Good plot but sometimes repetitive action
Written: Nov 24 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting plot, good graphics and atmosphere
Cons: Repetitive action, a lot of running around
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| willysid's Full Review: Shadow Man |
There’s just a tad too much Laura Croft in Mike Leroi, at least in his video game incarnation.
Leroi, alter ego of Shadow Man, is a failed literature student turned supernatural hero in Acclaim’s Shadow Man, based on the independent comic book of the same name. Working for voodoo priestess Mama Nettie he is charged with locating a scattered set of lost souls in order to avert the end of the world.
He spends a lot of time running Tomb Raider style in order to accomplish that goal, first through the Louisiana bayou country outside New Orleans then in the bloody pools and murky caverns of “deadside,” a hellish place sprinkled with zombies, flying creatures and multiple opportunities for fiery death. It’s really in deadside that Leroi becomes Shadow Man, an avenging, Shadow Gun toting avenger with a voodoo mask in his chest.
All of that running around gets a little redundant as the game is played and there’s a good deal of repetition. Although Shadow Man can’t die he can run out of life force and get booted back to the beginning of the level. No amount of game saving can avert that either.
Aside from that drawback, Shadow Man is an entertaining adventure with a twisty plot involving serial killers as well as lost souls. It also features two distinct areas of play. When squeezed, a teddy bear the Shadow Man carries, I kid you not, transports the hero between dead side and liveside. He has to collect souls in both arenas so that offsets some of the monotony of the quest. In liveside underground tunnels, flooded buildings and other locations keep things interesting.
Speaking of flooded cabins, Shadow Man does a lot of swimming. Getting the hang of making him swim where you want can be a little challenging but that also helps some to add variety though still in the Tomb Raider mold. The game scores points for a few other interesting moves including the ability to move hand-over-hand across rope bridges
The lumbering and rampaging denizens of deadside are pretty interesting too. One shot never seems to do the trick, and that’s the same with the stingrays that make swimming unpleasant.
I also liked the overall look of deadside. A sort of grim, grayish tone pervades the sunless world, contrasting to a more orange tone in liveside which really does convey a sense of a humid, Southern day in a steamy swampland. Good music also enhances the gaming experience here, and an eerie opening film featuring the death of Jack the Ripper gets things off to a nice start.
Parents considering Shadow Man as a gift may want to know it’s a bit violent and includes some harsh language.
Horror fans will find it interesting and often exciting.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
willysid
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Member: Sidney Williams
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 4 members
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