X360, PS3 (Reviewed)
Released: June 21, 2011
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture have the wonderful ability to create games that fans will absolutely adore, but they have virtually no chance of appealing to the mass market. Killer 7 and No More Heroes both offered experiences that were uniquely Suda, with captivating art styles and a disregard for conventions and, in an industry drenched in sameyness and supposed sequel fatigue they managed to sell as well as a pork roast on Hannukah. If any of his games would have a shot at mainstream acceptance, it should’ve been Shadows of the Damned.
Suda’s trademark attitude is pushed to the forefront immediately as Garcia “Fucking” Hotspur is confronted by the (first) death of his girlfriend Paula. While I wasn’t exactly surprised by her death, but the event is handled with so little ceremony it can be more than a ltitle disarming. Suda treats her death, and subsequent deaths, with such disregard. This plays into what is easily one of Shadows’ biggest strengths: the atmosphere.
