The hedgehog anti-hero is back, darker and angrier than ever…

There's a strange history to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Take the MegaDrive games for instance, set on Moebius, a planet inhabited almost entirely by walking, talking animals. They saw the titular super-cool blue hedgehog speeding through fields, ruins, mines and entire mechanised mazes in a dash to rescue his fluffy pals from enslavement at the hands of the planet's sole human, the megalomaniacal Doctor Robotnik.

Curiously, in the switch to three dimensions the Sonic series also left behind its setting. Re-imagined for the new millennium, it swapped the Green Hill Zone for the trendier overtones of Station Square, and a world where humans and animals live in harmony. In came a whole new cast of hero and anti-hero characters including the hedgehog's arch nemesis, Shadow, while Robotnik became know merely as "Eggman".

However, for all their new content, the Sonic Adventure games retained the series' hallmarks of searing speed and roller-coaster level design. Hardcore Sonic fans may not have liked the new gameworld, but with several 3D titles since then, there can be little doubt that Sega's Sonic reinvention has found fruit - even if it isn't the way we remember him.

And this is about as far from our fond, early 90's memories as it gets. Shadow the Hedgehog puts you in control of the original spiny speedster's darker half in a game that is very much the Yang to Sonic's Yin. Shadow is one speedy 'hog, but unlike Sonic, he doesn't actually run. He skates. And, like his outings in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, he can still spin dash, execute a jumping homing attack, grind along rails, and use the light speed dash that sees him fly through mid air along a trail of rings.

Yet while Shadow conforms to all the usual Sonic conventions, it also adds a whole host of new ones that take it even further away from the traditional idea of what a Sonic style game should be. While the hardcore may bemoan further slants on the formula, newer fans will simply be interested in the answer to the simpler question: is it any good?

The answer is neither a resounding yes, nor a damning no.

Those new features then. Top of the pile is the one emblazoned on the game's box art - you can now use guns, as well as a host of other increasingly more funny weaponry like glowing purple swords and, err, road signs. There's no denying it looks faintly ridiculous bounding around carrying a giant Speed Limit sign more than three times the hedgehog's height, but it doesn't half help clear the way in the midst of a screen packed full of enemies. Weapons may initially feel out of place in the Sonic universe, and their use does slow down progress between speedier sections, but they get more varied as the game continues and render a satisfying amount of destruction.

Who you choose to use them on is a different matter entirely. Do you side with the good guys, helping Sonic and the human soldiers? Do you decide to follow the orders of Black Doom, leader of the game's invading alien horde, and wipe out all human forces in exchange for answers to the mysteries of Shadow's amnesiac mind? Or do you simply blow away all who stand before you in a race for the end-of-level chaos emerald?

The game begins with this choice, allowing you to switch allegiances at the touch of a button, though that can make things confusing. For instance, with Sonic at your side you can still catch the human GUN Troopers with friendly fire, and so it takes a degree of concentration to stay on your chosen objective. Doing so though causes the story to branch, with choices made throughout the game leading to different levels and ultimately to different endings, so the resulting replay value is undoubtedly rewarding.

If it ain't fixed, don't fix it

Whether replaying the game will appeal is largely dependant on how much you enjoyed previous 3D Sonic outings, as Shadow the Hedgehog fails to fix outright any of Sonic's more noticeable flaws. Progress is still very linear, the camera still does what the heck it feels like from time to time, and there is some graphical glitching on occasion. At its worst you'll be simply holding the analogue stick up for long periods, pressing jump occasionally, and dying more often than not through no fault of your own. At its best though, you'll be scorching Shadow a trail through explosions, gunfire and flying scenery, and adjusting the camera manually with the second stick to grab rings, blast enemies and loop loops with reckless abandon.

The game's impressive sense of speed is achieved through a compromise with its graphics engine. It isn't the most detailed game on current consoles, and suffers the occasional bout of slowdown in busier environments, but it offers a choice of 50hz and 60hz settings, maxes out at a pretty nifty 60 frames per second, and boasts a colourful, vibrant game world with a host of spectacular set pieces.

It's tricky really to cite who Shadow is really aimed at. With a 12+ PEGI rating, it's possibly a little too gung-ho for younger gamers. Older players on the other hand will likely discount it outright on the basis of a tiresome "dark" story and cliché anti-hero main character. It is, in fairness, an attempt at street cred with the same cool-factor as the Simpsons episode featuring "Poochie", though the added action makes it slightly more tolerable.

Despite the story's nuances though, fans of Sonic's more recent 3D outings that are old enough to play Shadow may find it offers just enough of the same familiar high-speed action, combined with added gunplay and a much less gimmicky promise of replay value than Sonic Heroes. Tag on the Select Mode that lets you replay individual levels and a two-player Battle Mode, and you have yet another well-packaged release from the Sonic Team stable. It may not change the traditional opinions of long-time Sonic fans, but for the teen gamers of generation now, Shadow's angst-ridden adventure may be the perfect non-blue Sonic game.

GAME's Verdict

• Familiar, blisteringly fast Sonic-style gameplay.
• New weapons create a fresh way to play the usual Sonic experience.
• Branching story, Select and Battle Modes all add replay value.

• Tired "rebel tormented by dark past" storyline.
• Switching sides mid-game makes things confusing.
• Same old flaws: Linear gameplay, dodgy camera and graphical glitchiing.

Review by: Mark Scott
Version Tested: PS2
Review Published: 23.11.05