Has it really been fourteen years since us Brits finally got our hands on that Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge and slipped into our Megadrives? Fourteen years since we took on Dr Robotnik for the very first time, flying through the Green Hill Zone with that unforgettable theme? I'd wager that quite a few of us remember that opening section of that very first Sonic title with incredible fondness, and even today given the chance we'd be able to head straight for those hidden extra lives, and beat Robotnik into a bloody pulp in double quick time. [Damn right we would! Ed].

Fourteen years is a long time in the video gaming world, and Sonic's certainly starting to show his age. After a string of impressive 2D Megadrive outings, the move to the short-lived isometric system in the Sega Saturn's Sonic 3D, and finally true 3D with the Dreamcast's Sonic Adventure titles has left the recent Sonic titles not to be memorable for their gaming brilliance. Though a hardcore base of fans remains for the spiky blue hero, his popularity has been somewhat on the wane for an alarmingly hefty number of years.

But rather than give up on their fallen hero, Sega have been more than happy to release a consistent stream of titles, ranging from the quite exquisite Sonic Rush on the DS, through to the truly quite pitiful Sonic Heroes. This latest title however doesn't star the once great hedgehog, rather concentrating on a look-a-like by the name of Shadow, who we were introduced to in Sonic Adventure 2.

You begin the game knowing as little as Shadow himself; suffering from amnesia, Shadow doesn't have a clue as to what's gone before the moment you start the game. The introductory sequence proceeds to show off a dark cloud enveloping the city that Shadow's looking down upon, and an alien race spews forth, ready to unleash carnage. The leader of this alien race, Black Doom, proceeds to tell Shadow that in order to fulfil his duties, he's required to retrieve the seven Chaos Emeralds, and Shadow being eager to discover just where he's come from, and of course what his destiny holds, is only too happy to take on the quest.

The way that this (admittedly basic) story develops throughout the title depends on how you wish to proceed, be it on the side of good, or evil. Decide to help out the human race and help push back these alien hordes and you'll find various traditionally good characters from the previous Sonic games (yes, including Sonic himself) coming along for the ride and giving helpful tips along the way. Decide to help the aliens' cause to destroy the planet, and you'll continue along the dark route of play. Though this in essence gives you the opportunity to play through multiple times to sample different paths throughout the length of the game, unfortunately Shadow the Hedgehog doesn't even include the desired fun levels to help push you through a single run.

We'll start with the infamous gunplay, which has been heavily criticised by many a gamer upon seeing the first screenshots. Though the variety of weaponry on offer is quite plentiful, ranging from the likes of mere pistols through to laser rifles and bazookas, the aiming system leaves utilising the weaponry based method as a major source of incredible levels of frustration. There's no manual aim, or targeting system full stop. Instead Shadow, fires in the direction he's facing, with a slight auto-aim feature helping out when it feels like it. The inability to flick between enemies upon which to focus your firepower is a glaring error of judgement and leaves you incredibly unwilling to take advantage of the weapons dotted around each level.

Instead, your main weapon in your armoury is a simple homing spin attack, which you can perform by tapping the jump button for a second time once you're in the air. If there's a collection of enemies, or even friends, in the local vicinity, Shadow randomly attacks whichever he's in the mood to hurt at that particular moment, with no way to focuses your attacks in any particular direction. In fact, Shadow is even difficult to control even in normal circumstances; push forward, and within a second Shadow's flying along at top speed, leaving you frantically struggling to keep him under control as he skates forward with little ability to make any kind of sharp turn. Many a death can come from the lack of true control over Shadow once he's at top speed, causing all kinds of frustration. Hence you're required to gradually inch forward slowly, completely going against the true ethos of the Sonic titles; that of fast and frantic gaming.

Even the graphics are sub-par, with some incredibly muddy visuals and textures lacking any kind of visual detail. Backgrounds and close up objects both share the same problems, with a dank and washed out feel to the colouring, obviously trying to accentuate the darkness of Shadow himself, but instead only succeeding in developing a title that's drab to look at. The in game cut-scenes however, though badly voice acted, do manage to have some kind of visual appeal, with some delightfully designed character models and animation; it's just a shame that this couldn't have been continued into the main game itself. The unwieldy camera doesn't help matters, as it frequently loses track of Shadow and gets stuck behind pieces of scenery obstructing your view, especially irritating when you're attempting to complete a series of tight jumps.

After the much criticised, but reasonably enjoyable Sonic Adventure titles were followed up the tedious Sonic Heroes, we were hoping for a return to normality with Shadow the Hedgehog. Though giving in to the trend for attempting to give what's always been a mildly cutesy title a slightly mature edge can't really be criticised too heavily, it's been handled in such a poor manner that even if Sonic himself had been the star, things couldn't have been any better. The poor controls, tricky camera and an irritation-filled gaming experience is unfortunately what Shadow the Hedgehog is presented as, and this doesn't deserve to be found under too many Christmas tree's this year. Let's just hope that Sega get back to what Sonic does best, fast and frantic 2D action. [Keep your eyes peeled for Sonic the Hedgehog on Xbox 360 - I have a sneaky feeling that it's going to be a mind blowing return to form for our spiky blue pal! Ed].

Reviewed by Chris Pickering for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).