Sometimes, when a particular brand doesn't follow the traditional path, the result can be surprising. There's the good kind of surprise, like when Mario strayed from the side-scrolling adventure path to star in such games as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis, and then there's the bad kind of surprise, games that leave you scratching your head as to what the idea was...like, say, Yoshi's Safari for the SNES. Sonic Team has stayed on the straight and narrow for the most part with their Sonic the Hedgehog games, although, on occasion, they've gone off the beaten path with such offbeat efforts as Sonic Spinball and Knuckles Chaotix. Now they're on that way again, as they shift the focus away from the blue hedgehog and instead take a closer look at his nemesis.

Sonic Adventure 3: Shadow the Hedgehog isn't entirely straying off the path, as it looks to be a general action/adventure game that the Sonic Adventure series is known for. However, a new element is coming into the mix that will make it a rather interesting addition- gunplay. Shadow's able to pack plenty of up-close attacks all his own, like a spin attack or the ability to pounce on enemies, and he also has speed to his advantage. However, his gun makes him even deadlier, allowing him to shoot enemies from a distance and get a bead on larger groups.

Whether this will be a liked addition or not has yet to be seen. When the first trailer for this title was revealed last week at the Game Developers Conference, reactions were mixed, to say the least. Many liked the new twist, feeling that it reflected the kind of cartoony violence that the Ratchet and Clank games are known for. On the other hand, many fans found themselves confused as to why a gun element needed to be added, when the formula was working fine the way it was.

But at least Sonic Team's trying something with a twist, and early appearances of the game show that the action is just as fast as it ever was, with huge, eye-popping levels to explore and plenty to find. I'm sure the Chaos will also find their way into the game...perhaps even with the kind of dark ego that the main hero embraces so much. We'll have to find out in a couple of months at E3, when we'll more than likely get some hands-on time with the game and see how it fits together.

In the meantime, sure, you can have your skepticism, but this game could very well be a diamond in the rough if Yuji Naka and company stay true to their course. Keep it here for further coverage on this dark turn of events. Just because the sun's out doesn't mean the fun's over.