12th Day of the Twelve Best Games of 2011: Shadows of the Damned!

     This year had some really amazing AAA titles that blew away millions of fans.  The amount of some of the marketing budgets alone for some of these games could probably be enough cash to actually develop the sequels to which the marketing is made for.  But then there are games like Shadows of Damned; developed by Grasshopper Manufacture.  This was made by Suda51 the genius behind games like KIller7 and  Shinji Mikami the genius behind the Resident Evil games.  Their talents combined to form a 70s style exploitation grindhouse horror game.  Many critics felt the amount of stupid dick jokes and the amount of off color humor was too much.  However, there was a method to their madness.  This game has incredible bosses, a tight story, and controls that I hope they put in the NEXT Resident Evil.  But this title had no triple AAA marketing campaign and while they did have some half hearted commercials on the Comedy Central.  The game was really trotted out to die.  I think with the proper marketing this title could have easily found an audience.

   There is certainly a great deal of craziness in Shadows of the Damned.  But all of this is sold perfectly through eyes of the main character, Garcia Hotspur and his transforming gun buddy Johnson.  You know, his name is Johnson because… wink wink…  Anyway, because the story is told through the eyes of these guys.  Everything from a storybook fairytale to the facts about the crazy worlds they visit; don’t confuse the player but really immerse the player in this world.  For the people looking for it, the title was a commentary on Mexican Machismo and Mexican culture.  Which isn’t a surprise considering Suda51 interest and love for Luchadore Wrestling.

   I loved the complete commitment to making this game’s controls tight and the ability to upgrade simple weapons like shotguns, machine guns, and assault rifles into crazy demonic versions of those simple weapons is awesome.  The addition of RPG elements like upgrading your character and his weapons were the final nails that sold me completely on the Shadows of the Damned.  While the framing might be an acquired taste, the mechanics and essence of the game is unsurpassed.

   The ending not only makes a definite impact on the player but it is totally unexpected and wonderful.  I was very impressed…  While Shadows of Damned might not be every player’s cup of tea.  It is a very important game because it blends action, horror, and RPG game designs into a grindhouse style that many other developers have tried to do; but failed miserably to achieve.  I can’t wait to see what Grasshopper Manufacture does next, because after Shadows of the Damned the sky is the limit.