Ordered, this is the first I've heard and seen of it!

Yeah it's being published by EA and they haven't made any effort to put it out there. They didn't even present (or even mention it) it at E3, it's not American enough.

There's so much hate for the game already - due to it not being an FPS as usual;

Read the comments to find out everything that's wrong with gaming right now.

I have no idea what to make of it, that's probably why I I'm interested

Had this on preorder for a while.

JOHNSON IS DA MAN!

MUY
MUY
MUY
MUY
BUENO!

xD

Christ, I've been well looking forward to this since it was first announced, had absolutely no idea it was out on Friday. Well excited now, if very disappointed in EA's marketing department.

I thought the UK version was out today too -

It's out on Friday, not that you'd ever be able to tell - not even the official site has a release date specified. I've just ordered the Asia version from Play Asia, hopefully with the courier shipping it'll arrive soon. Proper cannot wait to play this!

Best trailer ever. I'd have bought it on the strength of that alone =D

The hype machine has me all worked up for this!

3 things holding me back...

1. Lack of money
2. Lack of any in-depth reviews
3. A shelf full of unfinished games including Resi4 and No More Heroes

I'm really loving what I'm seeing in the trailers, I think I will wait for your opinions and maybe a drop in price.

Question,

Which route are people going with this? PS3 or 360?

Just let the Saurian hype machine sway you over!

I'm picking it up this afternoon (360 version) so I'll post some quick impressions then.

I'm in exactly the same position, though I did clock RE4/5.

The gun/boner jokes put me off too, but the rest looks fun and insane.

I have no issue with the gun/boner jokes. The Eurogamer review hints that the dialog is suitably off-kilter with the occaisional miss placed quip.

The whole Johnson idea has me pumped for this. Check out the insta-switch between the different Johnson forms in the vids. That's the sort of slick switch shit that has my interest. None of that 30 frames of animation to switch weapons bollocks.

Where are you picking up your copy from? I was going the Play-Asia route, but they're being long so I cancelled it.

I went to a local electronics boutique and got a PAL copy, they also gave me instructions on how to download the OST sampler from EA. I think that was the bonus for pre-ordering customers.

Now to install this on the HDD!

Come ON!

I'm impatient for impressions

There's a review by IGN up - but it's the usual graphics-obsessed garbage and not worth reading. I'm going to hunt around again later, there are people around here selling promo copies but I want a retail one.

This might be better than the IGN review:

http://www.destructoid.com/review-shadows-of-the-damned-204206.phtml

Interesting that they think it is so buggy, but still worth playing.

Bah browser crash. Just read the Gamespot UK review. Very positive review. I'm seriously having to hold back now...

Think I'll probably go 360 for this.

This is very early but I have solid first impression.

It feels like, if you may, a spiritual successor to Resi 4. It controls really well, it's like they made something sensible out of the Resi 5 control scheme with 180 turns and separate camera controls on the right analogue.

The zombies become aware whenever you point the gun at them and evade, you can also incapacitate them by shooting limbs.

This is Unreal Engine, too, but they have managed to avoid the buff and bulky Space Marine designs.

The streets are littered with quirky things much like God Hand ( strawberries, sake bottles etc.) which enhances your performance and has a vitalising effect on your Johnson, or so the game tells me.

Sounds great. I'm just waiting for this thread to deteriorate into a mess of purile inuendo, but I'm not going to be the one to start it off.

Damn, I'm going to have to get back into Resi4. I didn't get beyond the giant stone statue bit. So have about 1/3 of the game left to play ,but also

Resi 4 is brilliant, from what I have played this is the only game that comes close to it.

I've also noticed that you can map certain items to the left bumper for quick access so you can spam whatever it is your carrying.

It seems to be beneficial to melee incapacitated enemies, by stomping on them they will yield ammo, diamonds etc. Not sure what the jewels are for, perhaps currency.

Items are collected depending on your proximity, a small distance is sufficient, you don't have to run over them or press a button.

I thought the gems were for upgrading your Johnson?

Yes, I can confirm your Johnson is happy to accept any help he can get to remain firm and steady in your hands.

There's separate currency for upgrades, these are red jewels, anything else if for buying items.

How is the headshot effect in this? It gave me a Killer7 vibe when I saw that in a vid, is it easy to pull off or take crackerjack timing...wang?!

They are pretty quick and the nightmare zombies are dodging left and right but the feedback is good when you land one. It's easy when they charge at you. The aiming is exactly like Resi 4.

See this only got a 5 in Edge - haven't bothered reading the review yet. I only managed to get an hour on it last night in the end, but it feels nice and solid, and the gunplay is well satisfying - the ability to ready your weapon while you're turning 180 (rather than immediately after the turn a la Resi 4) is so simple you've got to wonder why we haven't seen it before, unless we have and I've missed it.

It does seem incredibly linear (again from the tiny amount I've played), but so was Resi 4 and no-one gave a shit then.

Skim-read the Edge review until I came up to the point where they complained that headshots were too hard to pull off and could have used some sort of auto-aim or lock-on. <_<

Only GAME on the high street had this in today around here, strange one.

Dont tell me that...if HMV don't have it I'll cry.

Alarmingly I've taken to walking around talking in a spanish accent saying

"I am Garcia Fucking Hotspur"

I think I need help. I must pick this up when it drops in price.

Thankfully this is great and has some wicked surprises.

Well, this has been a bit of a laugh so far.

I was a bit worried that the controls would be a bit janky but I was pleasantly proved wrong. Garcia has full 360 movement with the L stick, he can move and strafe when in targeting mode, he has an instant roll which has a nice long invulnerability frames to it and you can also instantly select your weapons from the D pad. You've also got the ability to swing your Johnson (Skull on a stick that morphs into all of your guns) at bad guys. You can also charge this attack but I've found it misses quite often if you don't judge the distance properly.

Garcia moves fast and so do the enemies, so having the controls be shoddy would've ruined the experience straight away so I'm glad it's got over that hurdle. I've not had to change the aim sensitivity at all and I've been capping fools asses and heads with relative ease at various distances.

So yeah, I've played the game in 2 lengthy sittings on Normal Difficulty so far and there's still quite a bit to go. It's been enjoyable but I don't think apart from the Hard Sitting there would be much to return to. There's been a few spikes of difficulty but nothing that didn't take a few goes to push on through.

I was hoping for a lot more strategy and variety in the way to take on foes, but the systems and weapon in the game are varied enough so combat doesn't get boring.

You've got basic QTE triggered events if you've blasted enemies legs off or if they are approaching you when your back is turned you can do a quick elbow attack. You also gain various alternate firing modes for your gun in addition to a light bomb attack. You can charge your pistol shot and it will shoot out a glob of light that will stick to any enemy or surface. You can then try and shoot this glob to cause some explosive damage.

There's also the mechanic of "Darkness" where the area is enveloped in a thick fog. You can't damage normal enemies in this state and you are constantly taking damage so you have to find a way to deactivate it, which means listening out for a bleating goat (yeah I know) and shooting it with a light shot.

Bosses are the exception to this as so far as it exposes their weakpoint. You then have to risk more time in the darkness to inflict as much damage as possible, or doing measly bits of damage and trying to conserve your health. As the controls are so spot on, I've been decimating the bosses at the expense of my health for max damage each time. When things get a bit sticky, I just top up my health.

What ties it all in is the world and setting that has been created. It's grim, but they've thrown in a bucket of humour and dick jokes to counter balance it all. Garcia and Johnson are a great double team and I can't wait to hear them to banter back and forth. It's not groan worthy it's just childish, but the voice overs of Garcia and Johnson are so different that it works.

Best banter between the two occurs when they come across story books. The story books have a brief history of the boss in that area and how they came to be. Garcia takes to reading one of the books later on and he struggles with lengthy words, Johnson chirps in to help him when he can.

Loads of cool touches in this game which raised a smile, the moment right after the first section of the game setting the scene and you had to select your file was awesome. Lots of little cool stuff, something which NMH was also full of, but unlike that game I couldn't trudge through the crap to appreciate it all. I know people love NMHs here, but I just couldn't make my way through the overworld sections without getting pissed off.

It's also taught me a lot about the Demon realm...who knew that goats are the source of light?!

Enjoying it so far.

Oh, and the sushi lamp is awesome!

I played this for ages before realising you can stun enemies with the Light Charge and then X melee attack them up close, which is very satisfying. Also shooting the legs out of a pack of enemies and then X stomping the shit out of them all is great fun if you get them all bunched together. The roll is soooooo safe its almost unfair. The controls are so tight that they can make you fight in complete darkness and you can still bring the pain. Loved the library bit, nice meaty section of arse kickery.

This happened as soon as I loaded the game;

This is my 4th machine now.... T_T

Oh man.

Gah that bites balls. Should be easy enough to repair, but still a pain in the Johnson.

I'm letting MS do it - I'd rather them give me a refurbished unit TBH, I've never had one last more than a few days after trying myself.

I just have to make sure I don't look in this thread until I get it back! XD

MS are saying £70 for the brickbox repair! I just got a used machine for less than that, I'll be on this tonight!

In a mild u-turn, I went and bought this over the weekend.

These UK ads helped convince me:

http://www.shopto.net/XBOX%20360/VIDEO%20GAMES/XB2SH07-Shadow%20of%20the%20Damned.html

and... it is lots of fun

Simply put, its a slicker RE4 with fewer puzzles, and a smaller scope.

What makes it stand out is the slanted view it takes on it's own video game world, and others by extension. Every riff on that is good fun (one eyed willy, strawberries, 'performance enhancers', Christopher, sushi lamp).

Also the ropey gun/dick jokes are nowhere near as prevalent as those US trailers suggest, apart from one specific stage, which makes a little more sense than in the trailers... some even made me laugh.

Some great voice acting too... you know the bits I'm talking about if you've played it. Surprisingly good. Leon is there too I think ?

Japanese cast also sounds fun:

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/26/shadows-of-the-damneds-star-studded-japanese-cast/

I like the choice for 'tough guy'.

The film references are nice, and the humour has a familiar Killer 7/NMH vibe, but with a better game underneath. It ain't no masterpiece, but it is a lot of fun, and pushes boundaries in terms of humour, content and swearing.

I almost forgot to add, the sound design is fantastic as well, great incidental music. Wish I had a surround setup for that.

I have a surround setup. I also have some birthday money...

I've gone back to Resi 4 to fill the void, but it won't keep me engaged for long. I think this is worth a purchase. Maybe I'll pop out at lunchtime and pick up a copy

Its worth a go - I reckon you'd enjoy it for sure.

You might have to fuck a horse to open a door though. xD

Finished this last night, Normal took me around 10/11 hours to get through and there are a few odd difficulty spikes but nothing that doesn't take more then a few goes to get passed.

Final boss and final chapters were a bit disappointing and anti climatic to be honest. Felt as though they could've squeezed in another act or two and developed the final boss a bit better. All of the bosses were pretty tame tests but as I said, Hard Mode might rectify that and provide the challenge I need.

I just want MORE OF THIS! Really wished they had a Mercs type mode on this, I'd even pay for DLC for it.

It's very refreshing to have traditional mechanics in a mainstream release. Although this is not even a tiny fraction of the genius of Resident Evil 4, but it's a nice little distraction. What I love most is the bosses, there's none of the "run around in a circle and shoot" shit you find in games now - you actually have to watch and learn. Only once you've worked out the boss' cycle and how you can gain access to it's weakpoint can you deal any damage.

I badly want to play Resident Evil 4 again, when that HD remastered version comes out it's all about that ghetto pimp Leon again!

Where Resident Evil 4 excels and where Shadows gets messy is that RE4 gave you exact cause/effect feedback. You had complete control over the manner in which you killed enemies, but in Shadows (although communication to the player is handled very well) - you don't have this exact cause/effect thing going on with your shooting.

Things end up being down to chance, this is something I really cannot agree with. If something is possible in the game, it should be possible due to the player skill. Proper Headshots are down to chance, even which moves you trigger as finishing attacks seem down to chance too.

If I can work out the exact triggers for every action I will enjoy the game more. But it's looking like it's dice-rolling so far.

Been trying to suss out how you get the ZOOM headshot versus the regular headshot, it can't be dice rolling can it as there is an achievement for doing 5 in a row?

I like the randomness of the melee attacks though, not knowning which way an enemy will be dispatched keeps a lttle fresher.

I thought the ZOOM headshot was when you get a headshot first time - i.e. when you haven't previously shot that particular enemy. If you have already shot them then before the headshot then you just get the regular one, no?

How do you know you have triggered a melee attack condition? This is what I'm talking about, I cannot find the triggers for each different action. Not being able to have any control over which conditions are triggered does not keep things fresh, it removes your ability to control the battles.

The only one I have found which is set in stone is stomping on enemies after you have shot their legs off. But what about the others? I have seen possibly 3 different melee attacks and absolutely nothing is consistant in regards to triggering them. I don't care what the action is, it's the triggers I need to understand.

I'll try that headshot thing next time I play.

Erm, just freeze them with the light shot and then approach them to trigger the X prompt, you then get the dice rolled melee action.