Shadows Of The Damned Review

Shadows Of The Damned Review

"The Tale Of A Man And His Johnson"

Under the Radar Game
Game: Shadows Of The Damned
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacturer
Rating: Mature
Platforms: PS3/ Xbox 360
MSRP: 29.99

In the underground gaming world this game was given a lot of hype, primarily because three of gamings top designers were working on this project. They were Akira Yamaoka (the composer for the silent hill horror series), Shinji Mikami (the man who developed the gameplay for resident evil) and Suda 51 (the wacky popular new game designer.) The three were working together to create a game rich in darkness while being fun, enjoyable and ambient, the end result was "Shadows of the Damned". Is this a dream game you should pick up, or a ride to hell you should skip?

Story

Suda 51 is known for creating really out there plots and yet this story has a pretty basic story arc. You play a demon hunter named Garcia Fucking Hotspur, who has offended the commander of hell by killing too many of his minions. The leader of hell, Flemming, decides to get revenge by kidnapping Hotspur's girlfriend Paula and dragging her to hell. (In which he plans to kill her and bring her back to life over and over again for all eternity. After an introductory level, Hotspur enters hell after them aided by his best friend, a floating demon skull named Johnson. Johnson having the ability to transform into both firearms and motorcycles becomes helpful in Hotspur's quest of getting revenge on Flemming and getting back his girlfriend.

This is a pretty A-typical story in gaming, after all I'd argue over half the plots of video games ever made is about a guy trying to save his female love interest. And while it has been done before, the game seems to heartily acknowledge it arguing its not the destination, but how you get there. From the beginning the game promises to be an out there experience, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't. This is essentially a game written for guys, there are endless sex jokes, gore and wacky surprises to keep men entertained.  And although the humor can come off as a bit trashy at times, it never goes too over the top keeping the game very enjoyable.

Grade : B-

Gameplay

"Shadows Of The Damned" should be familiar to anyone who's ever played "Resident Evil 4 or 5". The gameplay designer Shinji Mikami shamelessly copies and pastes the style over to this new project, with the main focus of combat being precision aiming. Unlike "Resident Evil" though, most of Hotspur's enemies are demons and ghouls, most of which can be dispatched with powerful headshots. The game itself is very linear, the road to hell is very beautiful, but its impossible to get off the beaten path laid before you. The game goes into several acts, each containing 3-4 stages in each where Hotspur must kill enemies or solve simple puzzles.Most of these end in boss battles, and some bosses are insanely difficult while others are cakewalks.

The combat as aforementioned relies on precision aiming to kill enemies. In the game you get three types of guns, all of which Johnson turns into for you. A handgun, a shotgun and a machine gun. There is also an additional element the game introduces and that is a balance between light and dark. Hotspur is safe as long as he remains in the light, but if he enters hell's darkness for too long it sucks away his life and will eventually kill him. Alternatively for enemies, being in the darkness makes them invincible and it becomes up to the player to find ways to shed light on them so that they can kill them.

Bosses are all creative, each with an interesting storybook back story to them. However not all bosses are simply run around and shoot at the weak spot, this is where Suda 51's style shines in. There are some bosses that are more fun than challenging, and others that arent even really fights. For example in the later levels, Hotspur ends up in a paper construction level in which all you have to do is shoot enemies like in old school side scrolling jet games.

The gameplay while done before does have some elements that might get a few chuckles the first time you play, but become passe after a while. As I said before if you have played Resident Evil you have played "Shadows of the Damned". But if you cant get enough of that style of game, then this is definitely for you. It just feels lacking that there wasnt any real innovation added to the combat system.

Grade: B-

Graphics and Sound

"Shadows of The Damned" looks beautiful and yet there can be a lot of pop in textures through the course of the game. And towards the end of the game one can notice a drop in details than in the beginning as levels lose the pop they had early on. In other words the ending levels feel a bit generic compared to how it begins.

The sound and music are top notch. While I played it through without getting any tracks stuck in my head I will say that the music is very ambient and well fitting to the mood the game tries to make. The theme song to the game, while corny is very beautiful in tone and the intro music when you start up the game is very passionate.

My only complaint with the sound is that the man behind it is known for making such beautiful scores of music, and compared to his work on "Silent Hill 3", this stuff falls kind of flat. Yes there are tracks here and there that shine but its below what he's capable of..

Grade: B-

Verdict

"Shadows Of The Damned" while unique is something that has been done before. Like hearing ode to joy done in punk metal style. Yes it's flashy and I suppose cool for some, but aside from its flash it's nothing to write home about. At the same time there is something about this game that has charm and I argue would warrant at least a renting.

Final Grade: B-

Is it worth your money: Honestly, I would rent it first. However if you find yourself in love with what its trying to do I think it's asking price is about 19.99.