I don’t know if this was on anybody’s mind but the fact you can use Eggman Empire weapons is crazy! there’s military guns , black arms guns and eggman guns it’s wild nobody has appreciated the fact you can use a bazooka , pistol , etc designed towards whatever organization you’re helping making you feel like you’re apart of their army like the egg bazooka or black sword. Really great video please don’t stop making content 🙏🏾 you have my full support

[@ChaddyFantome]

I consider myself a ShadowTheHedgehog apologist and so going into this, I'm genuinely surprised by what you had to say because I think your takes on the gameplay are even more positive than MINE are. The only thing I could add is you neglected to mention how they added transparent rings for the light Dash to make it more consistent. As for the grinding, I think the reason they removed the balancing is because it was likely tied to what made rail switching finicky in the first place which is a shame. I wish they would find a way to reincorporate it rather than just giving up on it. Since that's pretty much all I have on that end, I'm just gonna talk abut my experience with the game. Back in the mid 2000s, I heard about the game from my cousin and I legitimately thought she was lying. That it was a joke. A few years later, an older relative would get it for us for Christmas because he was very much one of those "dudebro" types that liked "mature" games. Me and my siblings were in parts confused, shocks and intrigued and are minds were kinda shook by the very forced elements like the gun sound sin the menu and swears. But after a very short while that kind of fades into the background and you are left with what I felt was a different but solid game. I was surprised. It wasn't REALLY all that gratuitously or over the line as people made it out to be at all and the gameplay was an expansion of the kind of things I remember playing in heroes. Like you said, most people goo straight for neutral. That is what my siblings did and they were confused by how short the game is and thought that was it and Shadow was an Android. I'm certain that's the reason even TODAY there is confusion about it. Me personally I was something of a goodie two-shoes so I went pure hero on my first go. I played Chaotix missions so I was familiar with the gist of the missions enough I guess. What I didn't get until later was the multiple endings, which I didn't realize until I picked the game up again and saw the checkmarks where I did my pure hero run and my siblings did the Neutral. The game does a very poor job, more so than its missions, of communicating the means of getting to its last ending. When I first picked the game back up, I was confused and thought doing a new run of the game would delete my previous save. While the game isn't my fave, I had firmly been in the camp that the game was overly hated for what it was seen as rather than for what it is and I 100% get why, especially at the time it came out. Because even back then I still remember that , as silly as it sounds, this was considered controversial. words like "damn" and "hell" were seen as WAY more crass than now, and this entire wave of edgy games was seen as a sort of attack on what games were seen as for a while, so I and many others naturally felt like it was a sort of attack or infringement on sacred ground. I strongly believe this is at the heart of the games negative reception more than anything, and reviews by personality online seem to reassert this because often the complaints seem to focus more on it being "edgy" and "not a sonic game" rather than critical analysis of its mechanics and systems on their merits. Btw, Lost impact and The Doom sucks but I still very much love those levels on a conceptual level. Actually getting to go back before even SA2 and see Maria and Shadow hanging out on ARKL will always stay with me. Greatly enjoyed the video. Looking forward to what you have to say about the story, which if its going in to things I think it is, will surely be interesting. Its time to talk about the ramifications of Shadow's arc and people's perceptions of the character as a consequence.

[@Pariah6950]

I was going to mention the transparent ***** (gotta stick to the gag), but I still had plenty of finnicky lightspeed dashes. And they aren't really that huge of a deal. It's weird how this game was so criticized for getting "edgy", but Jak 2 did the exact same thing and people loved it. Especially when I think this game is way more fun than Jak 2. I think it really is mostly the stigma. Conceptually I like the flashback ARK levels. But boy, those layouts. I look forward to explaining what this game is actually about, since most people seem to either misunderstand or ignore it.

[@davidbeer5015]

“I look forward to explaining what this game is actually about” yessss. Insert Count Dooku.. “I have been looking forward to this.”

[@jamainegardner4193]

@@Pariah6950 They don't really help with glitchiness, the actual benefit of transparent lightspeed dash rings is so that you are able to redo the lightspeed dash later if needed (like if you had to go back through Glyphic Canyon to get the temple pieces you missed).

[@TheAlphazoneYT]

You articulated the precise reasons why I will always defend Shadow the hedgehog as one of my all time favorite Sonic games. Love your content. And you’ve just earned yourself a new subscriber.

[@igrantthee]

What I really appreciate in all ur reviews so far on the 3D games is how u still look back onto the translating the 2d games movements into 3D like how the developers in sa1 originally wanted. I never rlly looked at the aspect of the 3D games movements resembling the 2d movements but u rlly remind how fundamental it can be. Comparing ur reviews on the 3D games to others I’ve watched they most of the time don’t have that mindset of the movement resembling the 2d movements and only look at it as controlling like a regular 3D platform game and after watching ur reviews I definitely look at some of ur reviews as definitive. This also reminds me of just how good sonic robo blast 2 is (a sonic fan game idk if u heard of but is amazing) and how THAT game should’ve been how the translation of the 2d games to the 3D games should’ve been. U can even do that thing u talked abt when jumping with sonic in the 2d games and can kinda pull the control stick a little back to slow down his momentum when platforming. I luv that trick to and much prefer it over how other platformers control bcs of how engaging it is. It’s crazy how much that fan game resembles the 2d games but in 3D. Keep up the great work u rlly open my eyes on stuff I never thought and and I’ve been a big fan of this series since I was younger

[@Pariah6950]

Bruh, when I learned you could pull back when jumping in SRB2, I knew it was something special. I'll be doing a video on that at some point too.

[@radiokunio3738]

I always wonder if Sega could have managed something like SRB2 on Saturn, Honestly i think that would had saved the Saturn in America.

[@electroamp]

Dude, I absolutely love your ramblings as you put it because you're speaking your truth! Don't ever feel like what you're doing is unimportant! Expect a shout-out when I commence my work as well! Two peas in a pod!

[@f5203]

I have been recommended a couple of videos from you over time. This time, this one. Decided to check out your channel and saw that I had watched a couple of your videos already, I recognize them, but never knew exactly that you were the mastermind behind them. I really like how you have a relaxed (and slightly nerdy) tone and that the gameplay on screen compliments the commentary extremely well, just by looking at it. You're critical yet optimistic, with concrete thoughts and valid points you mention. Long story short: subscribed.

[@porygonlover322]

Genuinely, I think this is my favorite Sonic game. Something about it just tickles my brain right - maybe it's the general atmosphere and vibes, or how good the gunplay is, or just Shadow himself being one of my all-time favorite fictional characters - either way, I come back to it every couple years to get through to the Last Story again.

[@aarondoesyt3194]

It's actually really fun, don't get why it's hated so much

[@shufflebot9000]

How many people did it take complaining about you calling rings "coins" to make you just say fuck it and add the bleeps to become a thing lmaoo Cause that was the funniest thing ive experienced today n i love it😂😂😂💪🏾

[@beesree39]

listening really carefully I'm pretty sure he just kept saying rings and didn't catch it

[@shufflebot9000]

@ tbh I can see that lmao

[@KennytheHedgehog619]

Man how do you pump out so much high quality content every week? Ive been loving this series

[@ruskah0307]

I'm sure the simple (not bad though) editing and thumbnails help the bulk of work would have to be script writing, research, and gameplay would be the hardest parts of it all

[@RealAGuy]

@@ruskah0307 Pariah’s videos are unscripted, he stated that in another comment section.

[@ruskah0307]

@@RealAGuy huh, neat I'd almost say you're lying cus they feel coherent haha (I'm not saying you are though)

[@RealAGuy]

@@ruskah0307 He said it himself, it’s in one of the comments on the sonic heroes videos.

[@jamainegardner4193]

Maybe he recorded these months ahead of time and is only _uploading_ them weekly?

[@jeffbroadbent5072]

As a big Shadow the Hedgehog fan, I can say this is probably THE best video on the game ever made. I found myself nodding along the entire time. Great work.

[@WCircuit7224]

I love how I saw the thumbnail and immediately knew what it was 🤣

[@scenikeight]

Nice to see a video where someone is positive on this game for once! It seems like because 06's reputation has been redeemed somewhat in recent years, this one is now the go-to "worst Sonic game" for a lot of people. I think it's just the kind of game you have to be willing to learn how to play. And I guess some people find the tone of it offputting but I loved it unironically as a kid because I thought Shadow was so cool, and as an adult I think it's hilarious. Fun game with an absolutely batshit insane structure, I wish they'd do something this weird again

[@electroamp]

At this point, people are coming back because Sonic games always had FLAVOR. Even if the game isn't 'perfect' per se, whatever perfect is supposed to mean in the gaming industry, it still can be viewed as an interesting experience. People tend to latch onto random things and call games bad left and right, it's par for the course. I say we pay due respect to our history. This is history.

[@scenikeight]

​@@electroamp Totally agree. I love this era of Sonic for being so genuine and dedicated to whatever it decided to be. There's so many interesting ideas they threw at the wall during this time, some that work for most people, and some are more of an acquired taste. But it's all interesting and trying its best, and that's what matters to me, I'd rather take a game that's not great quality but has cool ideas over one that's really polished without much underneath.

[@RealAGuy]

This game is completely deranged but it had good ideas is a perfect summary of mid to late 2000s sonic games tbh.

[@Nic_2751]

@@scenikeight they quite literally, stuck to their guns

[@Jdudec367]

what do you mean by redeemed? 06 is still seen as one of the worst Sonic games...just because it "had potential" doesn't change what it is.

[@amphicyon4359]

Wonder if you'll look at the Advance games and Sonic Battle specifically. I think it gives a really nice cap off for the Shadow storyline by showing how a Shadow sure of who he is but still struggling with what his purpose for living should be finds that answer. I think it was a good choice to have him do so while interacting with Emerl who has a similar past to him.

[@anguset]

I doubt it unfortunately, cause the series seems to be in release order. He does mention it in the replies to the pinned comment on his Shadow story video, FWiW; but I’d watch the whole video first to get his view on Shadow’s arc in that game.

[@FinesseFather]

I have always LOVED this game. My mom got me for this after I enjoyed SA2 so much

[@saudade347]

I've just begun to play Shadow The Hedgehog and I have to agree with this video, really underrated, overhated game. It's an easy target due to its tone, but that's just sad.

[@AFeralTrout420]

Shadow using guns is actually a real cool concept. It could tie in with the fact he has amnesia and can't remember how to use Chaos Control, Spear, or Blast so instead he uses guns for a while until he learns how to use his Chaos powers again.

[@fernandaps2]

I think people's complain of having to play the game 10 times only makes sense if they don't like the game on a basic level to begin with so them forcing themselves to get the true ending will of course make them hate the game lol

[@Pariah6950]

True. But at that point, having to play 10 times is hardly the issue. You just don't like playing the game lol.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

got mocked in a DQ group for wanting to watch a lets play of DQ VI since I didn't enjoy playing the game. this argument has weight to it. I didn't enjoy the alternate map gimmick or how it handled jobs in comparison to DQIII but they kept pestering me and acting like it got better. it doesn't "Get better", if having to memorize two different worlds "gets better" its only because you're so far in the game that exploring them is hardly needed for the plot anymore, at that point don't even have the gimmick if it doesn't connect with the player like ALTTP's Dark world does. but no, "not liking it" wasn't a good enough reason for those psychos.

[@Jdudec367]

it's just the game being too repetitive to go through it 10 times...it's just bad game design.

[@jamainegardner4193]

@@Jdudec367 More repetitive than Heroes though? at least in Shadow there's only one level you have to do ten times and it takes 5 minutes at the most and 1 minute 30 at the least.

[@jamainegardner4193]

@@Jdudec367 More repetitive than Heroes though? at least in Shadow there's only one level you have to do ten times and it takes 5 minutes at the most and 1 minute 30 at the least.

[@grahamjhallaudio8198]

You never fail to intrigue me with your positive true say and perspectives. Bless up

[@KiddKyle67]

Great video, love how you mentioned timing the chaos powers to your advantage. I actually like the grinding. I think the uncapped speed is a good risk and reward system because the faster it goes the less time you have to switch rails and avoid obstacles. While trying to balance was never that fun or exciting to me

[@sanglish18]

I find the physics change in this game to be a good thing and a bad thing, while it certainly made the control look and feel less broken by not being able to turn instantly at any direction, it also removed the precision and complexity of previous games. So I think people who like the movement of StH are generally more casual players who probably suffered a lot when doing turns in previous games, but as someone who has no problem with that because I actually know how to use an analog stick to precisely maneuver a character (it's agonizing to see a lot of players controlling the stick as if it where a D-Pad, only moving forward or in 45 degrees, not really doing smooth and small movements in-between, partially because modern games already does that automatically, but back then you really had to be precise, which is why people claim games like Super Mario 64 feels clunky and slippery when it's actually just a matter of knowing how to use sensitivity of an analog stick), for me StH feels an extreme downgrade *because* it made easier to casual players to do turns without bumping on the walls, but the biggest problem comes from the aerial turning speed, which can make the player fall a lot when homing attack not aim correctly, in Sonic Heroes you could miss the homing attack but if you were high enough you could go back to the platform and not fall in the abyss, but in StH is almost impossible to save yourself due to the turning speed being limited. Everyone who talks about this game always points out the presentation, terrible script and storytelling more than anything else, which I think it's perfectly valid, since you barely mentioned the story, the thing that the gameplay is envolved around, I suppose you'll make a Part 2 on that aspect, right? Honestly, I've never seen anyone praising so much on the game, StH is one of my least favorites but I might as well continue my A-Ranking progress after watching this video, I pretty much dropped because of maze levels like Lost Impact that are god awful, frequent waiting segments that breaks the passing more frequently than on-rail segments of Shooting levels in SA2, and pretty much just "running forward" segments in extremely repetitive scenarios that I haven't really found that fun.

[@charleschamp9826]

The good thing about the keys is that once you collect them all once and complete the level you don't have to collect them in that one level again. It will just save the keys. So that door is just open on all future playthroughs.

[@jamainegardner4193]

Don't even need to get all the keys in one run, either.

[@rodrigocastilho6644]

I am loving this series so far!

[@Hyp3rSonic]

PEAK thumbnail!

[@ponqo2894]

The fact that this game acknowledges Billy Hatcher via the egg vacuum gun makes me very happy

[@ponqo2894]

Also, they're called COINS sweaty look it up

[@sh21dow]

Man i really do appreciate how well made those videos are

[@NotlM]

Something interesting about Lost Impact is that there is actually a map on the walls of some rooms that show a general layout and tell you exactly where you are, which I remember using when I played years ago and found them to be surprisingly useful. Since it's just a green thing on the walls, most people don't notice and just think it's a meaningless texture.

[@runningoncylinders3829]

This game plays like butter, and you can obliterate enemies. Since I enjoyed most of the stages, I actually have mostly positive memories of the game.

[@EXFalchion]

I recently found your channel and these videos are great, they actually discuss the ins-and-outs of mechanics and features instead of just “controls clinky game different.” They’re very interesting to me, especially since you’re analyzing my childhood games. Great stuff. One of my favorite things about this game is the aesthetic of most of the levels, where there’s a conflict going on between 2 sides and you’re stepping in to choose a side. For example, it feels like there’s a war going on in Westopolis, Sky Troops, Cosmic Fall is one of my favorite levels conceptually since it’s just the ARK falling apart, etc., really makes the level feel alive. My biggest problem is just how tedious and unfun a good chunk of the missions are but otherwise I think the game is cool

[@zylorixx810]

This video made me want to replay Shadow Speciallt after the shadow generations announcement

[@scattershot1178]

Absolutely loved this game as a kid and played it to death. Re-played it again recently and it was just as good as I remembered it being 15yrs ago. This game is absolutely brilliant and I will defend its honour until my final day 🤣 I think some people (fans and critics) just saw Shadow with a gun and decided that based on that gimmick alone, that the game just HAD to be bad and wouldn't give it a chance or went in with negative opinions and religiously stuck to them. Btw THANK YOU for making that point about the gameplay supposedly being repetitive. I never felt aggrieved by going back to levels multiple times. Whenever people complain about it being repetitive I ALWAYS point to Sonic Heroes! You essentially play every themed area 8 times and those levels are usually MUCH longer too.

[@Etrodecim]

I'm just binge watching your content at this point. I've played this game so many times growing up,This is by far the most fun and best feeling Sonic game. the controls are really good and fun, tbh I feel it's the only adventure style game that aged well. I go back to SA1 & SA2 and they feel very dated while Shadow still feels great to play.

[@4zumarill]

14:19 For the Mech Walker vehicle, to make it easier to platform with, it's actually able to hover if you press and hold the jump button in mid-air! Sorta like Gamma or the SA2 mechs!

[@jamainegardner4193]

Yeah but the hover is so bad you're better off not even using it.

[@BlueRainbow101]

It's a shame Lost Impact is so eh as a level cause it's got one of my favorite tracks in the series. Also very fitting to have "coins" censored out in a Shadow vid lol.

[@Shadowsmoke11]

Regarding mission select during stages 29:01 . You can press Left and Right on the D-pad in order to quick select between Hero, Dark and Neutral mission.

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

"Shadow using guns is dumb" is dumb. Oh no way, the military bioweapon that is Shadow can use military equipment and guns, I can't believe this it makes no sense edgy cringe am I right😲😲 It makes perfect sense.

[@GilliganTF2]

As a kid i always thought that the keys gave you something ultra cool like i dunno, concept art, maybe some cool bonus or so, but knowing that the keys are literally useless really surpriced me

[@xamp_exclammark]

The slow homing attack in this game imo is much less offputting than something like having to button mash over that pit in Metal Harbor

[@KittyKatty999]

I *FINALLY FOUND A POSITIVE REVIEW!!* WOW!! I thought I was the only one that loved the game growing up! I even played it before any other 3D Sonic game. XD

[@Lazypackmule]

The progression system would be unironically fantastic if instead of weird hyper-specific missions, it was combined with another of the series' big undercooked mechanics- CD's time travel Imagine a game where how you influence the timeline affects the levels and endings you get

[@TheShadowReviewer]

Quite a few things wrong with this video, a few I'll mention are; the G.U.N commander tells his troops that regardless of helping in westopolis kill shadow on site and the other is "you don't want to finish a level quickly" with the context about chaos control...do you mean use it smartly? As in if it's a kill X amount of enemies mission dont use it to skip ahead and miss then? That's what I have to gather as what you say makes no sense in reference to missions just the levels you wouldn't want to finish quickly

[@callinater6133]

'This blue sky...staring at it from afar. Have I seen it before?' -Shadow the Hedgehog, 2005 Pure poetry.

[@danielgarciaescudero2862]

I have to thank this guy a lot for this video. I have always been a huge Sonic fan, but always avoided this game due to its reputation. I played some time ago, a couple of playthroughs, and completed it, and had a blast. I believe its presentation and story is undoubtedly badly crafted, but I gave it a chance and there's a lot of nobility on its design that make it work for me, there's a lot to enjoy.

[@gregtom3272]

yo really knock it out of the park with a lot of retro perspectives man , keep up good work also have you watched a video made by "golden bolt" channel , it's about the true stories behind how sonic games become the way they are in 2000s , and may be you would be baffled by a lot of what were going on at sega at these , don't forget to check out that video , it's very informative

[@ibitejawbreakers61]

Wow, thank you for this review! It's not my favorite 3D Sonic game, but it is the game I end up playing most often because it's fun to just sit down and run a few levels every once in a while.

[@KHWL2024]

i love your reviews, straight to the point and informative

[@dreamsyntax]

On your segment about the rail grinding, in our experiments hacking the game we found there is unused leaning animations for rails. Presumably they would interpolate and have the balance mechanic like in Heroes. It's a shame they didn't implement it in the final game.

[@DonutSwordsman]

I'm glad you made this. People out here being soft on 06 but not this very decent game

[@kinggalactix]

I am quite glad to see you reviewing this game and every other game. You are shedding quite a lot of light on these wonderful games with their gameplay, story, visuals, etc. I cant wait for the Unleashed review, Sonic's magnum opus.

[@Bardock267]

I'll be honest, my first time playing thru Shadow's game, starting out, I was all for wanting to go guns blazing and rip thru either GUN Troopers or Black Arms instead of just going for the exit, I was raised on the various James Bond FPS games of the time so having a Sonic game where Shadow harnesses his inner Doomguy is something I was all for when I finally heard about it. There's a satisfying feeling of just unloading shots when you're at full meter in a whole room of a single type of enemy, which actually also can boost your meter and keep you in your Hero/Dark invincibility mode for longer. My first playthru was neutral for one or two stages before letting loose and going full evil. Didn't help that I had recently played Goldeneye Rouge Agent a couple of years prior and was thourghly disappointed in it's take on a game where you can "be the badguy". I think one thing that would have made this game's "Kill X Enemies" missions better would be if they kept the radar from the previous builds of the game or some kinda onscreen destination marker that points you to the next nearby target (Think Spider-Man 2's movie game). Only stage I personally think is the pits is Central City tbh. A radar or map would have been especially useful there.

[@jamainegardner4193]

I was gonna say a minimap like in Ratchet and Clank would work wonders.

[@Xanderoni]

I was the opposite, I thought you had to take out all the enemies of one faction in each level. Idk how you couldn't notice the mission structure of the game...

[@aleph6566]

Thank you so much for making this video, this has always been one of my favorite sonic games and ive always felt alone in how much i love it as its really easy to make fun of. This game is just full of really fun creative levels with one of the most underrated soundtracks ever, i feel like shadows reputation as this edgy stereotype has really ruined how interesting his character actually is. I played this game a lot when I was a kid and even though im 20 now I still genuinely enjoy it. Ive recently been replaying it and decided to do 100% completion and its been a blast even if there is some annoying parts, also i discovered that the d pad changes your mission type like the other commenter mentioned and it blew my fucking mind. One of the things you didnt touch on is the story which I thought was actually pretty interesting, it expands on SA2s lore which black doom injects his blood into shadow to create the ultimate lifeform, with Gerald Robotnik promising him the chaos emeralds in return, and now black doom is back and wants his emeralds to take over the planet to use humans as a food source. Also there's a 2 player vs mode which is pretty wild

[@toongrowner1]

saw this game constantly on our local flee market and a few months ago decided to give the game a try to see if it's as bad as people say... I was legit surprised how sollid the gameplay was. It really felt like adventure and heroes BUT WAY IMPROVED! Even the guns where actually kinda fun to use. There where a lot of levels I liked and the story while extremly edgy was still quiet decent. Honestly the biggest flaw I would say are that you basicly have to play the game 10 times for the true ending. That you can play only certain levels on certain routes (Like you can't have the spooky castle and the casion level on one run) and the jump mech. But overall, yeah, I'd argue It's a pretty good game. And glad to see I'm not alone with that. Also funny thing, I had a similar experience with sonic unleashed, where I constantly saw it in our local store till I decided to finally buy it XD guess sometimes you do have to try things for yourself.

[@AllardRT]

You know, I'm always baffled by the "guns are stupid" complaint because... well, Ratchet and Clank exists.

[@themissingbits6375]

I dont know This Series very well but the guns are more cartoonish in rachet and clank. But in Shadow the hedgehog they are just guns

[@AllardRT]

@@themissingbits6375 Just the ones that are used by GUN who are meant to be normal human military. Compare and contrast Eggman and Black Arms. Another example of 3D platformers with guns would be Jak and Daxter.

[@themissingbits6375]

@@AllardRT Yeah good point. But i always wonderd that when Eggman is Holding a gun people are like “Omg Eggman is Holding a gun on Amy it awesome” but when they gave one to Shadow people are like “Remove his pistol RIGHT NOW! His kind is not allowed to use guns”

[@Brabbs]

​​@@themissingbits6375he had a ray in the OVA, but bro straight up pulled a 9 in the IDW comics

[@Vadim_Slastihin]

​@@AllardRTto be honest Jack 2 renegade was even edgier than Shadow the hedgehog.

[@prestigeblue]

2:01-2:25 Why does Sonic keep up with Shadow here better than your teammates in Heroes.

[@StylusShade]

29:44 What they also should've done was put only the time slowing Chaos Control version that comes up during boss fights on the hero gauge. That makes more sense, because good people tend to be more meticulous with their fighting in order to hurt as few innocents as possible. And it would contrast with Chaos Blast just destroying everything indiscriminately. Missed opportunity.

[@TheRealMightyEmperor]

It's not often I hear someone praise Shadow over SA1 and SA2. Whilst I like the game plenty myself, I still place those two above it. To me Shadow controls slippery in this game so it was interesting to hear your thoughts on it. In fact it was interesting to watch this entire video, even though I disagree with some of your points I agree the game is underrated overall.

[@kidsonblackops]

This was not just my first sonic game, but my first video game. Thanks for having nice things to say about a game I've always loved despite it all.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I agree this game isn’t terrible and personally I liked shadow the hedgehog game it was tons of fun.

[@rainopaino]

Yeah, I don't like this game. But it's honestly pretty cool seeing a different perspective from you since I only ever see people trash talk this game and I honest to god never thought someone would like this game's Spindash but honestly, I can just say people are probably spoiled by the Adventure games Spindash. There's no defending 06's Spindash though since you can't even fucking attack with it or jump out if it. They somehow managed to make a Spindash worse than CD's one which I didn't think was possible.

[@davidbeer5015]

I found it fascinating watching him use spindash in this, because I don't always think of it in this game, and the way he used it was fantastic and blew my mind. Now I need to learn how to incorporate it myself

[@joshhacker8503]

I have such a love/hate feeling for this game. I can see the good and the bad. The fact that I had a strategy guide helped me during my initial playtrhough, but I wont deny there are parts I still found annoying. I've said it to death, an I'll keep on saying it. The splitting story would have been perfect for a star wars game, and I wish they would have copied Shadow in that regard. I know some argue against the branching story because it can feel like a waste of time. I personally don't mind it. It makes me think of "what if" stories in comics.

[@aarondoesyt3194]

This deserves way more views, too many people watch popular KZbinrs reviews on this game, where they just bash it for whatever reason, which seems to form their opinion on it

[@davidbeer5015]

Man, Lethal Highway was a great level to showcase your speed level/control comments. I’ve been playing through it periodically recently, and yeah, the gun play honestly doesn’t feel too bad? Like, the auto aim/camera control can be tricky, but it flows smoothly like you say, and I find I still use the homing attack a bit more? (And of all characters, it works) Censoring “rings” got a chuckle out of me. Agreed, rails felt pretty good, though good point about the balancing (i laugh, I skipped a chunk of rail right before the goal ring in Space Gadget like you can in Final Rush in SA2. That was fun). Yeah, that’s a drawback of the chaos powers. **Fun fact, pressing (or double pressing?) the spindash button can drop you out of the chaos control leap so you don’t have to run the full jump. Unfortunately, it’s not made clear you can do that. Yeah, I’d the first playthrough is typically the neutral, i think. And amusingly, that’s the “I’m an android like Heroes suggested I am” plotline. Fair critique on the clarity of the there being missions. I kinda wish the Last Story was a full run as opposed to just the final sequence. You can also use the directional pad without pausing to change the mission. I do enjoy this game when I play it. It has some issues that you pointed out, but personally, I can’t help but enjoy it when I play (and I admittedly enjoy chunks of the story as well). And so this is a really cool video. 👍🏼 well done. I liked hearing about your takes on the missions varying gameplay, and then Expert Mode and Time Attack (honestly never tried that mode or unlocked expert yet, but that’s a goal now). I hope they revisit these 3d titles or bring them into more accessibility like they tried with colours Ultimate and now Origins. Will you do a “Story of Shadow the Hedgehog” as well?

[@LupinticDream]

That skip in Space Gadget was so satisfying to do when I was replaying this game a few weeks ago. I was running low on time in the race against Sonic, but then that saved me. Would've loved it if the game had more moments like that.

[@davidbeer5015]

Chaos Control was really handy in that one and put me not too far off, so I think I had like…a minute or 2 to spare?

[@TensuKawakab]

When I first played this game as a kid I literally TRIED to do the hero missions on my first playthrough and just couldn't find the remaining enemies or was too slow or missed the objective and ended up going all neutral/reach the goal on my first playthrough.

[@TensuKawakab]

Also while I don't care about the guns as well. I think they could've changed the guns into chaos spear and give Shadow an energy gauge like they did for Sonic's boost. Because I definitely was disappointed I couldn't use chaos spear in this game about Shadow.

[@davidsterling7570]

I've lost countless hours to this game from mindlessly defending it, to accepting its flaws, to dreaming of what could be, to The in-progress-but-functional Shadow: Reloaded mod! It tweaks the physics so that you have a bit more top speed control, homing attacks are more direct resulting in fewer swerves, strafing-mode is faster, some mission requirements are lightened, cars are faster, etc. I wanna see more people play so the author'll be encouraged to finish it.

[@okiamjay]

homie has ring censored

[@RobertEscobar02]

Bro censoring “Rings” is hilarious 😂

[@Gabriel-cq3cq]

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this series, mainly because you seemed a little too critical of the games, but the more I watched your videos the more I enjoyed them. I can tell that you do care about these games, and while you only really like my favorite game partially, that game being sonic adventure. I have come to seriously respect you and your work.

[@TomasioTV]

In "The Doom" and "Lost Impact", there are screens of maps displayed across the levels. That's why these levels are made like mazes, because of the maps you could find. That's also why they re-used the assets. You can find them in the bigger rooms where there are elevators. Your current location, if I recall, is displayed in orange.

[@jamainegardner4193]

And it's so unintelligible that noone can even read hem properly.

[@VampireA1056]

Thank god there are people other than me who see the greatness in this game.

[@backslash_bks]

I think I may be in the minority that not only reads game manuals before playing but actually enjoys doing so

[@radiokunio3738]

The joke where you censor coins had the perfect slow burn, where i was confused at first and lost it once it got the joke.

[@SEAWORRIER]

This might be the only positive review of Shadow's mechanics and gameplay on all of KZbin. A wholly original perspective. And, in all honestly, I played this game to the last story as a kid and enjoyed it so it's nice to see someone have a more thought-out take on why it's not one of the worst games ever made, lol.

[@N0rlight]

Hence why I enjoy watching his series. He gives genuine opinions that makes sense and also stands out from everything before. I like thus youtuber.

[@greenhillnerdnew8148]

thx for dropping the dolphin link in the description for the setup, thats awesome

[@deuza_a_la_prod]

Hello. Great vidéo. If you love this game, you MUST know that @dreamsyntax made a "mod" of this game : shadow the hedgehog reloaded. It IS the same game but with slighty better control, better level Access, best expert mode. It give you the jump dash toi if you dont want homming attack. Mission are better Balance. It IS just a best version of the original game. You MUST try it absolutly. Also, i will shared in a few day a character pack for this game. Winch it, you Can play as all the Partner character as player 1 : Sonic, Amy, knucles etc... Continue the good Work.

[@JAM609]

I was never allowed to play this game as a kid so I’m finally playing it 19 years later. And honestly, I don’t hate it. Some missions take me 40 minutes. The kill 35 artificial chaos took me an hour. I don’t like getting shot by things the camera won’t show me. The homing attack has killed me a dozen times. Someone said “and if you accidentally kill the wrong enemy you have to restart for the mission you want” and that’s not true. You can kill 99% of either faction but the mission only completes on the final one. I like how you can jump all the way diagonal on the routes. I’m on the 5th play through and I’m actually still liking the game.

[@mikdan8813]

Never could understand the hate against this game.

[@SanicConnoisseur_91]

MY PRAYERS 8:45 MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED This might be your best video yet Anything is better than the over used unfunny joke Thank you

[@neversobertv9720]

FINALLY somebody said what I’ve been thinking for FUCKING YEARS

[@haoujudai]

Shadow the Hedgehog had the best streamlined controls pre-boost era.

[@BigGreen945]

Definitely is a mainline Sonic game. It is a direct continuation to the story of SA2. I'd go as far as to say that storywise, this game is SA3.

[@alexandrpeterberg390]

When I got to this video I was like, oh boy this game. But I am surprised to hear that Shadow the Hedgehog isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Well, obviously it's pretty good from a gameplay and time-attacking perspective. But I imagine it's a different story when it comes to story perspective. Edit: Nevermind. I just watched the Story of Shadow the Hedgehog and the story is surprisingly decent too.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Man, I love this game, like it's a top-3 game of all time for me. But you're more positive about it then even I am. Wild.

[@EthanGrantC]

I had a very similar experience with this game. I started playing it as a joke with my friends, but then I ended up really enjoying it. It feels like they took the Sonic Adventure games and removed the over 2/3rds that I don't enjoy playing, leaving it with just a fun fast game.

[@DJoka10001]

Honestly i always like to think of it as this version of Shadow is an actual Android and its programming has it going through a mid life crisis similar to Metal Sonic in Heroes, accept its splitting scenarios sequences with other Shadow Androids to best eliminate its targets in a blind rampage to find out who or what it is. I believe this would explain the multiple endings, the random weapons savey and departure from the real Shadow's true personality a little bit better imho.

[@DannyBenS94]

This isn't the first time I've seen someone defend Shadow The Hedgehog that wasn't me lol but this is the first time I've seen someone go this in-depth with why they defend the game overall. This is a really great video and I definitely agree with you on a lot of points. Not all, but most. It's very refreshing to see a KZbinr who defends this game, cause even some of the biggest Sonic defenders will still crap on this game. Everyone has a right to their own opinions of course, but it feels like so many people act like it's just not possible to say good things about this game other than the music and stuff like that and they act like there's something absolutely wrong with you if you don't hate this game. I made a video a little while back where I defended the idea of Shadow The Hedgehog, cause I don't think it's the end of the world for a Sonic character to use weapons such as guns. Sonic himself? Yeah, that'd be a little out of character, but for someone like Shadow, that's not a bad idea. Using realistic guns is goofy for not very realistic characters, unless it's meant to be comedic like Conker, but using guns similar to what you'd see in something like Ratchet & Clank would not be a bad idea. Shadow is not Sonic, so Shadow doesn't have to play exactly like Sonic, but as you pointed out, it can be one of the best Sonic games, depending on how you play it. This is definitely my favorite 3D Sonic spin-off (if you consider it a spin-off).

[@jangofett7593]

I'm not able to consider it my favourite spin-off because Sonic Riders and Sonic the Fighters exist, but I still think this game is amazing and not as bad as people say it is.

[@V-Studios2]

thumbnail is a perfext representation of the game. Also, should i get this game for dolphin? i hated heroes, but is this worth it?

[@FamousAaron99]

Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't a bad game. It was just different like how every spinoff/sequel is and should be, It's a game unique to itself.

[@asciiangel7583]

finally speaking big facts .. i like shadow bc they finally sat down n focused on the 1 gameplay style. i think that is mistake that in defending the adventure games ppl feel like they have 2 defend 20 different gameplay styles that don’t rly fit as well as the core

[@OneDoomedAngelo]

Back in the day I wanted to take every single path possible, I think there's almost 400 of them but ultimately I stopped at around 250. Wished I still had the game because I'd love to continue this today, this is actually one of my favourite games ever, despite its flaws. All these Gamecube-era Sonic games were really fun.

[@phorchybug3286]

Yeah. Shadow's alright.