Film critic Christopher Kelly, upon the release of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez collaboration “Grindhouse,” lamented that the two men seemed to have become little more than mutual enablers. Talented filmmakers on their own, together they had devolved into two kids snickering at each other’s jokes in the back of class while the rest of the students rolled their eyes. Audiences, in turn, rolled their eyes at the resulting movie, which didn’t live up to the standards set by either’s solo work. How fitting, then, that “Shadows of the Damned,” a tribute to “Grindhouse” from Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami, represents a similar moment for this duo. The game is strong, but not as good as what we’ve seen from either designer acting alone.
Though not a double feature, like the Tarantino/Rodriguez effort, “Shadows of the Damned” sometimes feels just as segmented and diluted. It’s as though Suda directed a remake of Mikami’s brilliant “Resident Evil 4,” only a hell of a lot sillier.
| ‘Shadows of the Damned’ |
| Systems: PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Price: $59.99 |
| Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
The game, written by Suda, stars demon hunter Garcia Hotspur, who may not have a name as good as that of Travis Touchdown, the protagonist of Suda’s “No More Heroes,” but he does have a talking torch that transforms into everything from a motorcycle to a shotgun. Hotspur’s girlfriend has been kidnapped by a demon, and he chases after her into a bizarre, joke-filled hell where the denizens eat strawberries and Satan has security cameras.
Most of the game utilizes a slightly modified version of the (perfect) over-the-shoulder control scheme from “Resident Evil 4.” Most of the game, then, is a blast. This viewpoint lends itself to more realistic control — not the absurd sideways running that dominates most shooters — thus greater identification with your character, thus a more urgent sense of panic when the bad guys close in around you.
Sadly, these parts are forced to slum it with novelty sections, like side-scrolling levels that look great but are dazzlingly frustrating, and boss battles oriented more around what puns Suda could make than what would be fun for the player.
The game is awfully proud of its script and voice acting, for better and for worse. For every self-referential joke about “the designers” (“Who?” your torch asks), there are double entendres that wouldn’t have even made it into “Duke Nukem Forever.”
As a humor-laden action game, “Shadows of the Damned” is memorable and worthwhile. As a product of two visionaries of their medium, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
