Shadow The Hedgehog 2 (RedTheHedgehog140)

Shadow The Hedgehog is a sequel to the Shadow The Hedgehog spin-off game released in 2005. This game was a spin-off that coincides with Sonic The Hedgehog's 30th Anniversary. 
== Development ==
Takashi Iizuka said in an undisclosed interview that he always planned that Shadow The Hedgehog was supposed to be a spin-off series separate Mainline Sonic series, but due to the mixed reception of the first game, plans for the sequel were scrapped, however, an old prototype of the first draft of the sequel was somewhere in the SEGA vault. However, from word of Iizuka himself, the prototype build of the game is unfinished and didn't make it extremely far into development. However, ideas for the Shadow The Hedgehog sequel came to light again around 2011, when one of the founders of PlatinumGames, Hideki Kamiya pitched the idea of a Shadow Sequel to Iizuka, The game then went into development once more, and the game was originally slated for a 2013 release and was also originally going to be exclusive to the PlayStation 3 (Due to Sony originally planning on adding Shadow The Hedgehog as a DLC character to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale), but both the second build of the game and the Shadow DLC were cancelled. Kamiya kept older builds of the game in his files, and according to Iizuka and other Sonic Team developers, he was really pushing for the idea. In December 2017, A month after the release of Sonic Forces, Kamiya came to SEGA again and brought the idea to light once again, SEGA and Sonic Team would approve of the idea, and the game, for the third time in it's history, went into development again. Development continued from 2018 to 2020, due to the CO-VID 19 pandemic, development of the game was halted to 2021, however, the game was about 80% finished when it went back into development in January 2021. Pre-release builds were sent to reviewers and game journalists in September 2021, with a demo of the game showing up on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Nintendo eShop in October.
== Plot ==
Unlike the first game, Shadow The Hedgehog 2 has one cohesive narrative instead of branching paths. The story is told through missions, similar to other PlatinumGames projects. There is a total of 26 missions in the main story, with 15 missions in Sonic's Story, 8 missions in Rouge's Story, and 8 missions in The Prototype story, leaving a total of 57 missions in the game.
=== Main Story ===
==== Prologue: Waking Up ====
4 years after the events of the first Shadow The Hedgehog game, it seemed at first that the complete apocalypse caused by the Black Arms and their leader Black Doom seemed to be a distant memory. As Shadow now works closely with G.U.N and is one of their top agents. Reports would circle around that the Space Colony ARK was going to be rebuilt and taken for G.U.N's personal use to garner research and study over the mind and psyche of Gerald Robotnik, who has been convicted of attempted genocide before his execution. Shadow goes into the combat training room for the purpose of freshening up his skills and use of weapons (This part of the game acts as a tutorial for players), Shadow, impressed by his training, is taken back into Commander Abraham Tower's office for various beneficial opportunities, however, before they can get any kind of business talk done, an urgent news report is heard over the radio saying that mysterious aliens similar to the Black Arms started to infest Downtown Westopolis, destroying buildings and injuring civilians. Shadow is then urgently advised by Tower to search throughout Westopolis for any more traits of the Black Arms before returning back to base.
==== Mission 1: The Search in Westopolis ====
The new set of Aliens (dubbed the "Violet Demons" by G.U.N) have started to cause a massive amount of collateral damage to the city of Downtown Westopolis. Shadow's job is to rid the aliens before any major harm is done, and while he nearly succeeds, he is then chased down by a massive bat-like creature that goes by the moniker of "Violet Bull" (A modern, scarier version of Black Bull from the first game), and as Shadow attempts to escape Downtown, going west of the city to get away from this demonic creature, he also stumbles across a Chaos Emerald found in an alleyway in the more run-down part of West Westopolis. Shadow attempts to save a bunch of civilians from being injured or killed, and he's able to succeed in getting a good chunk of Westopolis' population to safety, but from out of nowhere, an alien ship that looks like the Black Comet, sends a massive nuclear missile that obliterates the entirety of the city, leaving everything in it nothing but dust, killing tens of thousands of people in the process. Shadow heads back to G.U.N HQ to report the mission, as the entirety of Central City goes into panic mode and is now under Lockdown and Marital Law until further notice. Tower lets Shadow know that there is nothing they could do to prevent Westopolis from being destroyed, and advises Shadow, along with Rouge and Omega, to evacuate out of Central City for the time being. The trio make their way to the offices of an old set of friends, and by those friends, they mean the Chaotix.
==== Mission 2: G.U.N's Conspiracy ====
Team Dark make their way outside of Central City and to the Chaotix HQ outside the city limits. Vector tells the crew that they've been researching the whereabouts and origin of this new alien species but have been fruitless in their search. Espio is very wary of having G.U.N agents work for them, but Vector says there's nothing to worry about. Shadow is sent on a mission to collect a rare crystal in the forest to power a machine Vector has been working on, while Rouge and Omega stay put and keep watch of HQ. After finding the Crystal in the deep, dark depths of the forest, Shadow goes back to the Chaotix, where Espio pulls Shadow to the side. Espio then lets Shadow know of some of G.U.N's true intentions with the rebuilding of the ARK, and why they wanted to study Gerald's mind in the first place. Shadow passes this off as nothing but Espio spouting out conspiracy theories.
==== Mission 3: The Eggman Empire ====
Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman, seeing that the new set of Dark Aliens have taken over, uses this opportunity to begin construction of the Eggman Empire, as news reports flood in that a mysterious dark figure is roaming the ruins of the city. Eggman decides to start construction along with his robots, and even tries to work with the new set of Dark Aliens to help. Shadow goes into the ruins of Central City to stop Eggman from whatever he has planned. After facing and defeating him, Shadow heads back out of town, but Eggman proceeds to track him down and follow him for reasons unclear.
==== Mission 4: The Awakening of Xerex ====
The dark figure from Mission 3 is revealed, and it has a striking resemblance to Black Doom. This figure goes by the name of Xerex, and orders his army of dark aliens to attack the rest of Central City. Shadow tries to fight off as much aliens and G.U.N robots as he can to finally get back out of the city. He heads into Red Mountain as a rest point, but before he's able to get out of there, he faces a demonic 3 headed canine creature named Black Cerebrus. After defeating this demon, Shadow arrives at Red Mountain, using this opportunity to relax as he laments what has been going on as of recent.
==== Mission 5: Enter...Sonic! ====
==== Mission 6: The Chosen One ====
==== Mission 7: A Blazing Dimension ====
==== Mission 8: The Truth ====
==== Mission 9: Dreams and Nightmares ====
==== Mission 10: Escape From The City ====
==== Mission 11: The Past Has Answers ====
==== Mission 12: Corruption ====
==== Mission 13: Xerex's Plan ====
==== Mission 14: Changes ====
==== Mission 15: A Relentless Mind ====
==== Mission 16: Lost Impact ====
==== Mission 17: Angels and Demons ====
==== Mission 18: Sadness and Sorrow ====
==== Mission 19: Hell's Gate Opens ====
==== Mission 20: Safety and Support ====
==== Mission 21: No Turning Back ====
==== Mission 22: The Chaos Emerald Search ====
==== Mission 23: Countdown To Infinity ====
==== Mission 24: Diablon ====
==== Mission 25: Shadow's True Self ====
==== Mission 26: The Final Battle ====
=== Sonic's Story ===
=== Rouge's Story ===
=== The Prototype ===
== Gameplay ==
The Gameplay of Shadow The Hedgehog 2 is a mix of Adventure-style Sonic Games and Spectacle Fighters such as Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance. A mix of fast-paced Action Platforming, and combo-heavy Combat.
==== Basic Mechanics ====
Every playable character can jump and take out enemies with different combat abilities. Shadow and Sonic have access to the Homing Attack, Spin Dash, Lightspeed Dash, and Slide, making them play similarly to their Adventure counterparts. Rouge can climb on walls and glide instead of homing attack, and Terios has access to a dash using the jet boosters on his feet.
==== Style Switching (Shadow and Sonic) ====
Similar to the Devil May Cry series, particularly Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 5, DmC: Devil May Cry, and the Nintendo Switch version of Devil May Cry 3, and exclusive to Shadow and Sonic, Style Switching is implemented into combat. With the press of the D-Pad, Shadow or Sonic can switch their fighting styles on the fly with no cooldown, which means that the styles can be switched on the fly and in mid-combo, leading to some crazy combos. The fighting styles used by the characters are the following:
Shadow The Hedgehog
* Gunbreaker (Similar to Gunslinger style from the Devil May Cry series, Shadow uses the firearms in his arsenal in interesting and unique ways, such as dual-shooting, Style-shooting, and instantaneous weapon switching.)
* Combat Specialist (Shadow does a variety of extended hand-to-hand combos, and also has access to aerial combat, teleportation (+ Teleportation cancelling), and throw moves.)
* Chaos Destroyer (Shadow is able to throw many Chaos energy projectiles during combat.)
Sonic The Hedgehog
* Speedster (Sonic can cancel any of his moves into multi-directional dashes, also has access to moves such as the Tornado, Sonic Wind, and Sonic Boom)
* Show Off (Similar to Goro Majima's "Breaker" style in Yakuza 0, Sonic does many extended combos involving breakdancing.)
*Spin Attack (Sonic rolls into a ball and continues his combos through spinning attacks.)
==== Firearms (Shadow) ====
Exclusive to Shadow, firearms can be used during combat. Shadow can shoot in a similar manner to various Third Person Shooter games, with the use of the trigger, Shadow can shoot his weapons under various circumstances, such as from a stand-still with extra focus (especially with weapons that have a scope), while running at top speeds, in the air, and during combos. Weapons can be switched by going into Gunbreaker mode and using the right stick. Each weapon has infinite Ammo (Aside from the special guns, so reloading isn't a problem) Firearms can be bought with rings that are earned throughout the level in the shop that you can access before you can start the next mission. Here is a list of firearms available in the game:
G.U.N. Weapons
* Pistol
* Semi-Automatic Rifle
* Sniper Rifle (Scope)
* Double Barrel Shotgun
* Sub-Machine Gun
* Heavy Machine Gun
* Rocket Launcher (Special)
* Bazooka (Special)
* Gatling Gun (Special)
Black Arms Weapons
* Light Shot
* Heavy Shot
* Flash Shot
* Ring Shot
* Big Barrel (Special)
* Black Barrel (Special)
* Splitter (Special)
* Vacuum Pod (Special)
==== Vehicles (Shadow) ====
Exclusive to certain stages in Shadow's story is the option to ride vehicles during missions. Vehicles all have different properties to them that makes them useful in certain situations, but will also come with a fair share of weaknesses.
* Jeep (Accessible in Missions 1, 21, and 25): A G.U.N operated combat Jeep that has the ability for allow Shadow to shoot as the car has no roof. The jeep is also able to knock down enemies easily by just running into them. However, the jeep can't take too much damage or will be destroyed.
* Motorcycle (Accessible in Missions 1, 5, and 26): Shadow's signature motorcycle. Shadow can easily access every projectile weapon using this vehicle, including Chaos projectiles, however, it's the weakest of the vehicles and can easily be destroyed by bigger enemies.
* Egg-Mobile (Accessible in Missions 3 and 22): A vehicle shaped like Eggman's head, which is the fastest ground vehicle in the game. However, Shadow can't use any projectiles or weapons while piloting the vehicle.
* Hang-Glider (Accessible in Mission 10): An aerial vehicle that allows Shadow to use every weapon or projectile, but comes at the cost of being slower and weaker.
==== Chaos Meter (Sonic and Shadow) ====
TBA
== Characters ==
=== Main Game ===
* Shadow The Hedgehog (Playable)
* Rouge The Bat
* E-123 Omega
* Dr. Eggman
* Gerald Robotnik (In Flashbacks)
* Maria Robotnik (In Flashbacks)
* Black Doom (In Flashbacks)
* Xerex
* General Abraham Tower
* Sonic The Hedgehog
* Miles "Tails" Prower
* Knuckles The Echidna
* Amy Rose
* Cream The Rabbit
* Silver The Hedgehog
* Blaze The Cat
* Espio The Chameleon
* Vector The Crocodile
* Charmy Bee
*Violet Cerebrus
*Violet Succubus
*Violet Demon
=== Sonic's Story DLC ===
* Sonic The Hedgehog (Playable)
* Shadow The Hedgehog
* Miles "Tails" Prower
* Knuckles The Echidna
* Amy Rose
* Rouge The Bat
* E-123 Omega
* Silver The Hedgehog
* Blaze The Cat
* Dr. Eggman
* Black Doom (In Flashbacks)
* Chaos 0 (In Flashbacks)
* Metal Sonic (In Flashbacks)
* Infinite (In Flashbacks)
=== Rouge's Story DLC ===
* Rouge The Bat (Playable)
* Shadow The Hedgehog
* E-123 Omega
* G.U.N Soldier Johnny Anderson
* Dr. Eggman
=== The Prototype DLC ===
* Terios The Prototype (Playable)
* Shadow The Hedgehog
* Rouge The Bat
* E-123 Omega
* General Abraham Tower
* Gerald Robotnik (In Flashbacks)
== Stages ==
== Voice Acting ==
The voice cast for Shadow The Hedgehog 2 is very different from the modern voice cast. As everyone in the English Dub, aside from Dr. Eggman and Black Doom, have new voice actors/actresses.
==== English Voice Cast ====
* Shadow The Hedgehog: Dan Southworth
* Rouge The Bat: Ashly Burch
* E-123 Omega: Patrick Seitz
* Dr. Eggman: Mike Pollock
* Gerald Robotnik: Mike Pollock
* Maria Robotnik: Erika Harlatcher
* Black Doom: Sean Schemmel
* Xerex: Xander Mobus
* General Abraham Tower: Richard Epcar
* Sonic The Hedgehog: Max Mittelmen
* Miles Tails Prower: Cassandra Lee Morris
* Knuckles The Echidna: Kaiji Tang
* Amy Rose: Erin Fitzgerald
* Cream The Rabbit: Stephanie Sheh
* Silver The Hedgehog: Yuri Lowenthal
* Blaze The Cat: Tara Platt
* Espio The Chameleon: Brian Hanford
* Vector The Crocodile: Mark Whitten
* Charmy Bee: Brina Palencia
* Violet Cerebrus: Xander Mobus
* Violet Succubus: Amber Lee Connors
* Violet Demon: Liam O'Brien
* Terios The Prototype: Johnny Yong Bosch
* Johnny Anderson: Todd Haberkorn
==== Japanese Voice Cast ====
TBA
== Music ==
== Reception ==
== Trivia ==
== Gallery ==
Category:Video Games