Shadow Warrior

You know, when I first heard that there is going to be a remake of "Shadow Warrior" game, which was one of my favorite FPS games in the 90s. Dynamic, cool and satisfying. So, the "remake" so to say, was inevitable.

The game plot holds pretty much the same stuff from the original. Lo Wang is a leading hero, Zilla is the main villain of the story, and of course, it is about Zilla's betrayal. So, Lo Wang is again on its own to save the world from Zilla and his supernatural armies. The story is basically, re-told and it has some new characters. In the original we had Wang, Zilla, Master Leap, bosses, enemies and some irrelevant chicks. Here we have characters that, OK, thanks to the new engines, AI and graphics which are far more developed. I would like to refer to Hoji, a demon that shares a bond with you and serves as your guide and a sarcastic friend, he can be annoying from time to time, though he can be also funny. We also have bosses, mafia bosses and some girl assassins, which does not serve too much to the story, nor are that much developed.

About the gameplay, design etc... The game visually looks very good. The level designs are good, with great lighting, decent graphics, sound design and character and weapons are design is also great. The avatar screen is good, and with your inventory and skills menu. Now, the changes are that Lo Wang can upgrade himself and his weapons. During your gameplay, you can open the menu and do the upgrades. This is a pretty interesting idea, but it is an already used cliché and it is a tiny but frustrating. But, better to upgrade yourself. You know why? Because enemies are really tough. Now, this is the weakest point in the game, there are certain parts of the levels in which you have to clean the entire area, so that you can proceed to the next one. That really looks like that Serious Sam crap, you know? Clear an entire big area, or you can't go anywhere. OK, areas here are smaller, but the enemies are insanely tough. Even on easy mode, they are really hard and you will die often and waste your ammo. So, it is better to keep upgrading yourself. And the result is - it gets really tiresome. The jokes are nothing special, I found stereotypes more funnier in the original, but here, I wasn't that impressed. Voice actors are pretty good. The actor who voiced Hoji was really good and entertaining. I didn't like the voice for Lo Wang that much, I expected to be more like in the original, not stereotypical, but to keep the manly, growling voice with little accent.

Overall, the game is actually pretty entertaining and enjoyable in visuals. But, the real problem is tough enemies and that long and tiresome area clearing. I do recommend it, but prepare for those tiresome parts.

I was lucky enough to download this game on my Xbox when it was part of the Games With Gold some time ago, and I did enjoy it.

Basically a remake of a first person shooter from 1997, Shadow Warrior puts you in the role of Lo Wang, a hit man working for Japanese industrial magnate Orochi Zilla. He is sent with two millions dollars to purchase a sword known as the Nobitsura Kage from collector Mizayaki. However, Wang uses force when Mizayaki refuses to sell, only to end up being captured. However, he is freed when demons begin to overrun the compound, and making a deal with Hoji, a demon who sared a bong with Mizayaki before the latter is killed, Wang has to collect the three pieces of the sword,

So basically, this is a good reboot. The game is basically a first person shooter, but the main difference is the katana, your melee weapon, is more focused on, as the game allows you to learn attacks with that that can attack, as well as destroy statues that block the path ahead. You also collect different firearms as you progress through the game, from the typical revolver to the well-known shotgun, to even a flamethrower and rocket launcher, all of which can be upgraded by spending money collected throughout the game, with ammo also being bought as well as found in levels.

Like in the classic Shadow Warrior, there are secret areas that contain items, some of them being Ki Crystals which can be used to learn new powers, and karma, which is gained by killing enemies and collecting a hidden item, which grants Karma Points when enough is amassed, which is used to learn new skills, including increases to health and stamina.

The game has a good story, and the humor is nice, but one problem I have is that it is actually easy to get lost in certain levels. Sometimes, after finishing off a horde of enemies, I find myself trying to figure out how to move forward, as while the game has doors and switches flashing to show where to go next, you have to find them. Also, be prepared, as the game does have some tough spots that will test your skill. However, if you are looking for an FPS that is different from the usual Call of Duty flare, Shadow Warrior is worth checking out.

You are the top hit-man for the Zilla Corporation. Demons start invading Earth. It is up to you to retrieve the powerful Nobitsura Kage, a sword. Barely anything happens. There's almost no real plot here. There is backstory, and it is revealed almost entirely in exposition dumps. However, it is actually interesting. It involves half a dozen Ancients, including the ruler of the Shadow Realm where this starts, and the hordes are coming from. You know what happened almost right from the start. As you learn more, you come to understand why everyone did what they specifically did, and what it was like for them. And this has an ending, closure. There are elements that are clearly just setup for the next one. Which is happening, since this did well. Because if not, we wouldn't. But they don't take over here, and everything that matters is gone into. It could be less confusing, more engaging, less self-indulgent and told more fluidly. Cutscenes are in-engine POV and simple yet vivid animation of ancient scrolls. You are Lo Wang(Liebrecht, arrogant) and you're unwillingly partnered with Hoji(Dobrenko, eager). Both speak sarcasm fluently, and refuse to shut up. That gets old almost immediately. The latter was banished, with no memory of why. You need a guide, he can't interact with anything on this world. Not many are named, and you don't really wish there were more.

This took me 12 and a half hours. I experienced essentially all the content in minutes. It's repetitive and shallow. And also incredibly enjoyable. You will, as I did, spend almost all of this time using your katana to chop individual limbs off. They may live, and come at you, even crawling, zombie-style! You can thus take away their dominant hand, and thus their weapon and/or shield. This is tremendously easy and you can sleepwalk through it. Point in the right direction and click Attack a lot. You are hardly ever forced to use anything else. The rest of your arsenal is fine. Akimbo SMGs. Multi-barrel shotgun. Remote detonation sticky charge crossbow. Fire-bombing flamethrower. Laser pointer guided rocket launcher. That these are not as fun as they sound is an area where this fails.

Another reason you stay close-range in this is the Powers. Hold up Defense. Trap a handful of them. Shockwave. Heal at will. Actually, there are a lot of options for that kind of thing. Send out an arc of energy. Got a problem? Take a Stab at it. To unlock and upgrade those requires points, and this hands those out to you like candy. Well, outside of the Money for the weapons. Don't waste those. You might think you can't, going by the other two. It does kill the pace to deal with these, when, really, it could have just given you a quick multiple choice thing at those times. Yes, tapping a direction and then clicking and/or holding and releasing either mouse 1 or 2 can be awkward, and some find it straining on the wrists. I can't say: the damage is done, I've had mild carpal tunnel for years, and so never play for very long in one sitting.

This is visually impressive. While the graphics vary, they're never less than great, and can be excellent. This has beautiful sights, such as the breathtaking vistas. All designs are varied. Yes, the enemies largely use melee against you, and are almost exclusively humanoid. Still, they all look distinctly differently. Some partially glow green. Orange or yellow that burns. Not grey, bland or forgettable. Some can block, teleport, turn invisible, take you on from range, even fly. Rarely are you forced to sheathe your tool. Sometimes at glitches that prevent them from closing in on you. There are a few humans, shooting or fencing.

Tasks are straight-forward, and, as all else interactive in this, lack variety. Key-hunt and press buttons to turn bridges, raise and/or lower cranes, activate elevators, etc. Physics are at times slow to respond, with a fraction of a second of a delay. That's sadly enough to take us out of it. There are a handful of minor jumping puzzles, and nothing else of that type. This is enormously smooth. You can toss infinite Shurikens. They're not that effective. I mean, they do almost nothing to hurt. And they auto-aim, ricochet and the like. So they don't go straight when you want to use them like that, for setting off explosive environment hazards. Anything that looks like it could go off... vehicle, obviously gas tanks, etc. They use up Stamina. Almost nothing else does. Really, only Sprint, or for shorter and not merely Forward, Dash. Those are very useful. Keep away from danger. That includes facing the huge, 100s of metres tall boss fights. Those do get bogged down in tedium and grinding, as mini ones do, as well.

This isn't going to get you to come back. You can get and do almost anything you want on just one playthrough. It does help that there are 4 difficulty settings, with one additional you get upon completion. There's also a New Game + mode where you get to keep all you earned. And what you were just given for participating. You can save anytime, except for maybe right in the thick of it. Just get a few seconds between you and the dozens of them that you will often face down. There are cute nods to its source with textures and audio for the at times ill-hidden secrets. Arcade machines with titles by the developers or publishers. Levels are too open, leading to annoying backtracking, finding lots of dead ends. Good thing the door you need to take will always very clearly glow. You only have an issue whenever you can't see that, or it isn't about finding and going through it.

Constant violence: present. I recommend this to any fan of FPS'. 90's ones as well as modern ones that are throwbacks to those. 6/10