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This one's a gem!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: December 30, 1999
Author: Amazon User

As there are a dearth of Dreamcast games in this genre, I sawthis puchase, at best, as a consolation while I patiently awaited therelease of other more promising titles. I reluctantly handed over my cash, resigned to my fate.

Boy, was I wrong. In my opinion, Shadowman is the premiere Dreamcast adventure title to date. Here's why: massive, highly detailed 3-D environments, interesting and creative level design (you'll flip the first time you see the asylum), tight control, deep story line, beautiful graphics, outstanding music and a sense of atmosphere that is well executed.

My favorite aspects of the game (other than that it's fun to play) are its size and its atmoshere. This game is enormous; you're going to get your $$ out of it. I hate to buy games that I can beat on the same day. (I always feel cheated.) Shadowman is going to take quite some time to beat, and not because it is too dificult; the learning curve is well proportioned: it isn't frustrating, but it's no cakewalk either. The other element I admire is the game's atmosphere. The music and the visuals combine to create a disturbing experience--this is not a game for children. I know, you're thinking, 'Why would I want the play a game that's disturbing'? Good Question. It's disturbing in that the storyline itself is disturbing and the atmosphere does a remarkable job of pulling you into Shadowman's world. (It's a disturbing place to visit, and you really wouldn't want to live there!) The environments are surreal, but in a believable way--there's not a hint of B-movie in this game. It's seriously disturbing, no wait, maybe it's disturbingly serious--I can't decide. It's all good in any case.

Any complaints? Two. The framerate of the game stutters when the soundtrack switches songs. Come on Akklaim, this is a Dreamcast, for pete's sake--work it out. My other gripe is how dark the game is--sometimes you can't see where the heck you're going. It's so dark that I can't even play during the daytime because I cant' see the dang screen. Admittedly, it does add to the atmosphere (playing only at night,) but it's limiting nonetheless. Fortunatley, these are minor concerns and are easily forgivable in the grand scheme of things.

In summary, if you're looking for the finest Dreamcast adventure title, look no further than Shadowman. It's a thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly distrubing experience.

Unlike anything else available for Dreamcast!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 27, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game, while realllly slow at first, rocks when you actually get into it and start collecting items. Game play is rather fluid, but due to it's immense size "hesitates" when loading differrent levels, switching between game play and the cinema scenes, and when switching music tracks. The soundtrack is awesome; exciting and "spooky" at the same time. Shadow Man is not for the faint of heart, or for kids. It's ESRB rating of MATURE is there for a reason. If the music doesn't get to you, then the setting will. With zombies trying to slash you with claws or hooks, firing automatic weapons, sling handfulls of "slime", or using VooDoo magic, this game has the potential to scare the hell out of you. If you survive, the ending will not disappoint you. If you don't, that ending is pretty cool as well. The only drawback (or another top selling point, depending) is that the game is LONG, and will take more than just a couple of hours to complete. Be prepared to play this game for days, and replay it forever.

Don't be fooled- GREAT GAME- Scary as Hell and HUGE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: February 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I played a little of the Playstation version that a friendbought and I was not impressed because of the bad graphics and thechoppiness- When the Dreamcast version came out, I thought it would be better- I bought it put in the disk and sat back- Too soon, I became annoyed by the horrible load times and lack of directions (I had no idea what to do)- I was disappointed but I kept playing it for a few days. Do not be fooled when you start this game! This is a great game! It starts real slow but the story develops and gets good real fast! The story freaked me out with the screams and moody music. I am not even 1/5 of the way done with the game and I am very impressed with the huge worlds, graphics, imagery and atmosphere. The creepiest part so far is when you encounter the shrines of the 5. My hats off to Acclaim for creating such a great game! - If you liked games like, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Nightmare Creatures, You will love this gory but well made game- You WILL get lost, but keep playing, you will realize just how good this game is- 100 stars in my book and one of my all time favorite games!

Give it some time and it's got you!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is not a game for those of you with a short attention span. It takes a while to get to the action, but it's worth it in the end. First off, the graphics are superb, a little dark at times, but I think that adds to the eerie nature of the game. Turn out the lights and play for a while, it's downright spooky at times. The sound effects match well with the whole feel of the game and include some scary death screams and such. The real reason this game is good, however, is that once you get started the game is almost completely non-linear. You can go just about anywhere at anytime. For the average gamer this can become tiresome, but if you are like me it just adds to the challenge. Trying to figure out where to go and what to do next are sometimes difficult, but I hate games that are too easy. The amount of time it takes to figure out these challenges means a lot of playing for the price of a game. I spent 30 or so hours beating the game, and for me that means pennies per hour of entertainment. If you give up easily and don't like a challenge, this game is not for you. If, on the other hand, you are a hardcore gamer like me you'll eat this one up.

Unbelievably Awesome and Gothiclly Scary!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Shadow Man is by far the most incredible game ever made. And the dreamcast engine is out to display why Shadow Man should be your pick. At the begining you will wander around and find objects necessary for completion, but it starts to get hard and confusing. Let me give you an advice, the map that comes with the game must be used because it's your only hope. Shadow Man has graphics that are so crisp and clear that you would think that you're actually there. This is and adventure game that will keep you intrigued and asking questions on how to solve little puzzling situations. This game will take you to a world that you've never been too, and spook you at evry corner. The graphics are awesomely eyepoping. Everyday that I play shadow Man, I ask my self lots of questions on what shall I do next. You will venture a journey to surpress an apocalypse from happening. It is up to you as Shadow Man to destroy five evil killers and get the dark souls. Mama Nettie the voodo lady will guide you alongside with a serpent name Jaunty through your quest to rid evil from the face of the earth. Shadow Man will spook you and provide you with awesome sound effects that will grab you into the game. Shadow Man is a must get game. They're five killers to destroy and and 10 gates to unlock. Can you save the world from destruction and cleansing? If you think so, go get Shadow Man and try too. Save the world and experience what Shadow Man and the dreamcast engine has to offer. You'll thank me.

Great game...with just a couple of flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 22, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Shadowman is the best I've spent on a Dreamcast game so far. It has a good storyline, good control, great music and will pull you in with it's gameplay. The only problems with it are that sometimes when the music tracks change, there is a slight hesitation in the game. Another problem is the load times at the beginning of the game. They're pretty long. This game starts off slow, but after the first couple of hours of gameplay, things pick up considerably and you'll find yourself losing track of time playing this game.

Sick, twisted, and disturbing. I like it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Now THIS is the way a game should be made. Shadowman has it all, from good control to great graphics to eerie sound affects and music. I also like the mood of the game. Shadowman doesn't treat you like an 8-year old. Lets put it this way: Shadowman makes the original Hellraiser seem like a romantic comedy. Plus, instead of biologicly created super-zombies as the main bosses ala-Resident Evil, you {as Mike Leroi/Shadowman} must kill 5 serial killers. One of them even is a real person! {Jack the Ripper, anyone?} The story centers around Shadowman as he must stop Legion {the angel of death} from bringing about the apocalypse. Unfourtunately, Legion has assembled in army of zombies and demons to mutant pigs with hooks for hands to 5 serial killers known only as "the 5". Fourtunately, as Shadowman you are armed to the teeth with shotguns, UZIs, various vodoo weapons, the gads {vodoo tattoos that make impervious to fire in certain ways}, the Shadowgun {a gun that rips the soul from a persons body}, and the Violater {VERY satisfying}. And all the while, the game remains scary. If I may quote The Lizard King {leader of the 5} on their alliance with Legion:"What we see in death's dominion is as void as a dead man's gaze, as cold as the light from a dying star."

Nuff said.

Utterly gorgeous!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: January 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is by far the best game I own for the Dreamcast (yes, I do own Soul Calibur). I have been playing it now for eighteen hours straight and still am not even near done! It starts off a little slow, and is a bit frustrating when you can't find the church or you end up dying thirty times because you jump and try to grab a cliff only to realize you've got a weapon in both hands. There are some minor sound problems but they are relatively rare (and more towards the beginning). They can be solved by reloading the level. Anyway, the game IS VERY SPOOKY, the plot is AMAZINGLY detailed. There is awesome poetry and all sorts of neat things to do. The blend of puzzles and combat is PERFECT! The graphics aren't as spectacular as Soul Calibur but are still quit impressive. This game is well-worth the money.

Fun, Challenging.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

After reading reviews of this game, I decided to give it a try...I wasn't disappointed. It has an excellent story line and the 3d graphics rival some of the better PC games. One of the good points of this game is that it will take you a while to finish it...its not a one weekend deal. The game realm is big...and you have to revisit many areas as you abilities and items increase...which I think is also the game's weakest point. You must go back and forth between areas too many times and killing all the monsters in each area every time you go back is more of a pain in the butt rather than challenging. Some of the items you need are well hidden...search each area well! It is also possible to finish the game without finding every little item. The soundtrack is good, but there are a few glitches...sometimes it fades or becomes really loud. Overall, its worth the money and a lot of the time spent playing magically dissappears...until you look at the clock and it says 1:00am.

Shadow man Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game takes a a few hours to get into. Give it sometime and you'll be hooked. The visuals, story and direction all start off very fuzzy and bland. They all get better. The levels are huge and you will spend a lot time lost and trying to figure out what to do next. This is one game in which a stratagey guide may help, or at least keep the frustration level down. The story and atmosphere just continue to bulid, and some of the last levels are a treat to the senses, and down right creepy.

The graphics are uneven, some of the areas are fantastic, but the ealy levels are boring. animation is ok. And many time the levels are just to dark for their own good.

I had a lot of fun playing this game, but i did need the hint book, and really didn;t enjoy it until a couple hours in.

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