Shadow Man

"Probably the best adventure for the n64"

Its a shame this game was ripped by reviewers and ignored by many a player because it truly is the best action/adventure title.

Most would say ''Zelda 64 has better graphics and a better adventure line'' while i cannot argue with the better adventure line, i WILL say that Shadowman's graphics excel those found in Zelda for several reasons but the most apparent is the lack of fog or pop-in in shadowman. In Zelda sure everything looks bright and nice looking but the fog and pop-in kinda take something away from the graphics. Another problem people had with this sleeper is the fact that the game feels a little too non-linear, since nettie and jaunty dont give you much help and the shadowman world is huge, people tend to get lost easily, still i consider this a high point. Enough about how this game should be more appreciated, lets get to the scores.

Graphics:10
As mentioned before these graphics not only give a startling sense of realism (just play the level in queens to see what i mean), but they have no fog or pop-in. And the walls in deadside are probably the freakiest texture ever to be put in a game. Add that to a awesome pyrotechnics and excellent sky effects with some of the most well thought out cut scenes, and you've got some kickass graphics.

Sound:7
While some sound in the game is tolerable, there are a few sounds such as the shadowgun and the moaning deadsiders that just drive me insane. On the other hand, the other weapons and the footsteps of your character are very pleasing to the ear.

Voice Clips:10
I felt i needed to give this its own category, since the voice effects are just plain amazing. Its hard enough to get voice clips into an n64 cart under 512 megabits, but this was a 200-some meg cart. And the voices are the clearest sounds in any 64 game i have ever played.

Music:9
This category would be a ten if there was music in every area, or if the asylum-gateway music didnt play in so many levels. But the other music is very nice on the ears and really suits the mood of the game, especially in the liveside levels.

Control:9
Even the people who praised this game cursed the controls, and i have to say althought they were a little hard to get used to, they fit the game good enough. You can control each of your hands with Z and B, and right C is used to draw/put away weapons/items. The stick controls are what hurt the game; to turn you pretty much need to stop in your tracks otherwise your turn will be really wide. All in all the controls arent bad enough to hate the game.

Storyline/Ending:8
The storyline is right on the money, but acclaim needs to learn how to write endings.

Overall:9
If you arent angered by a crappy ending after putting 20+hours into a game, then shadowman is the best choice if youve either completed zelda or just want anything other than zelda or mario.
~shade

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/07/00, Updated 06/07/00