Shadow Master
Encyclopedia
Shadow Master is a video game developed by HammerHead, and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation, and Microsoft Windows
. It was released for the PlayStation video game console
in January 1998 in Europe and February 24, 1998 in North America. The PC version was released on February 28, 1998 in North America, and February 1998 in Europe.
, two alien race
s had been waging an interstellar war
, known as the Outer War. Now, during the fictional year of 1742, the people
of the planet
Sylvan began to grow uneasy as rumors
had spread involving the disappearances of trade
ships
. Eventually the planet had lost contact with many of its outlying trade ships and star ports, which led to the complete communications blackout
of the systems
outer worlds. Refugees had come from the outer planets and told stories
of mass destruction
, death
and plunder, with entire worlds being stripped of their resources, and countless innocence were either enslaved
or slaughtered by mechanoid monsters. A 'death black-shadow' as was referred to by the elder
s of Sylvan, had engulfed the system. An invasion
fleet has begun to occupy the planet, with one force standing in the way of its complete take over: you.
video game, set in a sci fi
universe. The player
takes control of a futuristic, and heavily armed ATV
to traverse each level
, combat aliens
, and complete level objectives. Before each mission
, the player is briefed by 'strategic command' on their mission objectives. The player is then brought into the level, which they can explore. The vehicle the player uses is controlled
with either the D-Pad
and shoulder buttons, or the two analog sticks in the PlayStation version. In the PC version, the mouse and keyboard or joystick
can be used for movement. During gameplay, your vehicle has a certain amount of health and shields
, which if drops below zero becomes a game over
for the player. A radar
is displayed to show the relative positions of enemies to the player as well. The vehicle is also armed with many fictional weapons, such as lasers, cannons, machine guns, missiles, grenade launchers and rail guns. Some have unlimited ammunition
but are limited by an overheat meter which prevents constant use of the weapon, while others have a limited supply of ammunition but are much more effective and not limited by overheating.
The game contains seven different worlds to explore, separated by sixteen different levels, with each world having its own unique visual style. The levels are completed when all objectives in the current mission have been completed. Each level comes with its own complement of enemies, with many of them resembling creatures from Earth
such as Apes or Wasps, but are mechanoid instead of living organisms. There are also many alien creatures to contend with as well, with some henchmen being made in the image of the Shadow Master himself. The creatures drop items the player can use when they are destroyed, such as health crystals, ammunition, weapons, power-ups and upgrades. These dropped items stay active for a short period and disappear if not picked up.
The PC version of Shadow Master also includes multiplayer support, using both IPX and serial connection
.
gave the PlayStation version of the game a 7.2 out of 10 'Good' rating, stating that "Hackneyed plot aside, this game is actually pretty decent for a 3D shooter." praising its visuals, especially its art direction stating "The resulting landscapes and creatures differ from anything you've seen before.", and the sheer number of enemies. IGN
gave the game a lower score of 4 out of 10, citing the games controls to be "sloppy", saying that "...piloting your vehicle is ugly. If that's not disheartening, try aiming at a gun turret behind a wall and getting stuck in a corner.".
The PC version of the game garnered harsher scores, with GameSpot giving the version a lower 4.7 out of 10 'Poor' rating, giving praise to the same areas as the PlayStation version, but cited issues with the multiplayer portion of the game, noting that "Our Righteous 3D machine chugged along at an unplayable pace, even with low-resolution, flat-shaded graphics enabled. The Obsidian system ran just as slowly, which made the two-player session boring, frustrating, and as far from fun as possible.".
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was released for the PlayStation video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
in January 1998 in Europe and February 24, 1998 in North America. The PC version was released on February 28, 1998 in North America, and February 1998 in Europe.
Story
For over a millenniumMillennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, two alien race
Race (biology)
In biology, races are distinct genetically divergent populations within the same species with relatively small morphological and genetic differences. The populations can be described as ecological races if they arise from adaptation to different local habitats or geographic races when they are...
s had been waging an interstellar war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, known as the Outer War. Now, during the fictional year of 1742, the people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
of the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
Sylvan began to grow uneasy as rumors
Rumors
Rumors is a farcical play by Neil Simon.At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their hosts' tenth anniversary. When they arrive, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host - the deputy...
had spread involving the disappearances of trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
ships
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
. Eventually the planet had lost contact with many of its outlying trade ships and star ports, which led to the complete communications blackout
Communications blackout
In telecommunications, communications blackouts are*a cessation of communications or communications capability, caused by a lack of power to a communications facility or to communications equipment....
of the systems
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
outer worlds. Refugees had come from the outer planets and told stories
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
of mass destruction
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and plunder, with entire worlds being stripped of their resources, and countless innocence were either enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
or slaughtered by mechanoid monsters. A 'death black-shadow' as was referred to by the elder
Elder (administrative title)
The term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...
s of Sylvan, had engulfed the system. An invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
fleet has begun to occupy the planet, with one force standing in the way of its complete take over: you.
Gameplay
Shadow Master is a first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game, set in a sci fi
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
universe. The player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
takes control of a futuristic, and heavily armed ATV
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
to traverse each level
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
, combat aliens
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
, and complete level objectives. Before each mission
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
, the player is briefed by 'strategic command' on their mission objectives. The player is then brought into the level, which they can explore. The vehicle the player uses is controlled
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
with either the D-Pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
and shoulder buttons, or the two analog sticks in the PlayStation version. In the PC version, the mouse and keyboard or joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
can be used for movement. During gameplay, your vehicle has a certain amount of health and shields
Force field
A force field, sometimes known as an energy shield, force shield, or deflector shield is a concept of a field tightly bounded and of significant magnitude so that objects affected by the particular force relating to the field are unable to pass through the central axis of the field and reach the...
, which if drops below zero becomes a game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
for the player. A radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
is displayed to show the relative positions of enemies to the player as well. The vehicle is also armed with many fictional weapons, such as lasers, cannons, machine guns, missiles, grenade launchers and rail guns. Some have unlimited ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
but are limited by an overheat meter which prevents constant use of the weapon, while others have a limited supply of ammunition but are much more effective and not limited by overheating.
The game contains seven different worlds to explore, separated by sixteen different levels, with each world having its own unique visual style. The levels are completed when all objectives in the current mission have been completed. Each level comes with its own complement of enemies, with many of them resembling creatures from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
such as Apes or Wasps, but are mechanoid instead of living organisms. There are also many alien creatures to contend with as well, with some henchmen being made in the image of the Shadow Master himself. The creatures drop items the player can use when they are destroyed, such as health crystals, ammunition, weapons, power-ups and upgrades. These dropped items stay active for a short period and disappear if not picked up.
The PC version of Shadow Master also includes multiplayer support, using both IPX and serial connection
Serial communication
In telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at a time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are sent as a whole, on a link with several parallel channels...
.
Reception
Shadow Master received mixed reviews from critics, with the PlayStation version getting higher scores overall. GameRankings has listed both the PlayStation version and PC version, with aggregate scores of 65.6% (PSX) and 58.5% (PC). GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the PlayStation version of the game a 7.2 out of 10 'Good' rating, stating that "Hackneyed plot aside, this game is actually pretty decent for a 3D shooter." praising its visuals, especially its art direction stating "The resulting landscapes and creatures differ from anything you've seen before.", and the sheer number of enemies. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a lower score of 4 out of 10, citing the games controls to be "sloppy", saying that "...piloting your vehicle is ugly. If that's not disheartening, try aiming at a gun turret behind a wall and getting stuck in a corner.".
The PC version of the game garnered harsher scores, with GameSpot giving the version a lower 4.7 out of 10 'Poor' rating, giving praise to the same areas as the PlayStation version, but cited issues with the multiplayer portion of the game, noting that "Our Righteous 3D machine chugged along at an unplayable pace, even with low-resolution, flat-shaded graphics enabled. The Obsidian system ran just as slowly, which made the two-player session boring, frustrating, and as far from fun as possible.".