I think it's a cute little game. I wouldn't pay money for it but I have a feeling most of its exposure came from the rereleases anyway, so I can't even imagine the "I got so ripped off!" sentiment applying to most people. I find most of the 8-bit games pretty mediocre though. I think that Triple Trouble manages to be one of the most overrated games in this series. Sonic 1 was the only 8-bit game I really enjoyed and I don't know how much that perspective would change if I were to replay it.
Most fans who tout Labyrinth as at the worst thing ever are barely old enough to have grown up with the Advance games, and likely even the Rush games. They probably just saw Labyrinth show up in a list of Top 10 Worst Sonic Games from a writer who hadn't even played 10 Sonic games and just accepted it at that. It's easy to think Labyrinth it's really bad based solely on the concept. But in reality, it's just a bit dull and kinda short at worst. Otherwise it's a cute and harmless little distraction.
I'm not going to deny part of Shadow's appeal is that he's edgy Sonic, but I don't agree that it's his core appeal. If that's all it was, his game would have been popular regardless of the writing issues...ya know, like SA2? Which also has nonsensical writing, but the overall message for Shadow is resonate with people? The appeal of Shadow's game is almost entirely in meme culture. People riff on the game because of how over the top and try hard it is in its attempts to make Shadow look like a badass. Its a 14 year olds attempt at being "edgy", which is just inherently funny and prime parody material. But I don't really know anyone that unironically thinks Shadow's game was good. And it has in fact had negative repercussions for how his character has been perceived in the greater community. So yes, while being an edgy Sonic is part of his appeal, its only substantiated by the tragic circumstances that led to his "edgy" attitude to begin with. Its why his current interpretations are so divisive within the community, because they miss the fact that Shadow has more to him than simply being Sonic's edgy rival.
The contemporary reviews at the time it was released slated it. It legitimely 'is' the worst reviewed Sonic game of all time. I've done the stats: (When) Did Sonic Games Stop Being Good? - YouTube (that said - it's also the least reviewed Sonic game, 90% of outlets that covered the main titles just ignored this one). So the big difference is - Labyrinth was always a nearly insignificant spin off, side story, handheld, minor release. It's got only marginally more legitimacy than Tails Skypatrol. It's harmless by definition as it comes from an era of cheap cash grabs that were on store shelves for about 6 months then dissapeared into the ether, destined to be forgotten. I'd agree though The competing games for franchise dissapointments are big, mainline (or at least prominent) titles.
Great post, and I'll watch the video later. The point is that Labyrinth is insignificant. Even 8f you do think it's God awful, it's a game that just never mattered. It surprises me that people have still heard of it.
But Shadow's game was popular though, as I said in my post. I don't know, I have friends who enjoy Shadow's game. And honestly, I think it's stayed a meme because people enjoy it on some level. In the modern internet, memes are how people show they like something. It's gone from spiteful memes to positive memes over how campy the game is. Meanwhile Forces doesn't get a lot of memes made from it because there's almost no appeal to it. And I do agree his current interpretations suck. I don't think Shadow should have zero backstory whatsoever. That being said, the fact that he only exists to build up Sonic isn't helping. SA2 - 06 Shadow, for all his problems, made him feel impactful, because he was either the villain or a main protagonist, while now he's just kinda...there to make Sonic look better. His personality is turned from something appealing to a detriment, with him being responsible for Infinite's madness in Forces, or the shit he pulled in IDW.
As someone who never hated the game as much as most people, it does have some charm in its earnest attempts at being edgy. Its so committed to being edgy that it loops back to being kind of cool. They started to downplay him because he was starting to eclipse Sonic as the focal character of the series. Whenever Shadow was in a main game in that time period, he was always getting shit done while Sonic was just fucking around. It's kind of the inevitable result when you have a character who's every bit as capable as the protagonist, but is far more proactive about it. So they had to downplay him to edgy ineffectual rival to let Sonic shine again. But now he has no other purpose other than to make Sonic look good, which undermines his whole character arc. Oops. Personally I think they should just bite the bullet and make him a protagonist again. If they're that afraid he'll overshadow Sonic, then just give him his own franchise to fuck off to. He somehow still ends up with significant focus in Forces and they had shove him to the side so that Sonic and the Avatar could take center stage.
Shadow is a game I'm very confused by. On one hand, I think it's absolutely hilarious and don't mind it as a mindless run-and-shoot game. On the other hand, everything about it tonally feels so intensely wrong that once I stop laughing I get incredibly confused.
Guys, you're missing the forest for the trees. The real tragedy of his character is that even after the events of ShtH he can't trust his own memories. He was wrong once (revenge!!!!1) and can't afford that again. His mission is to learn about the world, and not about Maria, the ARK, G.U.N., the Black Arms or Gerald. That's how cool he is.
I don't think I've seen anyone talking about who Shadow should be doing. That's a debate only true connoisseurs can partake in.
I've never been a fan of furry Sonic but I especially hate how they add fur to the skin areas and even make it skin-colored. And how pointy his shoes are. I guess that's an unpopular opinion.
Even more than the fur, what I really dislike about this render is Sonic's eyes. The separation between them is so wide and round. It doesn't look good.
he should be doing sonic, sonadow 4 life He looks pretty nice tbh. This was obviously a test render scrapped together for a concept, but with more polish and more flattering lighting I could definitely see this looking a lot better, it’s a neat idea.
