Shadow Man: 2econd Coming

"Being dead has its advantages, you just don't smell too good, and TV reception in the underworld is awful."

Never heard of Shadowman? never played the original? Good call. Talking about the PSone version then, the Dreamcast, PC and N64 versions were very commendable, but the PSone just wasn't up to it. Huge sprawling levels and gory blood spattered details got lost in the risible blurry smear that masqueraded as a piece of digital entertainment. Thank Sony then for progression.
Now that the distinctly more powerful PS2 is safely tucked away in over 30 millions homes worldwide, the creators of one of the darkest games ever can finally realize their voodoo inspired vision of hell and earth.

First off, I'll just call it Shadowman 2 for now. It's all very well sticking numbers into words, but ''Shadow Man Two-econd Coming'' just doesn't sound right. It sort of works for the movie Se7en, but only sort of, and the less said about the suggestively titled ''Wip Three Out'' the better.
OK, so Shadowman 2 it is, and what a pretty devil it is too. Maybe pretty isn't exactly the best word to describe hell and its bloodthirsty minions. What I'm trying to say is that the hellish environments are superbly visualized. It's one of the most graphically polished games on PS2. Every weapon and voodoo attack initiates a beautiful, blinding kaleidoscope of vivid colors and sparkling special effects. Flaming fireballs singe the very surface of your TV screen and slashing attacks scythe through the freakish inhabitants of this world like a piercing flash of retina searing lightning. Yes, it looks great, but only when things are happening.

It's a shame then that the actual environments, silky as they are, display an unfortunate blandness in their features, or rather lack of them. New Orleans is depicted with a smattering of traditional yet strangely vacant buildings, but venture into the outskirts and you'll be met by a few trees, swampy pools of water and an abundance of tunnels and deep trenches. It's just about acceptable when depicting the inhospitable Bayous area, but it's a theme of blandness that permeates every one of the game's globe-spanning levels. Ireland is a featureless green expanse with rocky outcrops, typically incessant rain and surprise surprise, a host of claustrophobic tunnels and corridors. Russia swaps the green expanses for snowy white and yet another selection of dull trenches. they all feel incredibly empty and severely lacking in signs of life.
Another flaw with the level designs is that they're tremendously restrictive. You're constantly left with the feeling that you're being forced down a linear path. Obviously the developers have heeded the frustrated cries of gamers who spent hours getting lost in the first Shadowman game. That one was far too open and featured an abundance of back-tracking and helpless wandering in search of poorly placed items. In response to these criticisms, they've now made the game much easier to navigate, but as a consequence it has taken away a lot of the player's freedom in the process. Nevertheless, if I had to choose between the two I'd go for the linear option every time. It's not massively inhibiting, it's just that it removes a considerable amount of autonomy from the player's role.

It's a role that carries on from where the first game finished, not that you need to have played that to get into the sequel. While patient, persistent veterans of the original will be familiar with some of the cast, including the irritating 'Oirish' leprechaun Jaunty, the whole premise is totally new and avoids any controversy by steering clear of the band of serial killers that featured in the first game. This time you've been tasked with stopping the fearsome Grigori gang, led by the New Orleans don Papa Morte, from resurrecting their demon leader Asmodeus.

As is customary for tales based in the mysterious lands of New Orleans and Louisiana, black magic and voodoo play a significant role in proceedings. Your character, Mike LeRoi, can switch between the real world and the deadside, where he becomes the eponymous Shadowman. Whenever the day turns to night you automatically transform from a fully undecomposed man into your hideous skeletal alternative. Both alter egos have their advantages and disadvantages. So is the carcassy one much more nimble, attacking more rapidly and thus being able to string together much more lethal attack combos. He can also jump higher and further, but he can't push boxes or take as many hits as the more burly, muscular alive-and-well version.

Although many of the real world environments suffer from a touch of blandness, the same can't be said of the deadside levels. They're as murky and grotesque as the darkest recesses of your manic imagination. And the freakish inhabitants of these lands are as hideous as they are formidable.
A massive selection of weapons is available to be unleashed upon these diabolical masses, lavished with considerable imagination and graphical flair. As usual there's the predictable selection of automatics and cleaving clubbing instruments. However, it are the voodoo weapons and dark magic that really delight. Turning yourself into a flaming beacon of death and setting fire to all those around you is much more fun than administering a Desert Eagle blast to the temple.
Not all these toys can be gained from straightforward progression through the game. Some are only discovered with diligent searching and others are unlocked by solving the numerous puzzles in the game.

In a similar fashion to the Tomb Raider games, Shadowman 2 combines third person combat with a selection of testing puzzles. the variety in each of the puzzles is admirable throughout and the professional voice acting is used to offer helpful hints along the way. Combat doesn't fair quite as well however, with your movement and two-handed attacks feeling clumsy and awkward. Fortunately, once you get your hands on the meatier weapons, hand-to-hand combat is negated somewhat as you barbecue your adversaries with a few well-placed jets of flame instead - most helpful when you come up against the bosses that inhabit each environment. Blessed with some cunning artificial intelligence they each have their own style of attack and represent a formidable challenge even when you're fully tooled up. The witch from the Russia stage is particularly chilling, with the camera switching to take her viewpoint and stalking you through the woods like a Blair Witch killer, before striking fear into your veins and fire into your flesh.

Shadowman 2 is a stylish produced adventure that entertains without ever delighting or instilling you with a desire to cherish any of its significant moments. Instead it feels almost workmanlike at times, doing everything we've come to expect from this type of game (puzzles, clumsy combat, deadly bosses) without ever excelling or innovating in any one area. It does everything you'd expect with an impressive visual flair, but also with a distinct lack of thrill or any emotional involvement.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/02, Updated 11/15/02