If the thing ain't broke, why fix it? Well, sometimes someone can make something work better by building a new model, I suppose. But past that, I see no reason middling with any kind of game formula. For many years, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has entertained time and time again, from adventures starting back on the Sega Genesis to the current Nintendo DS favorite Sonic Rush. True, his 3D endeavors aren't as appealing as the old-school ones, but at least they try to stay true to the nature of the series. The same cannot be said for Shadow the Hedgehog, the first spin-off in the series to emerge since the ill-fated Knuckles Chaotix for the 32X, released years ago and mostly forgotten except by the hardcore Chaos Emerald freak.

In the game, you take control of Shadow as he works his way around the tired city of Westopolis. He's suffering a little bit from amnesia and doesn't know what's going on with his past, but a major clue drops into play when invading aliens known as the Black Arms decide to pay a little visit. The head of the Black Arms, simply known as Black Doom, informs Shadow that he knows all about him, but wants him to play a little game involving the collection of Chaos Emeralds. Shadow, desperate to learn more about where he came from and who he is, accepts and begins his adventure.

Right away you can see that Sonic Team wanted to try and build a field of innovation around this dark character. The game basically gives you a meter that allows you to be a hero, erradicating Westopolis of this alien threat, or evil, wiping out everything and possibly revealing your dark nature. This helps lean the game's very little innovation and might inspire some players to persevere through each level, in the hopes of seeing one of the eleven endings scattered throughout the game.

The question is, will you have the patience to get through even one ending? Where Shadow innovates with its "hero meter", it seriously slumps with its gameplay. First up is the inclusion of gunplay, which many felt alienated the Sonic formula to begin with. It does fit with a character like Shadow, but the gun control is horrendous. You don't really have any sort of lock-on option, which means you're just shooting randomly and running the risk of getting hit with gunfire as a result. Furthermore, none of the weapons really innovate, and look like a collection of firearms you would find in a basic FPS. Where's the really cool design that Sonic Team could have used here? How about a Gravity Gun? A Cheese Gun? Anything!

Worse yet, Shadow himself has flimsy controls. He's going about on rocket skates for some reason, which means precision isn't entirely in his field either. This will come into play during some of the later levels in the game, when all you're trying to do is basic platforming and you keep hitting nothing but air. For once, this is a title where you can actually blame the game for not making your jumps instead of yourself. You can still bop enemies and have access to special moves once you fill up the "hero meter" either way, but they're mostly for show and don't serve any helpful purpose.

The game does offer some neat level layouts, including different types of gameplay. For one, you get to race around in slick, Tron-esque like cars that actually control real well and offer a bit of intensity. There's also a rail-shooter sequence that shows some promise, as well as some exciting chase scenarios. But the control problems pop up too often, and I can't help but think that the graphics could've been a bit better. The animation and speed feel a bit held back at times, and there are some level layouts that seem a bit clunky when you're not engaged in some thrilling activity. It seems like something that's been taken from the Sonic Heroes junkpile when all we needed is something new, you know? Worse yet, the camera hangs you up on too many spots and leads to unnecessary deaths. Better controls of that would've kindly been welcomed here.

Audio-wise, the game doesn't exactly score points. The voice acting tries to follow in a dramatic direction but fails to come anywhere close. Some of the sound effects are good but are mostly drowned out by the generic, tacked-on soundtrack, which lacks any real inspiration. This is a disappointment, especially considering that Sonic Rush, Sonic Team's other holiday offering for the DS, has one of the best soundtracks the series has seen in years. It's like comparing a Gibson guitar to a second-grade synthesizer.

The game does offer longevity with its eleven different endings and a two-player battle mode that will no doubt appeal to Sonic fans, but with so many things coming up short in development, I had no desire to really continue past a certain point. I think that point came when I missed the jump for the tenth time that I wanted to make in a later level or when I was playing against my friend Vic and we found ourselves yawning after our third battle, eager to get into Perfect Dark Zero instead.

Oh, poor Shadow the Hedgehog. Here was a guy deserving of a quality title for the holiday season and instead getting the short end of the development stick. The game has its moments but they're too buried beneath a bunch of crap. It's like looking for that cool decoder ring but having to eat through all your Veggie-O's to get to eat, and enduring its putrid flavor. Hardcore Sonic fans may want to give this a look, but everyone else should avoid it. This is one Shadow you don't need at five o'clock. Or any time.

Our Final ScoreBad

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