The Shadow (video game)

Last updated
The Shadow
The Shadow box art.jpg
Preliminary North American SNES cover art
Developer(s) Ocean Software
Publisher(s) Ocean Software
Designer(s) Brian Flanagan
Ivan Davies
Programmer(s) Robbie Tinman
Artist(s) Mark Povey
Martin McDonald
Matthew Wood
Composer(s) Jonathan Dunn
Series The Shadow
Platform(s) Atari Jaguar CD
Sega Genesis
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
ReleaseUnreleased
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

The Shadow is a video game based on the 1994 Universal film of the same name. [1] [2] [3] [4] It was planned for release in 1994 on the Super NES, alongside other systems, but was canceled.

Contents

Gameplay

The Shadow battles various enemies in the game. SNES The Shadow.png
The Shadow battles various enemies in the game.

The gameplay is similar to other Beat 'em up games such as Final Fight or Double Dragon , where the player controls The Shadow through several levels (including streets, museums, carnivals and laboratories) fighting against several enemies, such as hoodlums, Mongol Warriors, scientists, security guards and sailors. [5] The player has two bars; one is the life bar and a bar that allows the player to perform special attacks (invisibility, speed running, a dome shield that knocks out everyone who hits it). The regular beat 'em up levels also include a section for gun play, where the player is able to shoot enemies. It also contains a driving stage where The Shadow battles Mongols on motorbikes (Maritech Labs).

Plot

The game roughly follows the plot of the movie, where The Shadow battles crime in New York city, until he is confronted by the evil mastermind Shiwan Khan. Khan intends to use an atomic bomb to blow up the city, culminating in a showdown at the hidden Hotel Monolith.

Development

A video game version of The Shadow for the SNES was developed to tie in with the film, [6] [7] but after the low box office gross, was never released despite being completed. [8]

A version of the game was also being developed and planned to be published by Ocean Software for the Atari Jaguar CD as one of the first games announced for the then-upcoming add-on, however, development on the port was scrapped in favor of creating a conversion of Lobo , an unreleased fighting game based on the DC Comics character of the same name that was also in development by Ocean. [9] [10] [11] [12] A Sega Genesis port was also planned but never released as well. [13] [14] [15]

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the SNES version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "The Shadow boils down to a 'take-it-or-leave-it' no-brainer of a title". [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zoop</i> Puzzle video game published by Viacom in 1995

Zoop is a puzzle video game originally developed by Hookstone Productions and published by Viacom New Media for many platforms in 1995. It has some similarities to Taito's 1989 arcade game Plotting but Zoop runs in real-time instead.

<i>Soccer Kid</i>

Soccer Kid is a 1993 side-scrolling platform video game originally developed and published by Krisalis Software in Europe for the Amiga. In the game, players assume the role of the titular main protagonist who travels across several countries around the world in order to repair the World Cup by retrieving pieces that were scattered by the alien pirate Scab, the main antagonist who failed to steal and add it to his trophy collection in a robbery attempt. Its gameplay mainly consists of platforming and exploration elements, with a main single-button or two-button configuration, depending on the controls setup.

<i>Aero the Acro-Bat</i>

Aero the Acro-Bat is a 1993 video game developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Sunsoft. It was released for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. Aero the Acro-Bat, a red anthropomorphic bat, was created by David Siller. In 2002, Metro 3D released a version of the game for the Game Boy Advance, with a battery back-up. The GBA version was titled Aero The Acro-Bat - Rascal Rival Revenge in Europe and Acrobat Kid in Japan. The SNES version of the game was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in the PAL region on July 23 and in North America on July 26, 2010.

<i>The Humans</i> (video game)

The Humans is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga on May 1992. It was later ported to other home computers and consoles. The goal of the game varies per level but usually revolves around bringing at least one of the player-controlled humans to the designated end area marked by a colored tile. Doing this requires players taking advantage of the tribe's ability to build a human ladder and use tools such as spears, torches, wheels, ropes and a witch doctor in later levels.

<i>Primal Rage</i> 1994 arcade video game

Primal Rage is a versus fighting game developed and released by Atari Games to arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven large beasts that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced.

<i>Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure</i> 1994 video game

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a side-scrolling action-platform video game developed by Activision in conjunction with Kroyer Films and originally published for the Sega Genesis on North America and Europe in 1994. The fourth installment in the Pitfall! franchise, players assume the role of Pitfall Harry Junior as he embarks on a journey through the Mayan jungles of Central America in an attempt to rescue Pitfall Harry, his father and main protagonist of previous entries in the series, from the evil Mayan warrior spirit named Zakelua. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and platforming mixed with stage-based exploration using a main six-button configuration.

<i>Legend</i> (1994 video game)

Legend is a side-scrolling hack and slash beat 'em up video game developed by Arcade Zone and originally published in North America by Seika Corporation on April 1994 and later in Europe by Sony Electronic Publishing on December 21 of the same year for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first game to be solely developed by the duo of Carlo Perconti and Lyes Belaidouni at Arcade Zone, who both would later go on to found Toka and HyperDevbox Japan respectively.

<i>Barkley Shut Up and Jam!</i> 1993 basketball video game

Barkley Shut Up and Jam! is a basketball video game originally developed and published by Accolade for the Sega Genesis on North America in 1993 and later in Europe on April 1994. It is the first entry in the Barkley Shut Up and Jam series, featuring former NBA MVP Charles Barkley prominently and as one of the playable characters.

<i>Troy Aikman NFL Football</i>

Troy Aikman NFL Football is an american football video game originally developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System first in North America on August 1994. Officially licensed from the National Football League, it prominently features former NFL player Troy Aikman, who became the first member of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys to have his namesake in a game, followed by his teammate Emmitt Smith in Emmitt Smith Football.

<i>Vortex</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Vortex is a 3D shooter game developed by Argonaut Software and released by Electro Brain for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in September 1994. Titled Citadel during development, it is one of a few games designed to use the enhanced graphics of the Super FX powered GSU-1.

<i>Waterworld</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Waterworld is a video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Boy, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy, based on the film of the same name, along with unpublished versions for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, 3DO and PlayStation. These games were produced by Ocean Software. The SNES and Game Boy games were released only in Europe in 1995 and the Virtual Boy game was released exclusively in North America in November 1995. It was released for PC in 1997. The game received widespread negative reviews and the version released for the Virtual Boy is generally considered to be the worst game of its 22 releases.

<i>An American Tail: Fievel Goes West</i> (video game)

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a Super NES video game released in 1994. It is the second game released based on the film of the same name, the other title being an adventure game for DOS, published by Capstone Software.

<i>Mighty Morphin Power Rangers</i> (video game)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the title of five different video games based on the first season of the television series of the same name, one for each of the following game platforms: Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Game Gear, and Sega CD. The Nintendo versions of the game were released by Bandai, while the Sega versions were published by Sega themselves. The Green Ranger is only playable on the Genesis and Game Gear versions of the game.

<i>Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story</i> (video game)

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis on June 1994. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.

<i>Brett Hull Hockey</i> 1994 video game

Brett Hull Hockey is an ice hockey video game developed by Radical Entertainment and originally published by Accolade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America on January 1994. It prominently features former Canadian-American NHL player Brett Hull and is officially licensed from the NHL Players' Association.

<i>Fever Pitch Soccer</i> 1995 video game

Fever Pitch Soccer, known as Head-On Soccer in North America, is a soccer video game originally developed and published by U.S. Gold for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1995.

<i>Skyblazer</i>

Skyblazer is a platform video game published by Sony Imagesoft, released in early 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It involves Sky, the Skyblazer hero searching for Ashura, the Lord of War, who had kidnapped the sorceress Ariana.

<i>Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls</i>

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls is a fighting game developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1994. It was later released for the Atari Jaguar by Telegames the following year. It's an American-produced sequel to the Double Dragon series by Technōs Japan, who had little to no credited involvement in the development of the game outside of licensing the IP to the publisher outside Japan.

<i>Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator</i>

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator is a video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis 32X systems that was released in 1994 by Interplay, the same group that produced many later Star Trek starship games.

References

  1. ↑ "Short ProShots - Super NES - The Shadow (Ocean)". GamePro . No. 61. IDG. August 1994. p. 149. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  2. ↑ "Games News: Future Screens - The Shadow (Ocean)". Games World . No. 2. Paragon Publishing. August 1994. p. 40.
  3. ↑ "Fact-Files - Super NES - The Shadow". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 65. Sendai Publishing. December 1994. pp. 282–285. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  4. ↑ "Pak Watch: Super NES - The Shadow (Ocean)". Nintendo Power . No. 67. Nintendo of America. December 1994. p. 111.
  5. ↑ "Games Watch: SNES - The Shadow". Games World . No. 5. Paragon Publishing. November 1994. pp. 84–85.
  6. ↑ "News: Shadow Play". Ocean Power. No. 2. Bastion Publishing. Spring 1994. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "The Shadow - Super NES". IGN . Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Laraque, J.A. (May 19, 2011). "Unreleased: The Shadow". ObsoleteGamer.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Ripper, The (April 1994). "Europa!". GameFan . Vol. 2 no. 5. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 136. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  10. ↑ Ripper, The (May 1994). "Europa!". GameFan . Vol. 2 no. 6. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 132–134. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  11. ↑ "The Game Fan 32Bit System Shoot Out - Who Will Lead Us Into The Next Generation?". GameFan . Vol. 2 no. 7. DieHard Gamers Club. June 1994. pp. 146–147. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  12. ↑ "Warpzone - Jaguar - Angekündigte Jaguar-Spiele". Video Games (in German). No. 32. Future-Verlag. July 1994. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  13. ↑ "News: Timeline - November -- The Shadow (Ocean - SG, SNES)". Game Players . No. 64. Signal Research. October 1994. p. 10.
  14. ↑ "I'll Be There, Around Every Corner In Every Room As Inevitable As Your Guilty Conscience - The Shadow". Computer and Video Games . No. 156. Future Publishing. November 1994. p. 27.
  15. ↑ Brømba (January 1995). "Konsolowy Świat - Wieści ze świata grania". Top Secret (in Polish). No. 34. Bajtek Publishing House. p. 57.
  16. ↑ Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Williams, Ken; Weigand, Mike (January 1995). "Review Crew - Major Mike's Game Roundup - The Shadow - Ocean / Super NES". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 66. Sendai Publishing. p. 40.
  17. ↑ Salmon, Mike (March 1995). "SNES - Review - The Shadow". Game Players . No. 69. Signal Research. p. 68.
  18. ↑ Bacon (January 1995). "ProReview: Super NES - The Shadow". GamePro . No. 66. IDG. p. 80.
  19. ↑ "Lo Más Nuevo - Nintendo Super Nintendo: The Shadow – La Sombra vuelve a la acción". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 38. Hobby Press. November 1994. p. 152.
  20. ↑ "...Y además: The Shadow - Una buena adaptación (Super Nintendo)". Micromanía (in Spanish). Vol. 2 no. 78. HobbyPress. November 1994. p. 31.
  21. 1 2 "Finals - SNES - The Shadow". Next Generation . No. 3. Imagine Media. March 1995. p. 103. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  22. ↑ "Now Playing - The Shadow -- Super NES". Nintendo Power . No. 72. Nintendo of America. May 1995. p. 106.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.