This review contains spoilers
Going into Shadow the Hedgehog, I expected a pretty bad experience from what I had heard from the Sonic Community, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was my favorite Sonic Game, even moreso than Sonic Adventure 2. I found the story to be compelling, and really appreciated the different routes.
Will I admit that it's a bit silly you have to beat the game 10 different times in order to challenge the final boss? Yes, but I don't think it matters, especially when each different ending, you can get to it by playing a completely different route.
My only criticisms, if any, are:
1. Both of the ARK stages are unfun. Super cool to sort of go back in the past, but they weren't enjoyable.
2. There were some pretty missed opportunities with the routes. There really should have been an ending where you could side with Eggman, and one where you could join forces with Rouge and aid Gun. Also, I never particularly found Chaos Blast all too useful in the normal levels, though they were obviously a great help in the boss ones.
Will I admit that it's a bit silly you have to beat the game 10 different times in order to challenge the final boss? Yes, but I don't think it matters, especially when each different ending, you can get to it by playing a completely different route.
My only criticisms, if any, are:
1. Both of the ARK stages are unfun. Super cool to sort of go back in the past, but they weren't enjoyable.
2. There were some pretty missed opportunities with the routes. There really should have been an ending where you could side with Eggman, and one where you could join forces with Rouge and aid Gun. Also, I never particularly found Chaos Blast all too useful in the normal levels, though they were obviously a great help in the boss ones.