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Do you like Shadow the Hedgehog?
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
He is one of the greatest if not the greatest video game character of all time.
Even Barack Obama knows it.
Even Barack Obama knows it.
Looks at your avatar
I don't believe you dogman
I gotta issue with this mindset
cartoon characters come back all the time its whatever man. Like I as much as every sonic nerd during that period like some of the more serious stories of that time. But at the end of the day its a franchise primarily aimed at children and characters come back. Its not emblematic of anything except folks like you taking the lore of a goddamn funny hedgehog serious way to seriously, and this is coming from a guy who has an entire write up of how to unfuck sonic 06's story. He came back, who cares. People enjoy it, that's fine man.
That isn't to say you can't make character critcisms, I personally don't like the current direction for shadow ( and apperently a lot of the people working for sega in a sonic capacity don't either ). But at the end of the day its a forever franchise for kids and shits gonna come back and change. The concept of a character should be done in shit like this, or TMNT or whatever is stupid. They gonna be back when folks want them back, it is what it is
I don't mind bringing something back. I mind when they do it without any kind of purpose. Shadow had something to add to Sonic's story in Sonic Adventure 2. But what has he added since then? It's the same gameplay (outside of Sonic 06, incidentally), so it's got to be something with themes or story. But he hasn't done anything. He's just there. Existing because he's popular without being creative or interesting. Just like the whole franchise. It is emblematic.
He is a awful edgy tryhard character designed during the exxxtreme era, his debut is when the sonic series really jumped the shark.
I played through the shadow game on GameCube long enough to do each stage with the good and evil objectives. Half the levels were kind of crap, especially the final good/evil route levels.
As for the character itself, eh he's alright. Counters Sonic's incessant cheerfulness and has rocket shoes. :P
As for the character itself, eh he's alright. Counters Sonic's incessant cheerfulness and has rocket shoes. :P
Nothing in sonic is brought back with purpose.
Every character in sonic that's about continues to exist because people like them. All of them, if they didn't sega has no issue throwing shit in the trash. And he did done something, I kinda think his entire arc from that point is genuinely interesting kinda speaks to me. Now recently he hasn't done much, but...everyone including sonic TBH hasn't done much. The adventures amount to very little in the recent games and characters just started being included again.
If people wanna play as shadow and like the character, he should be around. Its why tails and knuckles are around. Its disengenious to pretend like everyone has some grand purpose. They don't. Kids wanna play as the toy they like. Is what it is. I don't like silver but I get why he's around. That goddamn dork
Maybe?
What I'm saying is, if they brought tikal back right now. A character who's canonically been dead for hundreds of years, I wouldn't really care. If it makes people happy and something possibly neat comes out of it like it has with shadow. Fuck it sure, bring her and knuckles's entire family back. I don't care. Shadow's being around has allowed this weird self serious characters when he's used to contribute to stories in an interesting way. Even now, with his short stink in the dumpsterfire that is forces... his part of the game is the most interesting part. And kind of the most wasted potential. And no other character could really do that. This isn't to mention the comics when he's written well, he brings the best out of everyone around him.
I'm not looking for narrative integrity on that level in sonic. I'm just like " hey don't be offensive and keep the character consistent or at least remember why people like that character " but outside of that if you want to change wild stuff or bring em back to life, I don't really care. Sonic despite how much Iike it, is fun goof ball shit for kids and young teeens. And they shouldn't be robbed of characters they like because grown ass man on a forum really doesn't like it . Because they tried that, it didn't work out
He was my favourite character Sonic Adventure 2 where he was a good anti-hero with a fun slickness to him. Haven't kept up with the most of the latest Sonic titles, but he's lost a lot of his flair in Forces. Can't really put my finger on why he's lacking charisma, but perhaps the different voice actor has something to do with it.
Wild because a lot of folks make the argument that forces shadow is actually weirdly close to sa2 shadow that shadow has been in quite some time. The new voice actor isn't great yeah. Kirk Thorton's shadow just kinda doesn't work, also he may be getting no or bad direction how to do it. But I dunno after TSR I think a lot of the cast are due for new voices. New knuckles is uh, bad
Yeah I think we agree. It's just that I don't like it and you don't mind.
I'm not upset about it. I realized the Sonic franchise wasn't for me anymore a looooong time ago.
But in a topic about liking Shadow, I stand by my first post. He was fine in the first game, and just there afterwards like most of the series. But that's not good enough for me personally, like the rest of the franchise. Happy for those who enjoy it though.
That's what I thought, but I think that's just knuckles now. I could be wrong though
That's fair
I agree with everything you say here, but I also think this is a perfectly good reason to exclude Knuckles from most of Sonic's adventures.
Like it generally doesn't make much sense for Knuckles to be involved with anything unless Angel Island or the master emerald are also integral to the story.
i think i didn't used to like shadow all that much, but the introduction of silver made him seem that much better in comparison
silver was a wholly unnecessary addition and it baffles me that he's one of the characters who gets to stick around as part of the core sonic "crew"
EDIT: god, and i even forgot about infinite! even worse! shadow's melodramatic space experiment backstory and robot clone arc is way more weird and b-movie fun in comparison.
i do think after sonic adventure 2 they probably should have retired him, at least for a while. shadow having this dramatic self-sacrifice death scene at the end of sa2 was totally undercut by him appearing again so quickly in heroes, even if they half-heartedly tried to build it as a "why is shadow back?" mystery in the team dark campaign.
silver was a wholly unnecessary addition and it baffles me that he's one of the characters who gets to stick around as part of the core sonic "crew"
EDIT: god, and i even forgot about infinite! even worse! shadow's melodramatic space experiment backstory and robot clone arc is way more weird and b-movie fun in comparison.
i do think after sonic adventure 2 they probably should have retired him, at least for a while. shadow having this dramatic self-sacrifice death scene at the end of sa2 was totally undercut by him appearing again so quickly in heroes, even if they half-heartedly tried to build it as a "why is shadow back?" mystery in the team dark campaign.
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I've been saying this for years. Unless Knuckles realized he could just take the Master Emerald with him like Sonic Adventure 2, which I just assumed he does.
I liked him in Sonic Adventure 2 and never again.
Shadow's return in Heroes was handled very poorly and his game sucked (and the lore it added to him was terrible)
SA2 Shadow was cool before the novelty wore off. Rocket boots, nice character themes (but the SA2 soundtrack is GOAT anyway) no need to be faster than Sonic because teleportation, can freeze time, etc
Shadow's return in Heroes was handled very poorly and his game sucked (and the lore it added to him was terrible)
SA2 Shadow was cool before the novelty wore off. Rocket boots, nice character themes (but the SA2 soundtrack is GOAT anyway) no need to be faster than Sonic because teleportation, can freeze time, etc
He's fine I guess. I don't think Sonic necessarily needs a Vegeta to his Goku, but I'm also not a fan of, like, any of the story stuff they've done, so it's fine. He's fine.
I don't mind his lame early 00s vibe, though. Kind of fits in with all the butt rock. (Unironically.)
I don't mind his lame early 00s vibe, though. Kind of fits in with all the butt rock. (Unironically.)
I'm fond of him, not so much his current VA. Why does it seem like he's getting slower in games though? Especially in 2006.
you know me beefy, i gotta experience the good and the bad - like sonic 06, I'm not saying ill finish it, but i gotta try it and see the mess for myself
i enjoyed parts of unleashed and forces so who knows
eh i guess i dug him as sonics foil that wanted robotnik taken out when they had the chance?
didn't know about Segas restrictions though - what direction does the writer wanna take him in that he can't?
also what are examples of shadow stuff you & other fans dig, maybe I'm missing a better take on the character
My eldest kid, who has never seen Shadow outside of Sonic Racing games (>_>) is obsessed with Shadow. Obsessed.
Take that as you will.
Take that as you will.
