Sega made a brave(?) attempt to emulate the success of Nintendo's Wario concept, that is taking a bad/not-quite-good guy and giving them a title of their own. Although Shadow doesn't default to evil due to the player's "ability" to switch to whichever allegiance they choose, this is a definite attempt to have a more edgy character in this ridiculously colourful world. A neat idea maybe, but incredibly difficult to implement due to the ludicrous speeds at which Sonic games are played and the over the top nature of the series. The graphics for this Gamecube/Xbox/PS2 title were also completely outdated compared to predecessor Sonic Heroes and tried to do absolutely nothing different with the "explode at warp 9 through every level" gameplay. Even the much touted gun-play element is unusable, with aiming proving almost impossible at times. This is a title that offered nothing to the franchise but frustration and more of the same. Anyone but the most resolute Sonic fan would hate this.