Universal SHADOWGUN (by MADFINGER Games)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by The Bat Outta Hell, Sep 28, 2011.

  1. arta

    arta Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    I don't believe this, The glitch happened to me, after I'd already beaten the level. Unbelievable!

    First off, the checkpoint system is screwy: I only noticed now when I load the app to resume the game, it sends me back to the checkpoint BEFORE the one I reached. Happened to me twice, the second time was tonight when I tried to continue the mission and found myself at the checkpoint before the Driller boss, even though I had already beaten it!

    Then the real glitch everyone's been complaining about struck - I turned around to run down the corridor and shoot the lights when I died randomly. This keeps happening no matter what - even if you DON'T take the keycard (that triggers the Driller), you can still die if you turn around and walk back.

    To me it's unbelievable that this got past beta testing. The game is completely broken at this point of the game, and I was getting into it. :(
     
  2. thethinice

    thethinice Well-Known Member

    Dec 18, 2010
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    Well, I agree with the TA review on some part, on others not so much. I don't seem to have met up with any gamebreaking bugs as of yet. Maybe I'm just about to, but so far it seems fine to me.
     
  3. PureSkill

    PureSkill Well-Known Member

    Apr 28, 2009
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    QFT, Very well said guys. I couldn't agree more. I applaud your responses.

    I really can't understand why Hodapp wants to put this game down, unless it is his extremely bad taste kicking in again. :p
     
  4. iVaro

    iVaro Well-Known Member

    Dec 18, 2009
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    MadFinger:why doesm't this game uploads your achievements to GameCenter even when offline? I'd love to see that in the next update.
     
  5. russiaone

    russiaone Well-Known Member

    Jan 4, 2009
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    +1

    There are some things to nitpick (awkward weapon switching, I'm looking at you), but this game is masterful in its presentation, visceral in its gameplay attitude, and simply FUN to play. I love the few weapons on hand, and with headphones on the sound design is excellent.

    9/10

    Oh, and these graphics are the best I've yet to see on a portable platform, tricks be damned.
     
  6. arta

    arta Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    If not for that game halting bug, Shadowgun bests a lot of Gameloft's games, offhand only the premiere series Modern Combat and Nova beat it in terms of feeling like a full game.

    That's not to say there isn't room for improvement.
     
  7. Snacks48

    Snacks48 Well-Known Member

    Mar 24, 2011
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    The touch arcade review is rediculous like pretty much the rest of the reviews on this site, madfingers probably didn't pay them money for a 5 star review so hodapp couldn't buy a 4th generation device.
     
  8. Dirty Harry Hannahan

    Dirty Harry Hannahan Well-Known Member

    Apr 14, 2011
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    Hopefully an update will happen real soon. I want to play past the driller and see what this game has to offer. :)
     
  9. chickdigger802

    chickdigger802 Well-Known Member

    Apr 14, 2009
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    Saying something is better than gameloft game isn't really the best praise in the world kids...

    The worst thing to happen to this game is coming out right after Gears of War 3, which this pales to, naturally. If this came out a while earlier, my opinion would be better somewhat. But the potential for this series is high, so I'm not sad for picking it up.
     
  10. Jdragoon19

    Jdragoon19 Well-Known Member

    Nov 29, 2010
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    I strongly disagree with the TA review. Its like the guy was trying to put this game down as best as he could (no offense to him though).
     
  11. Reviewers are supposed to write an article based on their experiences with a game, which Thorin (not Hodapp) did. Sure, he (she?) encountered an extremely rare bug while playing through Shadowgun, but I would also be frustrated if my save file was deleted that far into the game. The fact that a save deletion bug even exists is a major flaw. Do I agree with the 3 star review? Not necessarily, but I don't understand why so many people are all worked up over it...
     
  12. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
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    What.
     
  13. nic.

    nic. Well-Known Member

    May 25, 2009
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    Seriously guys... I'm reading this thread to decide whether or not to buy the game but now I'm probably more puzzled.

    If some of you truly like the game, please do me a favour and end this discussion already, its just going down in a endless spiral. It really doesn't do this thread, even the game any good.
     
  14. MJY8

    MJY8 Well-Known Member

    Jul 14, 2011
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  15. squarezero

    squarezero Moderator
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    To answer your question about how that bug got through beta testing, well, it's complicated. PureSkill, ImNoSuperman, and I managed to beat the game without a problem. In fact, even before the release candidate I didn't run into any game breaking bugs -- just some crashes on the last level that were resolved, a few collider issues: the usual stuff. All of us completed level 4 and the drill sequence without a problem. We got the release candidate when the game was submitted to Apple. I decided to play through the game again in hard mode, and the day before it was due to be released, I ran into the drill sequence bug. Unfortunately, Madfinger was not able to recreate it and they probably assumed it was a random glitch. As people now know, it wasn't -- basically, if you quit the game or are killed at that checkup point, the game restarts with the beam behind you turned on (though you can't see it). I haven't connected with Marek at Madfinger since the game released, but I can only assume that they're feverishly fixing the problem that have been reported.

    I haven't written anything about the review because it's kind of pointless. As Hodapp has made it clear, reviews are a matter of opinion (even if it's delivered as a series of categorical statements), and it's impossible to settle a subjective issue like whatever a game is "fun" or "repetitive."

    I do find it disappointing the way that Hodapp have been throwing the term "tech demo" around in his responses on this thread. Whether something is a tech demo or not is a much less subjective issue. Calling Shadowgun a tech demo is kind of an insult to the people who wrote the story and dialogue, designed the levels (which, by the way, don't require a Gameloft-style giant arrow to get through), etc. Just because you don't like the gameplay doesn't meant that it's not there.

    In any event, I think Pacificsun0481 has done a good job explaining why people who like the game do so (and no, we're not blinded by pretty graphics). Obviously I wish that people could see the game the way I see it, but I understand why they don't.
     
  16. bebo_beta2002

    bebo_beta2002 Well-Known Member

    Jan 6, 2010
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    i didn't face any crashing proplems on my 3gs
    but un fortunately the game is somehow laggy when i face enemies and shoot
    is anyone with 3gs experencing the same proplem?
     
  17. Pacificsun0481

    Pacificsun0481 Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2010
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    #497 Pacificsun0481, Sep 30, 2011
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2011
    Thanks buddy :)

    *dusts off shoulder*

    I know what it's like to beta test, give your best and still never find every instance of a bug...

    In my Aralon experience, I fell through the floor into abyss, yet the team couldn't recreate it. The game has since eventually expanded and progressed, bugs have since been controlled and the game is pure prime iOS rib :p

    I couldn't agree more - reviews are subjective to preferences and tastes, so every experience varies drastically in what a person finds enjoyable.

    I will say this, not as a gaming fanboy or any nonsense. Just pure honesty to anyone reading:

    Shadowgun is imperfect. It offers a very real, tangible sense of brilliance. It's a game that leaves you in awe...the kind of awe, where you're dumbstruck that something this potent resides behind a slab of aluminum and glass.

    If you have had any enjoyment with Gameloft's 3rd person shooters, it's better than a lot of those. The game can only improve from here.

    It's worthy of your 8.00$, assuming 2 Starbucks beverages hold the same value to you.

    Give Shadowgun a shot. Or a bang for your bucks.
     
  18. Nightshift Nurse

    Nightshift Nurse Well-Known Member

    Jun 23, 2011
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    #498 Nightshift Nurse, Sep 30, 2011
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2011
    Oh boy, sometimes I'm reminded of how much iOS as a gaming platform is still in its infancy when I see a back-and-forth between readership and reviewer like this one.

    My own 2ยข:

    The crashing is definitely a serious issue, and one worthy of a good deal of focus. On my iPad 2, Shadowgun crashes constantly. For the amount of bug-related backtracking I've had to do, the game's five hour campaign has taken me closer to six.

    Ignoring that momentarily, I'd say Shadowgun is fun despite being rather shallow and derivative. Honestly, the derivative part I can always forgive, as many of my all-time favorites have, in fact, been knock-offs of existing franchises (Bonk, Streets of Rage, Ys, World Heroes, etc.)

    However, Shadowgun does seem to be the product of either rushed development or some truly naive designers. Who the hell makes a shooter with no iron sight? Why isn't it possible to simply vault over cover without first sticking to it? Why no aim-assist option? And seriously...no melee attacks?

    I will say that I'm happy to have a console-like game on my iPad - though the graphics deserve most of the credit for that status. That being said, I do feel it's a tad unfair to be entirely dismissive of the game's visuals. I mean, Ninja Gaiden (NES) was widely lauded for its graphics, typically at the expense of any serious critique of its mechanical qualities. For the record, they were solid, but not without some notable issues. This was, however, a game very much built on the foundation of its graphics. Likewise, Shadowgun is inseparable from its visuals in so much as they form the basis for Shadowgun's appeal - for better or worse.

    In terms of Shadowgun's other elements, I'd say most criticisms seem fair. A plot is undeniably present and, unlike many of Gameloft's efforts, actually makes sense. And while the acting and writing are both serviceable, nothing about this aspect of Shadowgun truly distinguishes itself. It's merely a vehicle for shooting a bunch of intergalactic leather daddies. (Note: intergalactic leather daddies are at least five kinds of awesome.)

    Matters of polish are a mixed bag. Visually and aurally Shadowgun is pretty impeccable. But the forced subtitles during the game's opening cinematic, the crap (and consequence-free) ending and the placeholder-like feel of the "level complete" screens all speak to the rushed quality I mentioned earlier.

    I do think it's a tad disingenuous to say that Shadowgun is a poor game. I've played through the campaign twice - once on easy and once on hard - and in spite of the issues I and others have touched upon, the technical prowess on display and the fun to be had with the content provided elevates Shadowgun beyond any "bad" or "mediocre" status. It is perhaps not a great game, but still undeniably a good one.
     
  19. yyhakusho

    yyhakusho Well-Known Member

    Feb 7, 2011
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    i dunno what is the real problem about this game?
    as long as I play this game there are no significant problems...
     
  20. sizzlakalonji

    sizzlakalonji Moderator
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