Shadow Warrior Review - Slice Up Some Demons

[WMDogma]

Shadow Warrior Review - Slice Up Some Demons

Why use a machine gun when a katana is so much cooler?

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[FogHornG36]

Seems like there is less wang then in the original.

 

[Stabby Joe]

While I pre-ordered I going to have to wait for a short period for outside reasons. Good to know the sword play is key, most games give you a melee weapon as an option but of course it's not encouraged due to being too vulnerable with little payoff.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Carpenter]

While I pre-ordered I going to have to wait for a short period for outside reasons. Good to know the sword play is key, most games give you a melee weapon as an option but of course it's not encouraged due to being too vulnerable with little payoff.

Looking forward to it!

Yeah that is the kind of thing I wish more games would try. Having one weapon (especially a katana) be the main focus really gives you room to have some awesome things. I mean think of all the stuff you can do with a katana (in a fantasy fiction setting anyways) that you can't do in games where it just boils down to "press button to swing sword"

 

[Rad Party God]

Good review, although I'll take with a grain of salt the part about key hunting and finding out where to go next, that definitely sounds like a throwback to '97, but it doesn't sound as bad as it looks... I mean, we're so used to get our hands held this generation that a game like this sounds incredibly refreshing.

I definitely need to check it out, I absolutely loved the '97 game and I actually played it in DOS back in the day (I liked it even more than Duke Nukem in fact...). So yeah, great review, sounds like a nice little game to play over a weekend.

BTW, how much does it last?, I'm not expecting a long and epic adventure, but it's nice to plan accordingly before playing it.

 

[Hawkeye21]

Been playing this for the last four hours, have to say I am having waaaaay too much fun with Wang. Level design is indeed reminiscent of the 90s, but in a good way, rewarding exploration by moneys and secrets. Weapons are just awesome to use, and katana is simply insane. Combat is absolutely the best part of this game, while humor is hit and miss sometimes. I would say this is the most fun FPS I've played in a while, IMHO more fun than original was.

 

[romxxii]

I played for about an hour, just to try things out. Sword combat is enjoyable, although the karma scoring system seems to prefer you switch between sword and gun rather than stick to the one. It's a bit frustrating to circle strafe around a bunch of opponents, chopping limbs and whatnot, only to get a two out of five shuriken.

Still, I never expected the swordplay to be as enjoyable as it is. Watching other people play, it seemed clunky. When you're actually playing though, it's tense, exciting, and very rewarding. Plus, the special moves are relatively easy to pull off.

As someone sick and tired of the Modern Military spunkgargleweewee, I'm thankful for this, and Serious Sam, and Hard Reset.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I need Wang >>

But ya...looks better than Halo 4 or any other tried and shallow AAA game.

Also is it me or is the captcha not showing up right half the time?

 

[Worgen]

Good review, although I'll take with a grain of salt the part about key hunting and finding out where to go next, that definitely sounds like a throwback to '97, but it doesn't sound as bad as it looks... I mean, we're so used to get our hands held this generation that a game like this sounds incredibly refreshing.

I definitely need to check it out, I absolutely loved the '97 game and I actually played it in DOS back in the day (I liked it even more than Duke Nukem in fact...). So yeah, great review, sounds like a nice little game to play over a weekend.

BTW, how much does it last?, I'm not expecting a long and epic adventure, but it's nice to plan accordingly before playing it.

I got it and I've beaten the first 3 chapters and each one took me about an hour to beat, there are 18 chapters total. So if the length lasts then I'm expecting a nice long game. Also its awesome.

This is how you make an old school game for todays world. 'Duke Nukem Forever' should have been what 'Shadow Warrior' is.

 

[FrozenCones]

I have one question and its an absolute deal breaker. Does "sticky bomb like you?"

 

[Stabby Joe]

This is how you make an old school game for todays world. 'Duke Nukem Forever' should have been what 'Shadow Warrior' is.

Which is funny when you think about it as Shadow Warrior was seen as the lesser of the two, with Duke becoming the popular face in gaming since the 90s...

...and yet Lo Wang's new game blows Duke's right out of the water.

 

[Worgen]

I have one question and its an absolute deal breaker. Does "sticky bomb like you?"

Yes, but now its on a crossbow.

This is how you make an old school game for todays world. 'Duke Nukem Forever' should have been what 'Shadow Warrior' is.

Which is funny when you think about it as Shadow Warrior was seen as the lesser of the two, with Duke becoming the popular face in gaming since the 90s...

...and yet Lo Wang's new game blows Duke's right out of the water.

Part of the reason that the original Shadow Warrior was seen as a lesser was probably because it was pretty damn racist and some of the level design was kinda crappy or really boring. I remember being stuck in weird canyon areas that were just a pain in the butt to navigate and they looked really bad.

 

[Moeez]

...the levels themselves, ranging from serene Japanese shrines to gritty industrial buildings, can become slightly maze-like in their design. On more than a few occasions you'll be wishing that the level designers included a few more landmarks to make them easier to navigate or at least a minimap to help you get around. You'll occasionally find yourself needlessly backtracking in the hopes that you didn't accidentally overlook something vital to your current objective or the glow of a door that leads to the next section. Plus, (in what is likely another throw back to shooters of the 90's), many of the levels send you off in a key hunt to pick up a set of padlock keys or smash a colored shrine in order to open a door elsewhere in the level. In concert with the awkwardly designed level sections, Shadow Warrior can become annoyingly repetitive during these parts, but thankfully you won't lose more than a few minutes trying to figure them out.

"Maze-like" and "needless backtracking" have suddenly become negatives for a modern FPS' level design? God forbid, a developer wants you to explore a level...

That's what is wrong with this CoD generation.

 

[hazabaza1]

...the levels themselves, ranging from serene Japanese shrines to gritty industrial buildings, can become slightly maze-like in their design. On more than a few occasions you'll be wishing that the level designers included a few more landmarks to make them easier to navigate or at least a minimap to help you get around. You'll occasionally find yourself needlessly backtracking in the hopes that you didn't accidentally overlook something vital to your current objective or the glow of a door that leads to the next section. Plus, (in what is likely another throw back to shooters of the 90's), many of the levels send you off in a key hunt to pick up a set of padlock keys or smash a colored shrine in order to open a door elsewhere in the level. In concert with the awkwardly designed level sections, Shadow Warrior can become annoyingly repetitive during these parts, but thankfully you won't lose more than a few minutes trying to figure them out.

"Maze-like" and "needless backtracking" have suddenly become negatives for a modern FPS' level design? God forbid, a developer wants you to explore a level...

That's what is wrong with this CoD generation.

I don't have a problem with "maze-like" but "needless backtracking" pretty clearly has a negative. It's needless. Like, there's no extra exploring to something when it's needless, it's just going back and forth.

Can't speak for the game myself, but if you're going to have backtracking, give it a point. Switch some of the map up, add something unique, but if it's actually needless then yes it's a negative, no matter the genre.

 

[Sartan0]

I am also loving some Wang! Played through the first level last night and had a blast! Getting to actually explore a bit was refreshing and due to playing it at PAX Prime I know the amazing variety of weapons I have to look forward to.

If the game is indeed over fifteen hours I will be very pleased indeed seeing as I pre-ordered it at the last minute and got it for under $35 at GoG's. Not to mention I am used to finding almost everything in so called "modern" games and I only found half the secrets in the first level. Something tells me I will be playing back through on the highest difficulty level hunting for all the secrets once I finish this game up. That takes me back in a good way.

I personally would recommend this game to anyone who played games in the 90's and anyone who wants to take a break from the gritty "reality" of "modern" games. Not to mention people who like exploring and searching everything.

 

[Carpenter]

...the levels themselves, ranging from serene Japanese shrines to gritty industrial buildings, can become slightly maze-like in their design. On more than a few occasions you'll be wishing that the level designers included a few more landmarks to make them easier to navigate or at least a minimap to help you get around. You'll occasionally find yourself needlessly backtracking in the hopes that you didn't accidentally overlook something vital to your current objective or the glow of a door that leads to the next section. Plus, (in what is likely another throw back to shooters of the 90's), many of the levels send you off in a key hunt to pick up a set of padlock keys or smash a colored shrine in order to open a door elsewhere in the level. In concert with the awkwardly designed level sections, Shadow Warrior can become annoyingly repetitive during these parts, but thankfully you won't lose more than a few minutes trying to figure them out.

"Maze-like" and "needless backtracking" have suddenly become negatives for a modern FPS' level design? God forbid, a developer wants you to explore a level...

That's what is wrong with this CoD generation.

Watch it, that could get you banned apparently.

Just kidding.

But seriously I'm not going to shut up about this. What about my two posts was worthy of removal and the threat of banning? I know it's been like this for a while but enforcing an unspoken rule that you are not allowed to speak negatively about anything Escapist does sets a pretty disturbing precedent.

The site prides itself on reviews and criticism and constantly promotes the idea that if you create something open to the public, you need to be open to criticism.

It's their site, it's their right to ban any users that speak ill of their content, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

 

[Lugbzurg]

I started playing Shadow Warrior: Classic Redux recently. It's a rerelease of the original 1997 game with enhanced visuals and a couple expansion packs. I've gotta say that I'm lovin' it! If the reboot is still retaining its colors, humor, and exploration, then I'm all for this! I'll be sure to pick it up sometime!

Also, no, Shadow Warrior is not racist. It's as much of a stereotypical parody as Duke Nukem 3D. If you're gonna call that "racist", it only makes sense to say the same about Duke Nukem 3D, since it did the exact same thing.

Capcha: "What is the Energizer Max brand slogan?"
How the heck am I supposed to know!? I think we could really do without capchas like this one.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I've only gotten through the first big boss, but damn, I'm loving this game.

I honestly didn't think the first game was that funny. Not because it was "racist" or whatever, I just thought Lo Wang and his one-liners wore thin pretty quick, and they just came too damn often. In this one, they are used much more sparingly and are generally a lot more entertaining.

I think they did a way better job in this one of giving the enemies a feeling of being demonic Japanese themed enemies, as opposed to the somewhat random enemy collection from the original Shadow Warrior.

The weapons are great so far, and I love the upgrade options available. I'm not huge on the whole "you can buy ammo at any time" thing, but oh well.

The sheer amount of character upgrades, and the usefulness of the powers you get, really shocked me. I thought they would just be little add-ons, but they really are an integral part of the game, and there's a ton of them. I also love how you really do have to use your sword in this one, whereas in the first one it was basically worthless.

 

[Weaver]

I'm loving this game so far.
I'd probably give it a near perfect score just because it's so bloody fun.

If you value fun in your games, this is the game for you.
The voice acting can be bad, the writing is stupid, the plot is dumb; but holy crap is it fun.

 

[romxxii]

Can't speak for the game myself, but if you're going to have backtracking, give it a point. Switch some of the map up, add something unique, but if it's actually needless then yes it's a negative, no matter the genre.

I think he was just direct-quoting the author. I don't feel like any of the backtracking is needless; it's there, but it makes sense in context.

At 8 hours in, only one map really confounded me, the graveyard. All the other maps seem pretty clear cut and easy to navigate, although the game keeps telling me I'm only finding half of the secrets. When the game does force you to go back to an earlier room, the game will spawn some new demons to cut up.