This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Shadow the Hedgehog for PlayStation 2
Shadow the Hedgehog for PlayStation 2 is a three-dimensional action platformer in which Sonic's black rival takes the leading role. Shadow searches for answers about his past while the Black Arms attack Earth. You run through ruined cities, leap across gaps and follow rails through the surroundings. In each level you choose which mission to complete. Reaching the goal, defeating alien enemies or fighting G.U.N. can send the story in a different direction.
Alongside jumping and fast attacks, Shadow uses firearms and vehicles he finds. You therefore need to remember not only a route through the level, but also targets and available ammunition. Your actions fill a heroic or dark gauge. These temporarily unlock Chaos Control or Chaos Blast. The former helps with speed and time, while the latter produces a powerful explosion. Choosing the right moment prevents you from rushing past important objectives.
Different routes and outcomes make replaying part of the design. You can revisit completed levels for a better rank or hidden keys. Alongside the story is a separate two-player split-screen battle, requiring a DualShock 2 controller for each player. This is the original 2005 PlayStation 2 game, not Shadow Generations or a collection of modern Sonic titles.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Shadow the Hedgehog for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Shadow the Hedgehog
Sega released Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The game came from the American branch of Sonic Team, which had also worked on earlier three-dimensional Sonic adventures. Shadow had appeared in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2 as Sonic's counterpart. His origins and memories left enough unanswered questions for an adventure in which he was no longer merely a second main character.
The team retained familiar elements such as rings, jumping attacks, high speed and rails. The standalone game added firearms, controllable vehicles and branching missions. One area could therefore have different objectives. Your actions determined not just a score, but also which next step in the story became available. That structure encouraged repeated visits and made the choice between different sides visible in your progress.
Within the Sonic series, the game stands out through its heavier weapons and wartime setting. On PlayStation 2, it belongs to the original generation of console versions and shares its basic design with the other 2005 home-console releases. Later games starring Shadow are separate productions with different levels and systems. This disc preserves the experiment in which a familiar supporting character found his own direction and players could explore several possible answers about his past.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog combine rings, speed and three-dimensional routes on PlayStation 2. In Sonic Heroes you switch between three characters with different functions within a team. Shadow focuses on one main character, found weapons and missions that change what follows. You therefore spend less time choosing who solves an obstacle and more time choosing which side you support during a level.
Sonic Riders uses the same colourful world on PlayStation 2, but turns speed into a race on hovering boards. Corners, air supply and your opponents' positions determine your pace. Shadow the Hedgehog divides its action between platforming routes, combat and story choices. Both require knowledge of a course, but in Shadow an additional mission can matter more than reaching the finish as quickly as possible.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc shares Shadow's alternation between platforming and combat on PlayStation 2. Temporary powers help Rayman overcome particular obstacles and enemies. Shadow also uses firearms and vehicles and connects objectives to different story paths. Rayman's adventure follows a more clearly fixed sequence; in Shadow, your chosen mission helps determine which location and event come next.
Psychonauts and Shadow the Hedgehog use special powers in a three-dimensional platform adventure on PlayStation 2. Psychonauts builds its areas around different characters' minds and gives exploration and conversation considerable space. Shadow emphasises speed, fighting and alternative missions. Both reward looking around again, but their worlds provide a different reason and a different pace for doing so.
Crash Twinsanity takes you through connected platforming areas on PlayStation 2 and regularly uses cooperation with Cortex. Shadow the Hedgehog organises its action into levels with different possible mission objectives. Both alternate fast movement with precise jumps. Crash mainly uses physical comedy and set situations, while Shadow connects its armed combat to a branching story.
