Graphics / Sound

The game's graphics are done well, especially the long animated cutscenes. Even so, the graphics are run-of-the mill for a contemporary 3D game. In a departure from the norm these days, the sound, and not the graphics, are where the game shines.

Shadow Man CAN jump

Finally, sunlight

When starting the game, you're dumped into the swamps of Louisiana, and you could swear you hear a banjo playing in the distance. The sounds of outside are there, complete with bird chirping, flies buzzing, and more. All new games brag about "immersive sound," but Shadow Man has the best we've heard. Oh yes - the cutscenes have full audio too, with an option for subtitles if necessary.

Swigin' in the breeze

Run, Forrest!

With everything we've said already, it's fairly clear that this is no ordinary game. Shadow Man attempts to go beyond even that, with strong attention to detail in an effort to distinguish itself. The characters have distinct and real personalities, and the story itself is nicely complex, albeit a bit cheesy. That the game was based on a comic book is fairly apparent, with the whole hero / villain situation, and the adolescent-male fantasy "realm of darkness."

Oooh, barrels!

Evil soul container

Still, that the story is a bit silly doesn't attract from the game as a whole, especially with the attention paid to small but important aspects of gameplay. Mike LeRoi will drown underwater, while Shadow Man, his immortal alter-ego, will not. This may seem nit-picky, but contrast this to your average 3D shooter: in Requiem, an angel couldn't breathe underwater.