Instead of being remembered as a sprawling dark story featuring themes of trauma, forgiveness, and being able to move on from the past, it’s remembered as that game where Shadow pumps a submachine gun like it’s a shotgun without a hint of irony. …It’s certainly a cornerstone in the series, but certainly not the way SEGA wanted it to be. Game director Takashi Iizuka explained that he wanted to delve into a deeper story with Shadow for a while, and now fans were going to be given a chance to go on a journey with Shadow as he forges his own destiny.įor all intents and purposes, SEGA pictured Shadow the Hedgehog to be a cornerstone in Sonic’s game library the same way the Adventure series is. A video celebrating Sonic’s then 14-year-long legacy was played at the event, before being interrupted by a barrage of bullet holes shooting through the footage, followed by a trailer for Shadow the Hedgehog. On March 8th, 2005, Sonic the Hedgehog was inducted into the Walk of Game, an attraction in San Francisco made to honor video game legends both on and off the screen. Sonic meeting then-mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, at the Walk of Game. The game announcement was literal insanity. The red flags for this title appeared almost immediately. Shadow’s arcs always touched on more mature subjects, such as trauma and the idea of selfhood, and now Sonic Team had the chance to explore those themes more in a game centered only on Shadow! (Sonic game plots get a little crazy, you just have to trust me on this.) Sonic Heroes picked up where Sonic Adventure 2 left off, with Shadow’s journey to figure out if he’s the real Shadow (Shadow straight-up dies at the end of Sonic Adventure 2), and if it really even matters. The poll was no doubt rigged towards Shadow, but who could blame Sonic Team for that? The love they had for Shadow was easy to see in the games alone Sonic Adventure 2, on its surface, was about Sonic and friends, but fans know that the game at its core is about Shadow the Hedgehog and his journey to learn to forgive humanity after they single-handedly ruined his life. The public’s options included series big-names like Tails the Fox and deep cuts like Espio the Chameleon, but ultimately (and unsurprisingly) Shadow the Hedgehog was chosen as the winner of this poll. So, they did something that is unheard of in today’s gaming landscape: they put out a few online polls asking fans what character they wanted a new game centered on. Sonic Team was riding the high of the success of the Sonic Adventure series and Sonic Heroes, and found themselves stumped on what story to tackle next. Shadow the Hedgehog was a game that had big shoes to fill. I told you Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) was about a three-foot-tall hedgehog named Shadow wielding guns, shooting human soldiers, following the orders of demons, and sometimes getting the chance to beat the hell out of Sonic the Hedgehog, would you believe me? Marketing render by Daniel Rice.
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