Shadow the Hedgehog

I always have a soft spot for games that people generally wouldn't like. For example, I love Sonic 06 because of how stupidly fun it can get just by abusing the glitches and exploiting them to make fun things happen, like using the Purple Gem as Sonic and seeing if you can skip an entire level with the infinite jumping ability; or using the Sky Blue Gem to launch yourself high into the air and get over invisible walls, or even skip huge chunks of levels (Like Sonic's White Acropolis). It's just a lot of fun to me, and Shadow the Hedgehog is no different. The difference is that Shadow isn't a buggy mess like Sonic 06 is.

Shadow the Hedgehog, for those unaware, was created from a fan suggestion of making a game where Sonic uses a gun. They gave the role to Shadow, as they believed that Sonic couldn't and shouldn't ever use guns. As for everything else with this game, well.. I have a soft spot for games that have branching paths that utilize a choice/morality system. Nearly every stage has 3 missions for you to do, and the one you choose to complete will send you to another level based on what choice you make. There are a few exceptions to this. Every final stage (stage 6) has no Neutral mission. You can only do Hero or Dark, and the choice takes you to a different boss. As for the remaining 15 stages you'll randomly reach during your multiple paths, only "The Ark" lacks a Hero mission, while "Lost Impact" lacks a Dark mission.

Despite how "edgy" they make Shadow look, and his overuse of saying "Damn" quite often, it's still a rather enjoyable game. The music is, of course, wonderful, and the stages, even the dark and depressing ones, still feel full of life because of everything happening in each level, not to mention your involvement. Like.. you're pretty much always active or always doing something while in each stage.

All in all, though, this game is a lot of fun, but it's also a completionist's nightmare, with 5 special keys to find in each level, and 326 unique path combinations. So if you REALLY want to say you've completed this game, you have to beat the game and get the Last Story beaten as well. You have to get A Ranks on every stage and complete Expert Mode. And then you have to collect all of the special keys and do every single path combination. This is something I'm working towards in 2017 and boy am I going to be in for a tough ride!

As always, thanks so much for reading, as always, I appreciate very moment you spend here. Make sure you stay warm as the weather gets progressively colder! I will see you later! :D