FeyWinter Fox And I thought I was the only one who was getting sick of hearing retards accusing past Sonic games of being edgy. Nice to know there are others that think the same.
I actually zone out whenever that word is mentioned unless it’s extremely over the top. If Shadow suddenly started cutting himself and going “Feel the burn!” I’d be like “edgy”. But this game is not edgy.
@@solidSnake4580 Trust me the terms "Edgy" and "Edgelord" is very obnoxious and annoying to hear. I'm sick of hearing these terms throw around like there's no tomorrow.
I played Shadow the Hedgehog years ago and it was a blast to play, especially after you get past the whole guns, swearing and stuff, not to mention the multiple storylines and what not!
This was my first sonic game I played! I absolutely loved it and I still love it. There's parts which are frustrating but in all honesty it's still fun
I noticed that the most frequent "criticisms" you find online about the game tend to be people exaggerating things. They constantly talk about the swearing when it doesn't happen constantly, or they talk about how Shadow uses realistic guns when they aren't the gameplay focus and only a portion of them are realistic. It's just really really dumb how people try to force the "LOL THIS IS SO EDGY" meme. SA1 had the echidna being erradicated by a water god and SA2 had a child being shot and a man being executed.
To be fair, he does say "damn, not here" every time he falls off a ledge and dies, and "dammit" as one of the lines he says when he gets hit. Maybe these people just suck at the game, get hit and die a lot, and take their anger out on the game itself lmao
@@_Tzer nah, but you have to remember the climate shadow came out of. It wasn't anything close to fuck but damn would be more like shit or crap for it's time
This actually makes sense actually, since he does mature in future games, i mean what would you do with amnesia? Shadow actually has reasons to go after humans, aliens and Dr eggman robots
saying something is "edgy", just seems like a easy way to say something is bad without giving context, it uses your own imagination to make a list of all the worst things you think of that link with edgy, like trying too hard to be dark and cool to a point where is cringe inducing, etc.
Shadow the hedgehog is the definition of a mixed bag and guilty pleasure. The bad levels drag the game down so badly Edgy is a meaningless term nowadays because it's been overused by kids who don't even know what it means
The game isn’t truly bad but it’s not really good either. I think the system has great potential and I think Sega could make something greater by making a sequel.
I love you. I've felt like a majority of my opinions regarding Sonic would get me crucified if I stated them publicly, because I love Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic '06, Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic and the Black Knight. They're some of my favorites, and I would love SEGA to make Sonic a lot more edgy than it currently is. It feels uplifting to know that I'm not alone in thinking (at least some of) this.
These games are overall good,just need upgrades tbh.(sonic06 for example needs to get its bugs fixed,maybe turning elise into a mobian so it can be more normal and some other things such as silver's battle. Shady's game is great just some stages and some other stuff is bad. And i never played satsr neither satbk.
Sonic Forces tried to go that route but it ended up falling short like it didn't want to go all the way, for some reason? Idk if you're up on that game. Because it tries to be badass with a new villain and sonic's former enemies. But it never explains why they exist like that, or why Shadow would be considered a 'villain' when he never really was, it just hurts his character more (especially when he barely exists in the game anyway) that's based on not judging a book by its cover.
I got Shadow the Hedgehog when it came out in 2005 and loved it. Never understood why people hated it. The gameplay was good and I knew the story would be darker with Shadow as the protagonist. Shadow was my favorite character too. It was far from perfect but it wasn't really a bad game.
In a way, Gamma, Tails, and Eggman used guns before Shadow. And if you count AoStH, Sonic's used a gun before. There are some things in Shadow the Hedgehog that were odd, that I would change if it was up to me. I would swap certain stages and remove certain missions from some stages. The only way to Lava Shelter would be from Iron Jungle, Space Gadget (without the dark mission) would be a better pure hero 5th stage than Lost Impact, and the 3rd stages would've been in different paths so that in the pure dark path, you're helping only Black Doom, and I'd put "Where's that DAMN fourth chaos emerald?" in the pure neutral path. And if you just helped someone, you shouldn't have to fight them immediately after.
Actually, now I think Shadow the Hedgehog should've gotten 5 linear stories instead, followed by a Last Story. Then they could've had callbacks to earlier in the plot without a "Umm, you didn't say that, Shadow" from the player. Those 5 routes being Dark, Redemption, Neutral, Corruption, and Hero.
I've been saying this for years. People also don't get that this isn't a Sonic game in the first place either. Its a Shadow the Hedgehog game. If you can't handle a darker tone (which wasn't even that darker than SA2 tbh), then quit complaining and play something else. It's even worse now that kids are growing up to be such offend-able softies that they criticize this game for being as badass as it is. Still one of my faves though.
I can't get that argument. Even if they can't handle a darker tone it doesn't matter. People can say what they want and play what they please. It's what they got out of the game that matters. Of course them being rude is uncalled for and should be ignored but anyways anyone even someone outside of a recommended audience (not ignoring age ratings) should be allowed to play the game give criticism and give feedback as much as they want ("complain" as much as they want). So in that case 1.) it's a sonic game in the sense it's in the sonic series albiet a different subset of it 2.) not all kids are like that just saying and 3.) you came off rude here so you lost my respect. See ya
No, this is a 3D Sonic game but with Shadow as the main character. Everything in the previous games minus the guns is here. There’s loops to run through, rings to collect, a ranking system, a homing attack, power ups, dash pads, bounce pads, and a plot that’s a direct sequel to Sonic Adventure 2. Also, “badass”?unnecessary swearing and pointless guns make the game more childish if anything. This isn’t a “dark” story, it’s bad fan fiction.
@@sb14andmore50 I looked it up, and after reading what many people have said, I now agree that despite it continuing the story Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes told about Shadow, the game is indeed a spinoff game.
In Sa2, I really appreciated that Sonic Team made a storyline that was interesting beyond "Eggman bad". The game takes story beats from Sa1 and even implications from the classics. Example: Why does Shadow look like Sonic before Sonic was a thing? I have a reason. In S3&K when you fight knuckles, there is a mural that represents Super Sonic and Eggman that is in the background. The Cannons Core Stages start to resemble architecture and even set pieces from Lost World in Sa1 (the water slide section). Gerald Robotnik built or helped build the Ark. By this, its implied that he had taken some inspiration from the Echidna Tride and Hidden Palace. In designing Shadow, he used the prophecy of Super Sonic for aesthetics. As for the Prototype, he most likely stopped working on it and kept it around if Shadow failed at destroying Earth hints the main conflict of the game. At least that's my theory. But explaining things is edgy to some people.
@@NightClawprower They found SA2 insane and stupid beyond belief. Like, certain scrubs put the game on their worst sonicgame list purely for the story.
I get your point about Shadow being a more complex character but downplay Sonic and label him as another "generic" hero. Sonic is one of the most distinct heroes in video game history he just has a flat character, he himself does not grow, instead he grows on other characters
I believe the reason why these other games don't get the backlash for being really dark and violent is because when people compare the Sonic series, they compare it to the Mario series. and for good reason because until this point Sonic was a really good rival to Mario. Believe it or not the Mario series did get away with a lot of dark themes, mostly in the Luigi's Mansion games and the Mario RPGs. however the way they went about it wasn't to the point where they were cursing, Mario running around with fire arms and it wasn't so dark to the point where you think "How is this the same series that has cute animals, pets and places like Green Hill zone?". I strongly dislike the word Edgy too, people use it to write off anything that is dark. Dark things can be good just don't make it cringe.
Honestly, Shadows game was simply attempt on a darker tone that was done in the bluntest and dumbest way possible, like way Shadow was written there undermined his SA2 personality just for the ability to make branching story which doesn't count in the end due to the secret ending being canon P.S. well also from all characters in franchise giving guns to Shadow feel quite counterproductive, he has his chaos powers that include stuff like Chaos Spears or Chaos Arrows, so quite some of them are ranged on their own so he can cover the range disadvantage without guns, and this is also counting in fact that just like Sonic, or even better when teleporting around, Shadow can reduce the distance to his foes
I loved playing Shadow the Hedgehog as a kid, I wasn't completely sure why at first. Yeah, as a fifth grader, I saw this black and red hedgehog on a motorcycle speeding through an apocalyptic city shooting guns, why wouldn't I love it? Looking back, I'd make the some kind of "edgy" jokes about it for a good laugh, but I never ended up hating the game. Looking back deeper at not only this game, but other things considered "edgy," I think it sort of resonated with me in a way that the innocence of childhood was fleeting, you start to face the real world. Now maybe not so much as a fifth grader, but it'd be kind of a start, I know I was still into "edgy" things well into middle and high school, coz at the same time I wasn't as optimistic about the world as I used to. Pressures of growing up, facing harsh realities, meeting cruel people, we were all sorta like Sonic as kids, then Shadow as teens/young adults, many of us stay there, others blinded in bliss as Sonic, but I think ultimately we have to find our way to true maturity: not blindly upbeat or hopelessly pessimistic, but knowing full well about the darkness of the world while providing a shining light in it, and that is why Silver is my favorite out of the three main hedgehogs. He was born into a world of fire and horror, but despite that he kept fighting for what seemed endless, zooming across the dark skies in his glow. Not too cheery, not too gloomy, but there's nothing wrong with being so optimistic or so pessimistic, people can strive on those strengths while it also can be a weakness, but I like Silver's balance of the two, his hope for a better future. Cool video, my dude!
@@jynnvynn7562 I don't think a great analysis like that is 'overthinking.' It shows you care about the inner character. But I know exactly what you mean; I overthink EVERYTHING. It's almost a curse, lol.
@@jynnvynn7562 Am I the only one who thinks Silver would have been a better choice to lead the resistance in Forces? I mean, he comes from the future, he should probably have an idea of what is going to happen and what needs to be done. I just think it makes more sense. No offense to Knuckles or anything. I love him and I don’t think he’s the bumbling idiot Boom makes him out to be...but he’s still not a very socially graceful guy. He’s lived alone most of his life. It seems kind of a stretch that he would suddenly be able to coordinate EVERYONE. I just don’t think he’s a leader-type. Silver, on the other hand, showed signs of leadership in 06, Rivals 1 & 2, and even TSR. He really seems more focused on the bigger picture than everyone else. Which makes sense - he’s from the future. Heck, even in Forces his personality stands out to me as someone who would lead. He even has to correct Knuckles at one point. He’s really matured since he first showed up in 06, and he’s good at planning. Oh well, just another example of wasted potential in that game. At least they respected Knuckles enough to portray him as competent. That’s refreshing. But it just felt forced to me.
For what I remember, Edgy was used to describe something dark but inmature. Something than isn't bad if you handle it correctly. The Jak 2 and 3 are good examples of good Edgy games. I haven't play Shadow the Hedgehog, but for what I've seen in summaries and cutscenes, the story (aside from being inconsistent with the previous games) took itself very serious, something than you can't do with this kind of stories. I don't say than it shoudn't have serious moments, but you must be carefull on how you handle the tone of an edgy story, because if you don't, then it will be seen as absurd at best or very cringy at worst. But I repeat, I didn't played this game, so correct me if I'm wrong.
Honestly I enjoyed the Shadow the Hedgehog game just because, 1 i loved shadow in general, and 2 the gameplay was just cool in my opinion. I dont understand why people always have to use edgy for almost everything. It makes no sense at all. This game came out the year I was born, 2005. And when i was a little kid, i loved this game same with my dad. Im 14 now and i still enjoy shadow's game
Sorry, but I'll have to disagree. In my opinion the reason why this game is edgy to some people is how incredibly out of place it is in the Sonic series. Sure some sonic characters like Infinite and Mephalis are dark but their attitudes aren't shown whole game. Sure Sonic Forces features a darker tone but it doesn't really effect anyone. Most of Sonic and friends are making jokes and one liners still for example. This is unlike Shadow where it seems like every single part of the game is trying so hard to be "cool and dark" it becomes, ironically enough, cheesey, like a lot of other Sonic games. Are there some atriubtes of it that aren't super serious? Yeah. But they are surrounded by...edge, for lack of a better term. However the comparison of saying other cartoony games released at the time having darker themes don't really work either. Since, the game comes off as if it's following trends at the time rather than being original. Sure those games can also be considered edgy but it's not as jarring. Since, the dark themes in Ratchet are surrounded by a colourful world (even if it's not towards the end), Jak only had one game before this and we actually saw how he became...edgy, rather than just jumping straight into the deep end like Shadow and finally Ty, had a kind protagonist who was challenged and contrasted by the villians. Creating conflict. But hey, that's just my opinion, sure it's not a super original one if I'm honest, but I just wasn't convinced.
Your opinion is welcome! It's interesting to see the thoughts behind why people disagree, and your points do make sense. It probably was a game following trends at the time, but most games do that. Jak most likely took inspiration from the Ratchet games and maybe GTA, too. Ty was heavily inspired by the Sonic franchise and many characters were designed to reflect certain Sonic characters. The trend of cute characters going dark was happening in many other franchises (Spyro definitely tried it at this point), and it was the market for success at the time, so from a sales perspective, making Shadow a dark game seemed like the right thing to do to compete with the market, since cute characters weren't as interesting at that point, but the game itself did have poor story execution and some poor dialogue, which is the real reason it failed at the time.
@@matti.8465 SA2's direction of story telling was the main point of contention. It was very controversial when that game was released, and it's arguably still is--despite it being popular. In addition, Maria has a small presence in the game's plot, so it's not as obnoxious as Shadow (2005)
I love Shadow The Hedgehog, I really do. Its gameplay is simply great, but unfortunately I didn't like the game's tone at all. Don't get me wrong, I love dark and sinister stories told in a "colorful" and "cartoony" game, Rayman 2 and Epic Mickey did it great, but in 'Shadow' it seems a bit forced. It could've been much better executed. A great example is when he saw a chaos emerald in a G.U.N spaceship (I think) and said "It's like taking a candy from a baby, which is fine by me".
the reason it may feel forced in this game is most likely because of the time and possibly budget constraints. it had enough time to be functional upon release but I think if it had maybe another year or even 6 months of extra development, they could have easily ironed out some of the kinks, replaced the old voice lines with more rehearsed ones, given some of the branching story paths more time to be fleshed out than it did, and slowed shadow's top speed WAY the fuck down so it didn't feel like you were rollerblading on bars of soap in an oil slick all the time. it does feel rushed and incomplete. still good enough as is though
@Captain Rupertikjakmos never said top speed. I said top acceleration. Top speed would be the same in every level, but acceleration would be at its highest in those wide open levels whereas in closed levels it would see a 20% reduction to maintain better control.
Not gonna lie. The harder I try to watch your videos objectively, the more I can actually appreciate your content. Keep it up. You’ve improved leaps and bounds.
Honestly the shadow game is one of my guilty pleasures I love going through and gunning down everyone in my way but I do consider the game a main line game mostly for its canon true ending
Lol how did you know i was playing Shadow the hedgehog today my favorite part of the game is when a soldier says mr. yuji naka is alright, it gave me a smile on my face
Exactly! Shadow is not edgy. Sharp tools are edgy because of the sharp edges! But thanks for knowing that Shadow isn’t edgy. He’s just a misunderstood hedgehog doing what Maria wanted but in the wrong way.
Mystical Luna Melody even tho it is, the gun controls are crap, it’s as if shadow is constantly on oil, shadow is characterised horribly, and the story is just the most cheesy stuff ‘WOAH SHADOW WAS MADE BY BLEDKDOM OH MAW GAWD’ and black doom is just so generic, he’s just evil guy who is evil
I didn't need my opinion changed, I was already on the side of Shadow, but thank you for giving me a solid argument in our favor to say these "critics" and "haters" don't really know what they're talking about.
The main issue I have with Shadow (2005) is how pointless it is. All the loose ends could've been tied up in Sonic Heroes, but they opted for a more in-depth apologue of his backstory; however, by doing this, you sacrifice his impact in Sonic Adventure 2. His entire arc of having addled, misconstrued memories that convinced him to wreak annihilation upon the world to avenge Maria's death only to be innundated with the realization his memories weren't exactly what they purported to be, as a result, he atones for his sins by sacrificing his life to fulfill Maria's dying wish was very compelling, albeit poorly executed in some areas. Darker tones can work, but *execution* of it in this game is downright laughable. I hate the amnesia story cliche; it's been done to death. The writing is abysmal, and that's the key part where Shadow (2005) fails spectacularly. This is precisely why people use "edgy" as a derogatory term for characters who try too hard to be mature and badass without appearing as Cold Steel the Hedgehog. Cool video though!
Maybe if they had focused more on giving Shadow a life of his own it would have been better. Like to me Shadow's like Batman. Maybe in Westopolis not everyone has been given the bright side of life so Shadow would have found himself fighting anyone like megalomaniacs obsessed with chaos energy to a common thug face-to-face with a family of 3 in an alley way about to make another "Space Colony Ark" if you get my point. And whatever his choice defines his character. And he has amnesia here? I think this concept would have fit right in.
The bigger issue is more that they decided to not make him an android in the last second possible, which just invalidates the sacrifice at the end of SA2.
I actually love Shadow the Hedgehog. As that's the last time Maria is ever seen or mentioned in a Sonic game. I adore Maria she's sweet and kind. Kinda wish there was more of her... =(
Sonic swears in the game too. If you fail the Hero Mission in the second level after Westopolis with Sonic as your partner, he'll say Damn and swears he'll catch up with the ship you're supposed to destroy, while Shadow
Shadow was the first game I ever played in the sonic franchise when I was like 6. I had no prior knowledge of the sonic franchise before entering the game. Shadow's uses of the word damn and using guns was believable for me. Because he just seemed like the type of character who would use guns and occasionally swear. And every other iteration I saw of shadow only reinforced this notion for me. He was dark, he was not a happy camper he was always a flawed character. When people always put forward the argument that "shadow shouldn't be swearing" I never understand he's an hedgehog who's friend was shot dead right in front of him and he has a dark personality why on earth would he go full christian Minecraft server mode and avoid the phrase "damn". I personally feel like the sonic franchises full blown family friendly mode alienates the majority of the fanbase who either grew up in the 90's or early 2000's who are now adults such as myself.
Hey Lord Danny what would you think if sonic had a crossover with the flash into a animated movie just like they did with Batman/TMNT couple of months ago?
I think Shadow The Hedgehog (game) was a decent game but had unfair reviews. I was surprised when people hated the game. It was a commercial success, and some video game magazines said it was a good game. But for some reason people said it was too edgy which I thought was kinda stupid. Great video and argument on why shadow the hedgehog wasn’t an edgy or bad game, since other gaming franchises did the same thing but didn’t get hate. Maybe the it was the either the reviews or fandom that the game had been a crap on the game to ruin its popularity. Shadow The Hedgehog (game) was considered a great game that was a commercial success and today it has better reviews. Overall good video Danny (Never played the game before but thought it was good)
The problem is that it is very forced. There is nothing wrong with dark tones, but it feels like the game is edgy just cause that was popular. There is what more effort put into story in Jack daxter/Ratchet and clank. The Sonic games barley have any continuity and it feels like Sonic Team just follow trends.
Ratchet & Clank was the best game ever it was my childhood ever since I played the game on PS2 and the movie was a blast and they we're a pretty good character in PlayStation All-stars battle Royal Edit:BTW I can't believe that Clank was about to curse because honestly I don't remember him saying that as a 5 year old boy at all
That's a very good take. I loved the darker story Shadow the Hedgehog took. There were some flaws but it was good I think that's the issue SEGA has, the 'flaws' of having a darker story are really glaring Think of Forces, they tried to take a darker tone but they didn't go all the way making the story feel a bit cringy It's just my 2 cents though
Really? From what I understand, the Japanese market preferred games that were much cuter (the Jak games actually failed in Japan when they took the darker turn). Weird to think the Japanese fans asked for the gun.
People need to realize that games like these could explore subdued themes if without taking the original intentions of the past games, but I just think this games has times where it's brutally obvious that it's pretentious and dishonest, Shadow was never intended to be brutal (how he kills all human defenses and straight up kills the president), or be that violent in the first place, the only thing that he did that was close to that standard was trying to activate the eclipse cannon, or not hesitating to fight Sonic and friends in order to find his past.
Mentions of both Ratchet and Clank as well as Jak And Daxter in this video. I can appreciate that. A lot. Though, and I know a lot of other people are gonna bring this up too, The Precursor Legacy And Jak II came out in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Not 2002 and 2004. I’m sure that was probably just a mistake, but I’m just putting it out there.
Damn, you said everythin' that needed to be said, nobody seem to know what the true meanin' of edgy is but all I can give is that it's somethin' offensive and got dark themes, it seemingly became popular in that period of time, Ratchet is the best one for me, that series carried a lot of dark undertones and mature themes that they wouldn't be able to get away with today.
Shadow The Hedgehog is still a pretty bad game (though it certainly has its great moments.) If only for how it ruined Shadow's character and his arc (and much of that goes down to the branching story progression.)
"edgy" is the incorrect word. the right word is narmy. it takes itself SO seriously that it loops into being unintentionally hilarious. like, i wont call this game good, but it is saved by the hilariously narmy writing. i think the big issue is having to play one stage ten times to see all the endings, which prove utterly meaningless as the game then says "yeah that's cool and all. but here's what REALLY HAPPENED." the last story isnt that bad... but it renders the big selling point of the game, the multiple endings, utterly worthless. it feels like it should have either had no true ending, or tell one singular story. and the fact that it tries to do both is what ruins the game for me. it's not the atmosphere or the story, it's just how the game is LITERALLY set up.
I say Shadow, Mephiles and Infinite is edgy as a joke and for the memes, I don’t actually think they are. Although, I feel like edgy is used to describe something that is cool, dark and badass, which is probably the reason why people describe those three characters as “edgy”
The problem isn't that the game is edgy for having these elements, it's that it utilizes these elements in a way that feels like a marketing team trying desperately to be edgy. Shadow is never depicted prior as the type to drive vehicles or use weapons as his own abilities work fine enough, and everyone swearing all the sudden only happens at strangely mundane moments. If it were up to me, I'd choose a better character to give a weapon to, maybe giving Tails energy weapons or customizable explosives, and I'd work to make sure that harsher language or moments are reserved for when it makes sense. Like the first time a character says "oh shit" or "damn" would make sense if it's used during a moment of tension, to get the audience used to it. Say a bomb's about to go off, and you have Sonic telling civilians to "a bomb's about to go off, everyone get the hell out of here!" - that would effectively convey urgency, instead of just simply saying swear words just to appear darker than prior titles.
Also i don't dislike the game! Just wanna make it clear what I think we should take away from the negative reception the game got; the problem was never the tone, but the writing and gameplay being a little sloppy. There's a lot to like about the game and seeing as Gamecube games have gotten really cheap, it's more than worth 10 or 20 bucks to give this game a go; specifically check out levels like Prison Island, Lava Shelter, and anything that takes place on the Black Comet. It's really creative and it sucks that people might miss out on it due to the game's reception
Mephiles is insane and does any thing he can to get what he wants no matter the cost, infinite is so self conscious that he violent to prove it ( also as a joke I name infinite mephiles jr.) and in this video it tells you about shadow.
Even without outside examples, the Sonic series been building up to it with Eggman's robots, his and Tails' mech, the time he held Amy at gun point, the police in sa1, a God of Destruction, and an G.U.N. army, and the Biohazard.
Thanks for making this video. It definitely changed my outlook on how I viewed Shadow the hedgehog game. I still have my old copy and I enjoyed the game for what it was. I wasn't in the line of people who called the game edgy but I was kinda rubbed down by everyone around saying it was an edgy game where it was starting to take an effect on me but with how you explained everything in this video, it's definitely got me wanting to replay the game again
I agree with most points though I will admit, I think why Shadow The Hedgehog sticks out was because of how it handled all the stuff you mentioned. the swearing, although just only resorting to "damn", I think it is how it is usually emphasized by the actors (mostly Shadow) and how he always says it when hit. "Where's that DAMN forth chaos emerald?" (ironic since it was forth that was in all caps and not damn in the subtitles) and as for the aliens, I don't think they are edgy though they do kind of feel like they kind of come out of nowhere in the beginning and kind of feel out of place with the rest of the franchise but that's just me. Though one thing I do agree 100% is that I do think Edgy is an overused term that gets thrown around a lot to the point that it practically means nothing now. Also, isn't edgy by definition means that something is experimental or avant-garde so wouldn't it be a complement if anything? I get it is used in an ironic way but I feel like the "irony" just kind of died after a while and now people just use the term negatively no matter what.
In my experience "Edgy" is generally used for things that're over-the-top dark without it really adding to the story, which is then used as shock factor to disguise a lack of actual substance. Infinite definitely falls under this category, being about as two-dimensional as video game characters get, whereas mephiles... isn't really a character per se? Like, there not a person so the fact that they don't have any depth/complexity to their character, certainly detracts from the story, but it at least makes a bit more sense in-universe. He's more an automaton which happens to function as a foil for shadow on a narrative level but in-universe is purely seeking to restore Solaris. (But, at least he does have that function, Infinite literally serves no purpose in Forces.)
I think the main reason people think the game is edgy is because of Shadow himself. In SA2 and Heroes, Shadow was quiet and reserved, yet heroic. In his own game, he was an unlikable edgelord who didn't care for others. The dark elements of Shadow’s character were over the top in this game, and I think that's why people always criticise it.
I think a big part of what draws people's opinion of Shadow's game down, is the Ark Missions, those can easily take you an hour each if you have to go searching for the one enemy or item you missed. And most people are going to go through one of those on the first playthrough.
You know something I agree with you Lord Danny. And there were also non video game series's that went dark an example is the star wars series. The reasoning why is because the star wars movies a new hope,the empire strikes back,return of the Jedi,the phantom menace and attack of the clones were family friendly movies.but star wars revenge of the sith came out it was a bit dark because obi-wan had lost his friend Anakin to the dark side. Another example was the 90s sitcom dinosaurs because(besides the cursing in season 1)it was a show aimed for people of all ages but the series finale of dinosaurs was horrifying. But I hope you agree with me
I actually like Shadow the Hedgehog, it had a good plot, okay gameplay and a somewhat okay conclusion (rather wish Shadow remembered his past and move forward not forgetting those who died mostly the first friend who gave him a spark of light) but SEGA... just Sega.
Who says he didn't remember his past and forgot about Maria? The game was all about him rediscovering his past and moving on. At the end, when he says "goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog," it's his way of saying "I'm not letting my shady past define who I am" (even the recent past events that occured in the game). And the final theme song, Never Turn Back, is all about him "moving on." And he still strives to keep the promise he made to Maria. He still thinks of her often (this is shown in some of the official Sonic channel art, and if you want to count it as canon, the Twitter takeovers). I mean, it's not like he's going to want to talk about her to anyone. That's the point of the ending. Time to move on.
Edgy is more of slang that is defined by Urban Dictionary as "Used to describe something that is excessively dark, often to a point where it's overbearingly depressive nature could be considered humorous." Personally, I prefer using the word grimderp. I think the only series that I might qualify as "edgy" would be Future Diary and Akame ga Kill (probably).
What makes him Edgy is the funny lines he says like: "Where's that damn fourth chaos emerald" "This is like stealing candy from a baby, which is fine by me." Him saying damn it, along with Knuckles, and Sonic saying damn it as well. I'd say the game is "edgy" overall, I still love how cheesy it gets sometimes
Personally, Shadow the hedgehog is an ok game, the story is actually confusing (sometimes even more than Fate Stay night) but it can be a fun game, however, I would have like that the game expande more about the existance of the Shadow androids.
