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Excellent, but a little short....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Okay, first of the graphics and music are great. The idea is fresh compared to the other games for ps2, and fun. Shadow of Destiny is overall a great game (see the other, long review). The only problem is the length. It does have 10 chapters, yes, but even still it is short. The chapters can be 5 minutes to 40 minutes in game play. I know that the game is meant for replay and has multiple endings, but it could have stood to be slightly longer the first time around. Other than that, it's a great buy.

Great story, puzzles are not very challenging

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I think Shadow of Destiny is a great game, the graphics are sharp and realistic (none of that fog in the distance...). Expect to finish the game the first time through in about 5 hours (more or less depending on how experienced you are with adventure games). This game resembles PC adventure games more than console adventure games in that there is no "action" (as in you just explore the town, talk to characters and collect items). If you are used to the adventure game genre, I'd say you might find the puzzles easy to solve (not disappointingly easy, but easy enough that you can move the story along without scratching your head) There are 5 endings and an extra mode. If you want all the endings you'll have to go back and replay certain chapters making different choices, which can get a bit tedious. Adventure games for consoles like the ones for PC's are hard to find. I have to say Konami did a great job with Shadow of Destiny. (Sequel??)

Great Plotline Carries Sub-Par Gameplay

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Of all the games I've played, only few have stories that are incredibly well written. These plots could be made as movies, but are a little too complex to be profitable, so I am glad to see them pop up in games.

Shadow Of Destiny has a plot to kill for. The characters are very well personified and the voice acting is very well done, which is gladly seen in a video game. The entire town you explore has a great overall attitude, which changes depending on the time period you are in. The story takes fantastic turns and twists as you discover the backgrounds of mysterious and interesting characters. It's enough for any science fiction fan to salivate over.

The gameplay, however, is very unimpressive. Imagine the old point and click adventures such as the Sierra classics King's Quest and Police Quest, only with a behind view third person perspective. All you really have to do is get the right object to the rigt person, or talk to the right person at the right time. There is not much puzzle solving involved, but the payback in plot lines is great.

This game can be completed once in about 5 to 6 hours, but the drive to see all the endings is great. Each ending is very unique and range from your usual good to bad finales. So overall I strongly suggest that you rent this one and complete it in a few days instead of owning it, seeing all the endings, and have it gather dust in the corner.

A True Masterpiece

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shadow of Destiny is a true masterpiece in every sense. It truly is one of the most underrated games out there. It truly deserves better credit than it has been given. Like some great masterpieces, whether games, movies, or books, this game has a very polarizing effect on the "audience". Some people love it, some people hate it. If you are a mature gamer like me who is looking for something different and with more artistic value and originality, this game could be for you.

First, you must understand what this game is and what it is not. It is a truly brilliant masterpiece in terms of the artwork, unparalleled details, intriguing story, captivating environment, non-linear gameplay, and puzzle solving. It is not an action game by any means; no shooting, killing or fighting anyone. No jumping or hacking or slashing. If you are strictly an action junkie, look somewhere else. Also, puzzles are quite easy, which may disappoint some experienced gamers who are looking for tough challenges.

The game itself is pretty much a very good interactive movie. There are over three hours of beautifully rendered cut scenes that take you through the game's fascinating, deep and intriguing plot. Keep in mind that you will spend more time watching cut scenes than actually controlling the character. The plot is great; one of the best in PS2 games by far (together with Silent Hill 2); although not perfect. By not perfect I mean that time travel to the past results in some contradictions that if you think about them deeply spoil the whole plot, but you have to take the plot for what it is: fiction. I won't give away too much about the plot; you probably read Amazon's editorial review.

Perhaps the thing that struck me the most about this game is the incredible attention to detail. It is simply unparalleled in any PS2 game, not even GTA3 is as good, and GTA3 is quite good in this sense. Everything in this charming little medieval German town is beautifully detailed, from the architecture in the buildings, the patterns in the rugs and wallpaper, paintings, furniture, etc. etc. Even my wife, a non-gamer who likes interior designing and antiques spent hours watching me play, admiring the game's visuals. Obviously the developers have a very good decorative taste. And the details are there painstakingly rendered through different ages (present, 1500's and early 1900's), giving you the feeling of being "there". The overall beauty of this game is so much that even when I was wandering about backtracking at one point I didn't mind it as much. One time I got myself killed after running out of time because I was doing too much "tourism".

The only thing I didn't like about the styling is that different time ages have different colors; for example, 1902 is in black and white (is this Pleasantville?). But just a minor thing.

Some people criticize the game for being too short; I found out that this is a bit overblown. If you try to beat the game by yourself with no walkthrough cheating or anything like that, you will spend a reasonable time with this game. Cheat, and you'll finish it in 4 hours or less and miss out on a better experience. I took 6.5 hours the first time around, which is more than it took me to finish the hugely popular Devil May Cry.

Furthermore, the game has up to seven possible endings based on different paths or decisions you take, which gives it a good replay value. The different paths and endings also add to the story quite a bit, so you may want to beat it more than once for sure. Also, many people think that games like this have no replay value, because once you get the story, there is no reason to play again. I think this is nonsense; how many times have you watched your favorite movie? I think I am going to play this one again many times.

Since this game is not appreciated by anyone, I recommend you rent it before you buy, if you can (this game is not very easily found so you may not be able to).

My scale rating (1-10)

Graphics: 10
Story: 10
Gameplay: 8
Challenge: 5
Sound: 10
Replay value: 7
Overall: 9

Movie or game?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This so called game has a very good story and plot. It keeps your attention, by making you want to see what happens next. However, the gameplay could not satisfy an 8 year old. Why you ask? Because there is none. You watch 15 minutes of cinematics and then are pretty much told what you have to do. There is really not much thought needed since you are pretty much led directly to where you have to be or the object you need. Oooooh. there are multple endings. Whoopee! You still have to sit through a majority of the same cinematics and virtually do nothing. Out of the 5 or 6 hours spent playing this game through the first time, I would estimate that I only needed the controller in my hand for 30 minutes. This makes for a good movie but don't buy it if you actually like to PLAY your games instead of watch them.

A very enjoyable interactive movie

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shadow of Destiny seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it kind of games, and I think a great deal of that is due to misconceptions people have before playing it. First of all, the game bears a striking resemblance to Shenmue, and also to puzzle-based graphic adventures. This game is neither; it involves mostly running from one plot sequence to the next, and the puzzles are quite easy, so it plays more like an interactive movie than anything else. The plot is complex, and very interesting, although there are a few notable plot holes. It centers around Eike Kusch, a man stabbed to death in the streets, and reincarnated by a mysterious entity known as Homunculus. Eike goes back in time with the aid of a Digipad to prevent his own death, and to find out his killer's identity. The game is broken down into eight chapters and an epilogue, and almost every chapter begins with Eike dying in a different way.

The game is actually very short; your first playthrough will probably take you less than four hours, and subsequent playthroughs (since you can skip scenes you have already seen) can take less than an hour and a half. There are 6 endings in all, A-E, and an Extra ending you can get after obtaining endings A-E. The voice acting ranges from excellent (Mr. Eckart, Dr. Wagner), to absolutely dreadful (Margarete). The game's atmosphere is fantastic; the town in which the game takes place changes depending upon the era you are in, as does the coloring... everything is colored like a Renaissance painting in the 1500s, and resembles a black and white photo in the late 1800 (although Eike retains his usual appearance throughout all of this time travelling). The music is fantastic as well, most notably the suspenseful theme from the cold day in 1979 and the ending themes.

You'll find yourself completely engrossed by SoD's plot, and wanting to see all the endings. Unlike many other games with multiple endings (that can simply be separated into ''good'' and ''bad'' endings), every ending has something unique that is not revealed in the others. For example, Ending D (considered the best ending by many SoD players, although I'd have to say Ending A is the best overall) contains an important plot twist that is only hinted at in Ending E, and not revealed at all in A-C. But to fully understand Ending E, you need to have seen both Ending A (or B) and D. It really is that complex.

So, don't get SoD expecting it to be anything other than an interactive movie. If you're looking for an adventure game along the lines of Shenmue, or numerous tricky puzzles, you won't find that here. Just sit back and focus on the plot, and you'll find Shadow of Destiny to be a very enjoyable experience.

Good idea....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I really like the idea of having a mystery to solve in a video game and the time travel aspect of the story is also a good idea for this mystery. I was impressed that there's no blood and gore and your character never uses any weapons--and don't get me wrong, I have nothing against blood and gore or weapons (I love "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill.") It was just refreshing and different not to see those things in a video game. The reason I can only give Shadow of Destiny 3 stars is that there really is very little game play. It's more like a movie than a game and when you do participate you have been told almost exactly what you have to do to solve any puzzle. I only played through to one of the possible winning endings and it took me a little less than 5 hours. I think the replay value is minimal because even though it boasts multiple endings I suspect much of the movie parts would be the same and, since those scenes make up what seems like 90% of the game it seems likely that a second or third run through would get very monotonous. The load times were short so that was a plus and the graphics were really good and very detailed. I think Konami was headed in the right direction with the mystery idea but just needed to make it more interactive and less of a movie.

A Satisfying Romp Through Time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game Shadow of Destiny is not your typical game. This is probably the reason it is undeerrated. If you try the game you will be in for a treat. The story will pull you in as you try to figure out who your killer is and how to stop him. I had no idea who the killer was until the end and the peices came together. I also quite enjoyed how each time period had it's own "color". The color of each time is similar to looking at a picture that was taken then.

My only problems with this game is that the main character's voice is way phoney and the character models are plasticy and stiff{compared to modern standards).

The reason most people overlook this game is probably due to it being more like a choose your own adventure movie then an adventure or action game.

This Game is not for people looking for a high action blow stuff up game. To enjoy this game you must be patient with it's frequently long cinematics and pay attention to them. You will learn to love this high quality game.

Good graphics, interesting storyline...but short and dull.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The beginning of the game starts out being interesting and mysterious enough, and the first half of the game (took me a couple hours) was fun to play, but after that it went downhill. The detail is incredible, but the entire game takes place within the space of a few city blocks. You eventually get tired of all the running back and forth between buildings and finding nothing, switching to a new time period only to find nothing and switch to yet another. The time paradoxes are interesting, but some of them really dont make sense, and the endings are rather dissapointing, as well. Depending on the ending you get, the game explains various parts of whats *really* going on, as if you hadnt figured it out the first time. I got all the endings (there are a few pivotal points where the choices you make determine the ending you get) and found it to be an utter waste of time. Replay value is nil, I'll never pick it up again.

An great storyline set in a mediocre game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Mind you this game is somewhat older now and can be found in most bargain bins. however not all games in the bargain bin are worth picking up. This game was anice break from traditional role playing and adventure games. It looks a lot like Silent Hill just much simpler and easier. Also not as gory or scary. The game has an eerie tone to it but thats mostly cause you get killed like every 5 minutes. The graphics are so-so. The town, which is the only environment you play in just through different time periods, is well done but pretty bland. Nothing spectacular. The characters are nicly represented and fit in their time frames. The voice acting was pretty bland though and as many adventure games your character is just a babbling moron who can't even make sense of the obvious. The game itself does not really require any skill just some minor thinking. A few puzzles can be tricky but the game will mostly point out most options you can take. There aren't many different routes you can take either to finish a chapter but there are 5 different endings. I beat the game in under 4 hours and potentially I could have gotten it done in under 3 but I wandered around a lot. The game is pretty weak in free raoming. There are only a handful of random people to talk to and if you don't need to go somewhere to progress the story then you can't so raomeing is pretty useless just go where you need to go. I did find though that I didn't complete as much of the story as I had thought. The challenge factor is also very light as none of the puzzles are very hard. In fact the game pretty much solves them for you you just have to find certain things. The big drawback is that if you fail during a chapter you have to do the entire chapter over. This can be tedious at times. For the most part this game was enjoyable but nothing over the top. THe best feature of the game is the story. It is pretty much why I liked it even though the game itself was pretty weak. The graphics particularly the characters during the cut scenes are pretty good. The game seems more like a mildly interactive movie where you get to dictate the flow and maybe make a few decisions but it pretty much is just going from cut scene to cut scene until the end. I would recomened this title but I would consider renting it or maybe picking it out of a bargain bin because it won't take you more than a couple hours to beat it. Even if you want to see all the endings you still only need a couple days. It is worth it but hardcore gamers will hate this title.

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