Customer Ratings: 
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This will be brief and to the point as I need to get back to playing the game. Longtime gamers capable of intelligent thought will get everything they need to know out of this review. I'm mostly doing this to counter the 2-star review from the guy that can't appreciate a game if it borrows something from another game. News flash: all games nowadays borrow from previous games. It's inevitable. You shouldn't be criticizing a game for borrowing elements from other games, you should be determining whether or not those elements come together in a way that is awesome and intriguing.
Things I've noticed
+ I'm laughing a lot
+ Feels like a Mikami game (Resident Evil 4, God Hand) perfectly blended with a Suda game (Killer 7, No More Heroes)
+ Soundtrack is pretty damn great (done by Akira Yamaoka who you may recognize as the composer for the Silent Hill games)
+ Gunplay feels excellent, headshots are rewarding and encouraged
+ Garcia is agile, doesn't control like a tank
+ Upgrade system is quick and painless, adds just a touch of an RPG feel to the game
+ There's a merchant that allows you to buy ammo, drinks, and weapon upgrades
+ NO REGENERATING HEALTH (thank god)
+ Campy in the best possible way
+ Spot-on voice acting
+ Lots of nice little touches here and there
Unreal Engine is as bad as it usually is, resulting in lots of texture pop-in, screen-tearing, etc. However, they did the best they could to make this game one of the most colorful Unreal games right up there with Enslaved.
Sometimes weapon switching isn't as responsive as it should be, but this is likely something to do with the engine or the shoddy d-pad on the 360 controller.
Some closing thoughts: Shadows is roughly 10-11 hours long, I imagine it might take you a bit longer depending on how much you die and how much time you spend looking for gems and ammo. Not exactly a difficult game if you've played any of Mikami's previous games. I'm guessing EA had something to do with that. Just play the game on hard and all is remedied, you can even unlock the 'Satanic Hell' mode this way.
This game is absolutely worth your money. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have in the comments and I'll answer.
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I am only a few hours into the game, but I would like to share my initial impressions so far. I will be updating this review once I am completely finished with the game. Let's get started:
First of all, please note that the "top critics" have all been giving disputing scores on this game (IGN 7, Gamespot 8.5, etc). I am pointing this out because so many gamers these days are number slaves. True, there are awful and fantastic games out there, but some games are caught in between; these games are difficult to judge by a number system, and so we need to be careful how to approach them. In the case of Shadows, a number cannot do it justice.
This game is a homage to old school grindfest/horror B movies. It's over-the-top, and it's vulgar. But this game does not bank on these factors alone. The gameplay, atmosphere, and pacing are near perfect in this game. The gameplay resembles RE4, but it is smoother. You are able to dodge enemy attacks quite easily and sprinting out of danger is straightforward. Some reviewers have complaints regarding the shooting. I have no idea where they are coming from because in the options you can change both the AIMING and CAMERA sensitivities. And yes, you have to try to aim for headshots. It is not a game where you spam the gun and expect great results. Please take aim. The atmosphere is another big plus for me. Although the world is quite linear, the overall sense of macabre, dread, and quirkiness flows well in this game. From books read out loud that explains the history of a boss fight you encountered to a cart full of decomposing corpses and dismembered body parts, this game defines itself with a sick style. Additionally, the music in this game is composed by Silent Hill's Yamaoko. It truely fleshes out the dark tone of the atmosphere, and I definately had nostalgia. Simply put, this game has a strong identity and is not ashamed of showing it. Lastly, the pacing of the game is also top-notch. Going from fight to fight is addictive because new variables and challenges are always being thrown into the mix. You need to be quick thinking and have a steady aim if you want to get out alive in these situations. And of course, dispersed within these segments, there are a steady number of cut-scenes and banter between Johnson and Garcia that will push things along.
Other thoughts:
-Graphics are good. They are not the best, but they serve the game well enough and are artistically great
-This is a very violent and vulgar game. Nudity is also included.
-There are many juvenile "dick jokes" and whatnot, but I believe it's critical that they are there. This game does not take itself seriously, and it wants you to know.
I've read many reviews regarding this game, and a lot of people were turned off by its juvenile attempts at humor. But please do not let that scare you off. Don't feel that you are too "mature" or "serious" to enjoy a game and let the game's intentional style cloud your judgement. I am a PhD student in the biomedical sciences. If a "nerdy bookworm" like me is able to appreciate the crudeness of the game (perhaps it's appealing to my inner 12 year old), then I believe many people will also be able to enjoy it. Come into this game with an open mind, and you will not leave dissapointed.
UPDATE:
I just finished the game. I clocked in at 9 hours and 11 minutes at the final save point of the game. This time does not include replaying certain sequences over due to death. Also, I did not rush though the game; I played at a moderate pace searching for upgrades and observing the environments along the way. The game consists of 5 acts with several chapters per act.
Post-game thoughts:
-Fantastic game overall, although there were several spikes in difficulty that lead to some frustrating/cheap deaths
-Using the correct weapons when there were large mixtures of enemies was quite satisfying because the game does not hold your hand stating which weapons will take down which monsters most effeciently
-Puzzles were relatively easy to solve, and they were nice breakups to the shooting
-Upgrade system is good, constant awards and light RPG elements
-Ending was funny, poignant, exciting, completely crazy hopefully there will be a sequel
Previously, I stated that the controls were very fluid. I still agree for the most part; however, there were parts during the game that I wished the controls were tighter.
Ultimately, this is a great game. I wish there was a New Game+ mode because it is well worth it to go through it again.
Best Deals for Shadows of the Damned - Xbox 360
I picked this game up on the cheap, and honestly wasn't expecting very much. I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Shadows of the damned is a well made, highly enjoyable, and extremely raunchy romp through the underworld in pursuit of your girlfriend, Paula. I want to be very clear when I say that this game has raunchy humor. This is not a children's game and the content reflects this. If you dislike constant phallic references than this is definitely not the game for you. For everyone who isn't going to let a little raunch get in the way of their fun, you are in for a treat.
You play as Garcia Hotspur, demon hunter extraordinaire and his trusty wisecracking sidearm Johnson. Garcia's girlfriend, Paula, has been kidnapped by the lord of darkness and Garcia jumps straight into hell to get her back. Garcia and Johnson are wonderful company. Each are fully fleshed out and have distinct, and engaging personalities. I never got tired of hearing their good natured banter as I played through the wonderfully varied levels.
The world of shadows of the damned are beautifully different. Each stage brings something new to the table meaning that you won't be getting bored. From sides scrolling shooters, to weaving through fruit stands avoiding a masked killer, the game does a great job of keeping things fresh. To address the supposed difficulty of a certain level where you fend off waves of monsters, please don't believe the hype. It took my three tries, and that was only so I could see the humorous cutscenes exclusive to dying in those sections.
If you have ever played resident evil four, the combat system is like that except better. Garcia moves pretty well, but I did find myself wishing his roll had a little more distance to it. You have four weapons: a pistol, machine gun, shotgun, and torch for melee attacks. Don't worry though; after every boss fight you will recieve an upgrade that completely changes the way the weapon works, and always for the better. A warning for all the achievement hunters out there, once a weapon levels up you won't be able to get the achievement for the previous weapon.
Overall this is a fun game. Had this game come out in a different year, one not filled with incredible AAA titles like Arkaham city, Skyrim, and Zelda, maybe Shadows of the damned could have enjoyed more shine, but don't let that stop you from picking up the sleeper hit of the year.
Honest reviews on Shadows of the Damned - Xbox 360
Shadows of the damned is a third-person horror action title developed by Shinji Mikami and Suda51 along with music from Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka and is a truly strange, stand alone title that has earned a merit from me as being one of the best, if not THE best game of 2011. First I will go over the good as I would like this review to be short and to the point without giving anything away.
The Good:
A highly original, colorful experiece from the minds of Suda51 and Shinji Mikami with some unique boss designs and diverse backgrounds
Unusual music that fits with the atmosphere of the game and draws you in
Gameplay similar to Resident Evil 4, and trust me, it's just as addicting
Diverse puzzle sequences never get old, as something new is done each time, building upon the game's light/dark sequences
The Bad:
Repetitive enemy designs, although you don't tend to notice because the gameplay is so fluent and the animations are so well done(Will not be included for score because of personal preference)
Technical mess, with glitches happening throughout, from Garcia floating, cut-scenes skipping, and enemies freezing and doors not opening, however, the glitches aren't frequent and don't take from the overall experience, but they are still apparent
Humor is preferenced, because I personally found many of the jokes to be hilarious, while others were a bit vulgar (Will not count towards score)
Lack of unlockable content
Final Opinion:Shadows of The Damned is one of my favorite games for the Xbox 360 to date, and if you don't have a problem with sexual humor, nudity,lack of extra content, or slightly repetitive enemy designs, you should fall in love with it as well. The gameplay and boss designs are the highlights although the story and cutscenes don't deserve to be overlooked either. All in all, I'd say buy it especially at the price it's going for now.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shadows of the Damned - Xbox 360
The overall ratings for this game are spot on--this is a four star game. This isn't a big budget, high production value game, but that's okay because the game is still very fun to play if you come in with moderate expectations. The graphics are average, the color palette, very limited; the controls are fine for the most part but gets sticky at times. The game could have come out a few years ago because there isn't any innovation here. The deal-breaker for some will be the aiming mechanic. Like others have mentioned, this feels like Resident Evil 5 and it feels like you're aiming with a telescope. I don't expect auto assist with my aiming in these types of game, but they could have made it more like the Dead Space series which would have been great. Head shots are cool to pull off, but you'll be spraying bullets more often than not than pulling off precise shots. I'll also note that the "zombies" in this game are of the slow, clumsy variety rather than the ones on speed like in Left for Dead. As long as you're in constant motion in this game they'll inexplicably miss you. I played this game on normal and it was rather easy because you can basically walk/run circles around everyone. The boss battles aren't the best and are equally as easy, but they are long and dragged out. There are also health drinks you can buy at about every turn and you'll have stockpiles of currency to load up on them. There's also some side-scrolling sections, but nothing worth mentioning except that they exist. The journey will last about 8 hours or so and there is no game+ so I'll leave it to you whether it's a rental or low price pickup.
Now, it sounds like I'm negative on this game, but I'm not. I just want to set appropriate expectations. The game does a great job of creating urgency and tenseness by the use of the darkness. Your energy drains after a few seconds in the dark so you'll constantly be under duress to flip the switch back on. But there are times, you'll need to be in the dark to solve puzzles or defeat bosses so you'll have to do this tap dance going into light and dark to avoid having your energy depleted.
And I still haven't touched upon the d*ck jokes yet. The extent of your enjoyment with this game will be measured by whether you feel the pubescent humor and dialogue add to the charm of this game or is a major detraction. If you find yourself rolling your eyes more than chuckling at the game's attempts at humor, then this will be a forgettable title for you. If you view it as a late night B horror movie, you may just have a good time. All it's missing is Elvira doing the commentary.
