PlayStation 2

Shadow Man: 2econd Coming

ShadowMan 2econd Coming bietet viel Spiel fürs Geld, gute Grafik mit herausragenden Lichteffekten und eine düstere Atmosphäre, die ihresgleichen sucht. Nur: das alles erschließt sich viel zu spät. In der wichtigen Anfangsphase plätschert das Spiel dahin, die Grafik wirkt wenig spektakulär und auch die Story macht wenig Fortschritte. Wer sich jedoch länger mit dem Spiel beschäftigt, wird schließlich auch Gefallen an dem neuen Abenteuer von Mike LeRoi finden und sich auch mit der äußerst empfindlichen Steuerung anfreunden. Selbst wenn die Bosskämpfe -normalerweise immer ein Garant für Motivation- zu einem wenig Freude bereitenden Beiwerk verkommen. Da ShadowMan 2 jedoch neben viel Licht auch viel Schatten bietet, werden sich wohl nur echte Fans des ersten Teiles hinter Mike LeRoi und seinem Alter Ego versammeln können. Mit ein wenig mehr Feintuning wäre aber wesentlich mehr möglich gewesen und Raziel weitaus mehr ins Wanken geraten.

While at times my feelings were mixed, I ended up feeling very satisfied with my Shadow Man 2 experience. The graphics and sound help to set the mood, and the story is quite good. There is a lot of good production behind this game, and while there are problems such as poor loading times and somewhat screwy controls, overall there is a lot of good to be found here. If you're a fan of the 3rd person action genre, I would definitely pick this one up. Gamers who are looking for a good action game might also want to check it out, but in their case I would rent it first.

All things considered, Shadow Man 2 is a solid journey that could easily find its way into any adventure fans library. A welcome change from the faster-paced offerings of late, Acclaim's newest thriller has its problems yes, but not without a more substantial dose of coolness and entertainment. For the more casual fan however, or for those of us who are on the pickier side of gamedum, 2econd Coming may not be for you, but if you have an open mind, and a craving for dark atmospheric bliss then this may be the game for you.

The wait for Acclaim's sequel to their Shadow Man adventure title is over. Shadow Man: 2econd Coming has arrived, and is now on the PlayStation 2. Both fans of the first game, as well as new comers to the series may want to rent this title before giving up a larger portion of their wallet, with the game having its number of flaws in association with a couple of gameplay flaunts. Overall though, Shadow Man: 2econd Coming is a mediocre title, but it is efficient enough for the job it does, and for fans of the first to think about adding to their growing game collections.

Sadly, Shadow Man: 2coming is a good concept that had fallen victim to its several flaws in graphics and its frame rate glitches. Those consumed with the desire to play a game with a great supernatural theme will be greatly disappointed but that is not to say that the game should be avoided completely.

Despite its flaws, Shadow Man 2econd Coming will likely manage to draw you in, especially if you can get into the creepy aesthetics and earnestly engaging story. It gets pretty heavy and biblical rather quickly, but it's definitely several cuts above the typical video game narrative in terms of character development and thematic depth. There's also quite a bit of gore and several four-letter words spread throughout, so kiddies beware.

While Shadow Man 2 was initially perceived by many as an excellent upcoming title, unfortunately, like so many games have done in the past, its hype prior to release did nothing but make the overall product more disappointing. While the game does hit some good notes in the sound category, the overall experience is just too heavily plagued with downfalls -- the gameplay and graphics most notably -- that it results in a second-rate action game and a rental at absolute best.

Shadow Man 2 could yield 30-40 hours of gameplay from beginning to end. Superior gamers may get it finished within twenty. However, apart from its actual length, the game’s bad points can make the whole experience seem much longer. Is it more fun than the original? Yes, but only a bit. There is also that sense of confusion between objectives (huh? What do I do?), and once you do know what it is you’re supposed to be doing you’ll spend a lot of time figuring out details. It’s as if most of the objectives were deliberately hidden to pad out the adventure longer than it should have been.

If you enjoy run-jump-fight adventure games, then Shadow Man 2 makes a good one-time rental. However, in the final tally of adventure games, this one remains in the shadows.

Shadowman provides solid hours of gameplay but getting there seems like more effort than it’s worth that fun factor seem rather non existent. To consider this even a rental is a stretch even if the dark theme interests anyone. Shadowman is nothing more than a computer with all the hardware removed and like it’s theme will just sit in the dark collecting dust

If anything can be learned from playing this game, its that while certain titles can be described as boring, there are others that succeed in going beyond that term, becoming actual drags for anyone who wishes to try them out. Shadow Man 2 belongs to the latter group, for it offers no satisfaction nor is it fun to play. It will only leave players feeling as if they had just been wasting their time or they had been cheated out of money.