Shadows of the Damned

Shadows of the Damned is a goofy horror "B-game" just like House of the Dead: Overkill. You play as Garcia Hotspur, and you are chasing after your girlfriend Paulie, who has been kidnapped by demons.

Developed by prominent figures in the industry, Shinji Mikami and Goichi Suda are united once again to work together on this hellish trip. As a third-person shooter, the innovation isn't that strong, but the environments were twisted and bright colors were used for the game mechanics.

They involve working your way through areas called Darkness, in which dark matter sticks around enemies, rendering them invincible unless you hit them with a Light Shot, obtained by letting Johnson, your bodyless skeleton buddy help you out.

He also takes on the role as comedial sidekick, and transforms into all of the weapons to be found. Meanwhile, Garcia himself seems to be a Mexican that mixes Spanish and English languages, has a body full of tattoos and acts the part of a badass hero pretty well with cheesy one liners.

The designers also implemented some funny moments, such as when the second large boss suddenly takes a piss, and the urine turns the whole area into Darkness. Or when you enter the naughty area where you acquire the Big Boner as a very long handgun.

During the loading screens, a glimpse of the upcoming stages is similar towards early Castlevania and Ghouls n' Ghosts games. Some levels take a detour towards 2D sidescrolling stages, with random enemy appearances and a little boss at the end.

There were also some Evil Dead references, which were small but likable. The story books are creepy bedtime stories that serve as the upcoming bosses of the game. The overall story however is weak. The relation between Garcia and Johnson is alright, sexual puns were creative though.

There is an upgrade system where Red Gems boost your abilities, while Blue Gems evolve your weapons, such as the Boner eventually becoming a Big Boner. White Gems are used to buy ammo, alcohol beverages as health and Red Gems. They are all sold by a demonic half male/beast freak with a huge overseering eye above his head.

Shadow of the Damned plays good, but acts silly, is childish and after a formidable final boss, there's practically no reason to return to this for replay value. It also stands out with it's style, but at the same time, the graphics weren't really that let's say, catchy.

Rating: 7.6

This will be the last PS3 review for now.