It's a cute detail that Rouge's eyes light up when she notices Shadow in Ep 2. She was in full work mode eyes glazed over, until her bestie showed up. Also like how she calls him "handsome" in the same episode he flashes back about feeling like some ugly alien freak. And maybe just me, but when Rouge implies only Maria could ever talk Shadow down, kinda feels like she's selling herself short...
Or she's trying to cover her own tracks for not suggesting to Shadow that they simply walk in and ask for a ride. Remember that Rouge is a very clever and sneaky lady, and she will try to weasel her way to her next paycheck if she has to, since G.U.N. is the one that holds her next paycheck, so of course she would try to glaze over that little mistake of entering before knocking. Honestly, who knows what happened at the front door. Maybe Omega went loud first, which prompted Shadow to follow suit since he might as well stretch his legs and display a little of his power.
Honestly the justification they give for attacking the GUN base does feel a little goofy. At the very least they could have said that securing permission for a rocket normally would be more time-consuming; even the Commander probably has rules and protocols he’d have to obey to set up a rocket launch.
This might be a hot take, but it's always seemed (post-SA2) that Rouge and Shadow have that will they/won't they kind of relationship where they're always hinting at further feelings than just comraderie but won't go through with the payoff. In SA2, and I still stand on this hill, Rouge and Knuckles were always the couple that just looked possible, their flirty rivalry over the Emeralds and all that. Yeah, it is probably more from Rouge's personality as she does flirt with almost anyone she comes across but still. As far as living characters go, only Rouge can talk him down. Omega might but his own personality would most likely rather make Shadow go apeshit against his enemies instead, damned psychotic robot lmfao
@@nickynegron3515 Rouge: "I know what you've been through, and I know deep down you're a hero. I'll stand by you no matter what!" Omega: "CRUSHING YOUR ENEMIES? I WANT IN! DIBS ON THAT GUY!"
I agree, even though after Maria died Shadow may feel alone but he's not, Shadow's got Rouge and Omega to keep him company and that's a good thing and Maria would have been proud of him
Also a nice little lore detail, in Sonic Battle or somewhere in a piece of Sonic Media, Gerald mentions in a journal entry that Emerl activated and cause destruction throughout The Ark which is exactly the event we see playing out here in Shadow's Memory
Yup. Gerald discovered Emerl from Angel Island as he did fieldwork for his research regarding the ultimate lifeform (which the mural in Hidden Palace depicted). He traded Emerl to GUN as leverage to continue his work on Shadow, since they were becoming impatient with him. GUN messed Emerl up with power, resulted in a chunk of destruction, and still had the audacity to use that as a reason to shut the ARK down.
The announcement playing during Emerl's break out, also says multiple experiments escaped. Possibly hint of the Artificial Chaos running wild in Lost Impact
I just wanna see Shadow the Hedgehog have his own spin-off film. He's too damn good for a Paramount+ series. Besides, Keanu is a *certified* movie star.
@@mayracordero382 Eh, not exactly. I don't want to see Shadow of all characters get the same treatment Knuckles did in *his* own show. Where he's sidelined by a human character no one came to see because of TV budget reasons. I don't want another repeat of the formula.
@@liamphibiaWell considering Shadow is both Iizuka-san’s and Jeff Fowler’s favorite Sonic franchise character, I bet there would be MUCH more oversight from them on a Shadow spin off series then there was for the Knuckles series. Jeff Fowler only was directly involved with the first episode of the Knuckles series, which is why it was the best episode of that series. So hopefully a Shadow spin off series will be much better.
Seeing Shadow go through it in the last few shots got me. I think it's the most vulnerable we've ever seen him. His usually unflinching expression looking positively fearful. Just showing emotion at all beyond superiority is such a good thing. I'm still wonder where and how Emral is gonna fit into this. A Sonic Battle refrence after so long? Connecting it like it did to the main serries proper...? It's like a dream. The Team Dark reunion made me squeel. Was great seeing them again and they wasted no time at all making SURE we knew this was Archie/IDW Omega with his badassery mingled with humor. He did not need to run his minigun across the ground to help spin it up, but we look past that cause, yeah Omega would do that. And the robot sound genuinely disappointed like a kid told he can't go to the candy store, when denied the take down. Which is hilarious. If he had said "Worthless consumer models" at any point, I might have had a fit. Seeing Rouge be Mama Dark again was so refreshing, playing both sides but keeping things smoothed over as well as being fully capible in a fight (that drill dive through a bot, beautiful). It's about time. Tho the translation of the Japanese scene at the end.of part too might haunt her... Not that people already don't look at her that way... I was honestly gonna skip this as I never was really interested in Sonic Generations but this? I want to support this. I want to support the good storytelling and world building. Maybe other charcters will get the same love or even finally officially bringing IDW charcters into the game universe beyond a single hard to find line or skins in a mobile game. I'd love to see how they would incorporate Tangle, Whisper or Surge abilities into gameplay.
Since Frontiers, I feel like Sonic Team is talking to me the adult fan of Sonic and not surfing on nostalgia anymore, which is a paradox because the new game is a remaster +++ but it really feel like they have the freshest and most mature take on the characters since Frontiers. With Frontiers, I fell in love again with Sonic, Knux, Tails and Amy (particularly Amy for whom I had absolutely NO expectations) and with those shorts and like... Shadow and Maria, Team Dark, Professor... EVEN THE COMMANDER AND EMERL??? Nah Sega, I'm full but f- it I want more.
Omega has a total of 4 lines in the two episodes, 2 of them being close to/the same line, and they still captured his personality perfectly. He's hardly plot relevant here, especially in Episode 3, but he's a highlight we don't get to hear enough from (also Roger does a solid job with him). I adore him LMAO Also shoutouts to Roger voicing the Commander, he sounds perfect in the role with his Kale Hi Fi Rush (and several other “serious” characters) voice and I would not mind to hear him in the role again in the future (if the Commander ever returns)!
@@rickyrackey7930 He is, but the more I've watched of him, the more I've noticed him actually say a lot of positive things but just has an annoyed tone because of the commenters antagonizing him and only acknowledging his complaints. He's literally been speaking very positive about Shadow Generations the entire time EDM music aside (and even then he admitted the Kingdom Valley remix started warming up on him. lol)
I just love how I recently posted a video essay about his trauma and PTSD, *AND HE HAS A LITERAL TRAUMATIC FLASHBACK THINGY IN THE LAST EPISODE, SIGNIFYING THAT HE'S NOT ONLY STILL HAUNTED BY HIS PAST, BUT THAT PTSD LINGERS...* Sorry, but seeing him hyperventilate a little bit got me super excited lol
The Chaos Snap is a blessing for animators, both in these shorts and the live action movies. Because it lets you reposition a character with ZERO betweens. It's the same reason Dragonball started having characters 'zip' around faster than you can see. Saves on animation! And looks cool at the same time.
I think most Shadow fans can agree that he was at his absolute best in Sonic '06, so it should be refreshing to he his character be written so beautifully after 18 years of hit-or-miss with him.
When you make a series and people complain that it's too short and demand a full large show, you know you made a masterpiece Literally no complaints about Dark Beginnings other than that
Tragically, I'm just waiting for someone like Mariotehplumper to come along with his "funny" trolling videos calling the new game awful because it reminds him of "that awful SA2", and that it sucks because there isn't enough Classic Sonic in it, causing Sega to completely go back on themselves, undoing everything that they've set out to do, and end up giving us another half arsed attempt at appealing to Classic purists, similar to what they did with Sonic 4.
I mean.. there are definitely some legitimate writing issues with Dark Begginings (like how the whole plot falls apart once it's revealed that Shadow has an Emerald, since that means he could've just warped to the Ark without needing a ship), but there's definitely some good ideas here as well. It's more so the execution I have problems with. Shadow knowing about the Black Arms and lamenting about how he's only a hedgehog on the surface is a really bizzare retcon, and makes his rivalry with Sonic into SA2 very weird. Especially lines like "Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here." Shadow was utterly baffled by Sonic calling him a "fake." He actually thought himself so superior that Sonic was the real fake hedgehog by comparison. Why would Shadow ever say that when he believes he himself is not a real hedgehog, and hates that aspect about himself? If he was aware of all that (and viewed his "true identity" as an alien in a megative light), then he wouldn't say stuff like "you're not even good enough to be my fake" so proudly.
@@DLxxx While there is no official information about it, we can probably assume that Gerald altered his memories after GUN caught them on Earth And alongside that, he made Shadow think Maria wanted revenge, and even Rouge tells Shadow's memories could be fake And the Emerald thing... I guess he wasn't sure 1 Emerald was enough to send him all the way to the ARK so he chose to raid an Eggman base
@@DLxxx I always figured that the "faker" exchange was intended to showcase that Shadow thinks that Sonic is pretending to be him, while Sonic thinks the same thing about Shadow.
@liamphibia I had initially planned on calling it “A Family Reunited” to celebrate the Team Dark reunion, but I felt that kinda didn’t do justice for Maria, the family he lost. So I just combined them. 😅
Call me crazy, and this might sound controversial, but... I think Ace likes Omega Also, I've stated this before, but I like how Abraham Tower went from being a Thunderbolt Ross type character to Shadow's Hulk, who utterly despises him, to a Commissioner Gordon to Shadow's Batman, where while they have different ways of bringing justice, they respect and support each other despite not always seeing eye to eye. And a Team Dark spinoff series or game would be AMAZING. Shadow has become a strong and popular enough character to warrant one. New characters, new threats, so much you could do with that. I would eat that up.
I'm just glad that we're getting to a point where Sega appears to have the confidence to actually give us a potential spinoff or new games with Team Dark. I'm not entirely convinced that we'll actually get one though. Maybe I'm sounding pessimistic, but there's a part of me that worries that the people at Sega are still very reluctant to go all out with these concepts. I guess I worry that they're still thinking "Yeah, these shorts have been well received by fans, and they're loving that we've finally done these characters justice... but there are still critics, haters, detractors and people who just don't play Sonic games. They still see these characters as nothing more than Sonic's stupid friends. And we've got to keep them happy too, right?" I'm honestly worried that the damage has been done, but I've been wrong about this stuff in the past. Heck, when this game was first announced, I was convinced that the Shadow portion of the game was going to be like the Episode Shadow DLC from Sonic Forces. Just a half arsed attempt at appealing to Shadow fans without any actual effort thrown in. *Sigh* "Here's your Emo Edge Lord! He plays just like Sonic, cos that's all people will accept from Sonic's dumb friends! Here's a cutscene where he kicks a guy in the head! We think he did that in a previous game that people liked, but we honestly don't remember or care! Are you happy now? We really need to get back to what's important. More Classic Sonic and Green Hill!"
@@bowmaj8666 I can see where your skepticism comes from. But between Ian Flynn's writing, the extremely positive reception of this prologue, and eventually the game itself, I think those "Haha Shadow had guns! Haha he's just evil Sonic with no friends! So edgy!" days are coming to an end. I've been seeing even non-sonic fans start to re-appreciate this franchise again, despite this past decade of mid games and self-deprecating memes. And I see it as only getting better.
@@BonitoJoe111 Even Flynn's writing is getting criticised nowadays though. He's arguably one of the best things to happen to this series in years, and you've still got whiners going "No! Don't like it! Get rid of it! Waahh!" Now these kinds of mixed attitudes are inevitable, but I really wish that Sega would just stop taking into account the opinions of overly critical critics, Sonic haters and detractors, and people who don't even play Sonic games. Almost the entirety of the 2010's was just Sega backpedaling and taking away so many aspects of the Sonic series that people enjoy, just because people are always whining about them on the internet. "Sonic games shouldn't be about the story!" "Get rid of his stupid friends!" "I don't want that green eyed imposter Sonic!" As if changing this stuff has done the series any good. All that does is alienate long time fans. I guess that it also really surprises me that we're seeing the return of Black Doom and the Black Arms; elements of the series that were pretty poorly received. But I'm glad that they have. They're taking these elements and expanding on them. They're utilising the storytelling potential. They're not just taking these elements and sweeping them under the rug like they never happened. They're not making cheeky references as a way of winking at the audience going "don't worry, folks! WE hate that stuff as much as you all do! Yeah, see? We get you! We're on the same level! Please buy our games again!" At least now you can see some passion in these projects.
Somehow I had a feeling that the G.U.N. Commander would make a present-day return in these shorts, especially in the very last one. It would only make sense if the second one re-introduced his younger self. And I am so happy that they confirmed these thoughts in the most heart-warming way possible.
Dude legit these shorts have awakened an Omega obsession in me I haven’t felt in a while. I NEED MORE OMEGA!!! He’s SOOOOO GOOD!!! He’s SOOOOO COOL!!! 🤖🖤
In my opinion, all three episodes of Dark Beginnings are masterpieces. I imagined a scene in my mind a while ago of Shadow sitting alone in a field of grass at night with his alien wings stretched out and suddenly Maria appears above Shadow with angel wings and gives Shadow a hug without saying anything. Suddenly, night becomes daytime. Shadow and Maria smile while hugging each other and Shadow's alien wings transform into angel wings just like Maria's wings.
The shorts were just perfect Shadow is my joint favourite Sonic character with Knuckles and seeing him get the treatment he deserves makes me so happy 😭😭😭. As much as I adore him I mean he voices my man Siax from Kingdom Hearts I just can't get on board with Kirk as Shadow his voice just feels weird coming out of Shadow I just imagine what it would be like hearing Jason or David do these lines and it's chilling ^__^. Seeing Team Dark back together is a dream come true their chemistry is amazing and Omega has always been one of my favourites he's so underappreciated so seeing him kick major ass and crack his brilliant one liners was just incredible. Them bringing back the G.U.N commander was such an unexpected mad lad move huge kudos to the team god Sonic fans are just getting W after W at the moment it's honestly just wonderful😭😭😭😭
It's because Maria had NIDS that she needed to go to the ARK. Several pieces of Sonic media like Sonic battle state that NIDS is some sort of neurological condition and that zero gravity aids in its control. Similar to handicapped people in space. It's basically the reason why Gerald agreed to join Project Shadow as GUN wanted a bio weapon and were quite blunt in telling him that. It was only when they told him that the research could be used to cure Maria that he agreed.
While I wish episode 3 didn't say that only Maria could talk him down (that's not true), I still loved this whole series. The characters were well-written, the animation was spectacular, and the voice acting was surprisingly good. Also, as an Archie fan, I'm so happy that the G.U.N commander has his Archie name. That name goes back to 2009. 11 years before the movie commander.
Yeah Rouge is not giving herself enough credit. Or just purposely deflecting. In the Archie comics especially, she is easily Shadow's closest friend/confidant in present day. I'd like to think that deep down, she maybe doesn't consider herself a good enough friend to him. Especially since Maria meant everything to Shadow. But enough of my rambling...
@@a.z.pantera5577 She's not his closest friend in Archie. I'd say Hope was. But she can definitely talk down Shadow in the games, so could Amy, and maybe even Sonic.
@@bowserbreaker2515 damn I'll be honest, I kinda forgot about Hope. I guess my memory is spotty. The point remains, saying only Maria can talk him down in kind of overselling it.
She is bringing up Maria on purpose to tug at Abe's heartstrings, she knows that she's significant to him. That whole scene is Rouge lying through her teeth and manipulating the situation to come out blameless, even though she was the one that suggested Shadow attack a GUN base for kicks. They are actually playing into Rouge's femme fatale character archetype that's kinda been forgotten over the years.
1:07-1:24 Not exactly. Shadow's memories are playing out of order. Maria was genuinely fearful, but then the memory switched to the northern lights. It's foreshadowing the eventual realization that Shadow is being screwed with.
7:50 "I CALL DIBS" on THIS "Larva" being Black Doom 2.0, a.k.a our new Shadow Generations Black Doom that is currently aboard the Ark. (according to the new post credit scene from the compilation)
I appreciate the inclusion of these Animated Shorts, i just hope the Game doesn’t disappoint. By the way, did you what the Full Animation with it’s Bonus Ending? Also, while i would like another Anime, especially in this Style, what would it even be about? A Game Adaptation or something more Original? What would you prefer? Speaking of which, what Sonic Fan-Projects do you know of?
I’d be cool for an Anime of existing stories or entirely original ones. There’s absolutely no reason not to do either in my view. In terms of fan projects, I’m not all that familiar with that many but my recent favourite is Project Shadow 2023.
@johanstenfelt1206 It’s a CGI/Live action short covering the origins of Shadow. It’s free to watch on RUclips so you should check it out if you have the chance.
This was a great reminder/introduction to Shadow. For fans new and old. I do hope we see stuff like GUN, Mephiles, multiple playable characters, and humans come back into the series. Along with this more serious storytelling Sonic Team set with Frontiers. That’s my constructive criticism.
Can we long term shadow fans ever since Dreamcast SA2 through all the ups and downs stand up and just applaud this moment 👏🏽 you can tell Sonic team and Sega wanted to do this back in 2002-2005 but really dropped the ball and have been given an amazing opportunity to do it so much better and to see how it's been executed only strengthens my faith for the movie, the game and more. Sonic forever is one of the best protoganist, but for the Sasuke/Vegeta character shadow needs a good moment in the spotlight.
These shorts is what was missing in sonic frontiers. What I mean is the relationship between eggman and sage was nice but not as flesh out as it could be. While the relationship between Maria and Shadow was well executed in like 14 minutes as a whole and 4 minutes together. These showed that given some time no matter how short you can display such emotions.
Frontiers Absolutely would have benefitted from shorts like this. At least it’s a lesson they seem to have learned from. Can’t wait to see what they have planned for the next game.
@@karljohan2300 makes some damn effort? Did you not see the recent game that came out? At this point y’all so called “fans” just love talking shit for the sake of it. Sega’s putting in effort for the past couple of years. Shut up
While I am looking forward to playing this , I worry for what newcomers and even returning players are gonna feel about the "Sonic" portion of this game. The Sonic Generations section of “Sonic X Shadow” is without a doubt far less intense compared to Shadow’s story, and is even childish, humorless, and just downright stupid sometimes; unsurprising considering we had incompetent directors and writers working on the games for the past decade. Shadow’s campaign is designed to delve deeply into his dark and troubled past, offering a more narrative-driven experience. In contrast, Sonic’s story in the original Sonic Generations just fixated more on revisiting nostalgic levels and iconic moments from the series. Shadow’s story will run parallel to Sonic’s, providing a richer backstory and exploring his motivations as an anti-hero. This means that while Sonic’s portion retains its classic charm, Shadow’s campaign adds a significant layer of depth and emotional weight, something Sonic's story lacks significantly. Even Shadow’s gameplay has been designed to be more dynamic and intense. Shadow’s abilities, like Chaos Control and his combat skills, add a unique flair that can make his gameplay feel more engaging and varied compared to Sonic’s. Sonic’s gameplay, while still fun and nostalgic, focuses more on speed and platforming through classic levels. Shadow’s story, on the other hand, incorporates more action-oriented sequences and a darker narrative, which can make it feel more compelling for players looking for a deeper experience. The quality of Sonic games has significantly improved with “Sonic Frontiers; the game brought fresh ideas and a more cohesive story compared to some of the previous titles. Which is why Sonic story in generation just feel so incompatible with Shadow's which takes the same liberties as Frontier's in being clever with in how portrays its story and characters. I wish they took the opportunity to actually somehow improve Sonic's story; it would have been great to see more character development and a richer narrative, similar to what Shadow’s story offers.
Honestly all of this character development for Shadow and Maria feels like I am dreaming, I had totally resigned myself to the fact that after Sonic 06, Shadow was going to be a one dimensional cutout of himself meant to be revealed to get extra buys from Sonic games and views for Sonic TV shows... I just still cant believe they are getting Shadow so right, that Sega actually LISTENED TO THE FANS and gave us what we wanted. As for the future of Shadow...if we the fans want to see more of this then we need to vote with our dollars and buy this game. I already got the collectors edition so the rest is up to you fellow Shadow enthusiast.
I absolutely love these shorts. Everything I want in Modern Sonic animation or storytelling is here. The characters are written well with good serious storytelling and yet also time to be funny or humorous. The animation is glorious and action made for experiences I could only dream to see in another anime (As a Sonic X fan pleases please please PLEASE make another anime, it would be glorious!). And of course the story is very intriguing and yet also mysterious as anything good with Shadow should be. And if the game is anything like this then I am hyped. We have entered a true renaissance era my friends and I hope it doesn't stop anytime soon! Also I really wanna say I love how Casey Williams is now just a singer in the sonic series. Not full time but still apart of it. It makes sense given the similarities in RWBY and Sonic pertaining to music and just makes me smile after RTs shutdown to see these people still working and making other cry and happy with their talents.
From what I understand, NIDS is an actual thing, but it’s actually a category of disorders instead of just a single one. Neuroimmune disorders are a group of conditions that occur when the immune system and nervous system interact abnormally, causing inflammation and damage to the nervous system. This can happen when the immune system mistakenly attacks the nervous system, or when the nervous system malfunctions and affects the immune system. A common treatment for a lot of these kinds of disorders is water therapy, which temporarily reduces the impact of gravity on the nerves. So Maria living on the ARK due to it’s low gravity helping her condition makes total sense.
This makes wonder however, knowing these revelation facts… I guess it’s confirmed that Shadow DOES NOT in fact work for GUN as well come to know? That he’s his own commander?
these promo animations honestly blew it right out of the park, like even in terms of animation the thing the previous ones were all strong with, this series has them all beat. this is the type of animation evolution i've been wanting after night of the werehog, fully blending 2D and 3D taking advantage of both of their strengths as well as tapping into sonics anime routes, like who knew sonic humans could look good when they're also stylised, almost like they were cartoon characters also. but besides that this is a much better way of integrating past lore than fronteirs had, it's a lot more show don't tell. i will admit i was worried (and honestly still am since a promo and actual game story are two completely different things) after the fronteirs dlc doubled down on the core games issues and erased the sacrifices in favor of hype, like they could have taken the alternative timeline to its logical end and undo reviving sonic so the dlc could fully focus on the returning cast and make super sonic gaining a cyber power boost more hype because of that as an example. but i'm so glad there's a focus on the emotional stakes in this while still having room for goofyness. it really is an underrated aspect of the "dark age", nomatter how bad a game was there was a passion in their creation. when a game like forces is bad, then quite frankly i'd prefer to play 06 because for how many issues that game had its simply a more engaging experience. i do hope they don't fumble shadow gens, for every mania there's a forces and every fronteirs there's a superstars, the bad is thankfully becoming less so in recent years just can't lie, i want the return to form to be the good game and let santiago die. cutesy mute classic is yet another meta era blemish which erases a much more complex character. i miss jerk sonic, all you need to do is either take out his dated slogans or lean into them, man didn't compete with mario by trying to be him.
Well, I'll put my 5 cents into this. What I liked: 1) Epic fights. 2) Sound direction. It really feels nice to hear Kirk Thornton sound more like previous Shadow depictions. I hated how he always makes Shadow say stuff with badly hidden disgust, as if Shadow have some kind of superiority complex. 3) Team Dark reunion. Yeah, everyone liked that. 4) Fanservice: enemies from old games 5) Omega with his comics personality. Absolutely brilliant. 6) G.U.N. Commander finally gets his name canonised. What kinda bothers me: 1) Team Dark reunion. It feels really random, too coincedential. Could be more deliberate, y'know? 2) Pretty sure Shadow works for G.U.N. now. He worked with them in S'06, he joined them in his solo game. Why bother fight them, aren't they supposed to be on his side?.. Yeah, Abe, I really feel you. 3) Why the hell Rouge suggests raiding G.U.N. base, and then like "Well, too bad, I couldn't talk him out"? This whole operation was your idea! (c) Not to mention, she's also part of G.U.N., and could easily ask for a shuttle on Shadow's behalf. 4) Rouge and Omega are supposed to be staying with Shadow, as he travels to ARK. Ain't they his friends? And I get it, Rouge has her mission, to give Abe the stolen info. She can't go to Shadow's part of adventure, cuz we already know she get trapped by Time eater. But, y'know, after S'06 leaving Shadow to deal with his legacy on his own... feels very wrong. Atleast she could ask Omega to join him. Yeah, so much for Team Dark.
Yeah, I just can't make sense of Shadow and Rouge's choices here. Shadow has actively worked for G.U.N. in the past (the whole reason for that is to show how he's matured enough to work with them for a better future instead of getting caught up in his past grudges-- i.e. he put the past behind him). He's also friends with the GUN Commander, and even went to visit him at home to see his new grandchild, as revealed in Shadow it's expert mode. There's no justifiable reason for him to be raiding a GUN base when he personally knows the Commander and could ask him directly for a shuttle. It's way easier and time efficient, and even if he didn't want to, Rouge could've. Speaking of Rouge, I really hate how she "justified" her choices. It's not like Shadow decided to raid the base and she went along with because he made up his mind. It was *_her_* idea. That entire conversation falls flat because of this. She's just lying, and it's really confusing.
I absolutely LOVED these animations, it's has been such a long time I saw something cool about Shadow (from Sega or whatever "official"at least), since Sonic 06 maybe? Very unexpected in a good way, this just made me love this character even more (in a non degenerate way lol).
I've been looking forward to your video. I know you said you were going to wait and review them all. Glad this was worth the wait. Now to share my thoughts. Why are we so focused on slapstick comedy, bowling man children, and parallel worlds when we can have fresh-cooked anime like Dark Beginnings?! (Don't get me wrong. I like Boom and Prime, but let's face it, Sonic has and always will be shonen.) Yes give us an amine with the guys either behind this one or Divergence. Heck, I'll take one from Trigger. SEGA! Just give us an anime, Damnit! This is by far the best pre-release series to date. Divergence was really good too, but this....this right here is a perfect example that not only Ian Flynn knows his Sonic, but is also best suited for the job. No Saturday morning antics, no fourth wall breaks, no one bland characters. Fans seriously need to get a grip and stop bashing this guy just because of a few undesirable choices. I know he's not perfect but he's better than what we had. Furthermore, SEGA is the one that puts up limitations and mandates. But now it looks like finally, they are starting to loosen the reins a bit. This means that hopefully Shadow is toned down on his edginess. As for the voice actors. I still thought that Kirk was given too much flack when first started. He always sounded fine to me. I confess I never knew he didn't learn about Shadow's character before voicing him, which for an actors job sounds unprofessional in my opinion. But his performance wasn't all bad, and it was great on here! Of course David Humphery will always be Shadow to me. I feel the same for Karen as Rouge. I might get beaten for this, but I couldn't stand Kathleen's Rouge. She made her sound way too old for an 18 year old bat. (Please don't hate me....) Karen's a good voice, but like Kirk, she just needs better direction. It worked for Cindy's Amy, it can work for them. As for Omega, let me just say, if they ever replace Sonic, I hope they keep Roger as Omega and Abe. And, let's not forget Maria Stephanie Sheh is a legend among english dubbed anime! She's perfect for a girl like Maria I loved everything about this. My only complaint; It's too short. I'm sure others share the same feeling. Now I am at the edge of my SEAT for this game to come out! I can't wait! Nice video as always. Looking forward to your review on the game once it's out. Also be careful, the game has been leaked.
Very reasonable thoughts and well put! Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the heads up about the game leaking. I’m keeping my head pretty low online until I get it on Oct 22nd 😅
These shorts just scream give us a Shadow anime series from Shadows beginning of being created developing the relationship between him and Maria leading into the events of Emerl unleashed and G.U.N's attack on to where he's sealed up on Prison island in Sonic Adventure 2. Each short is just as good as the previous with team dark being great. Shadow is great Rouge is beautifully done and Omega is down right laughable. while we don't have a short with Professor Gerald shadow and Maria its still great seeing the relationship between Shadow and Maria. The voice work is great especially for Maria which is funny as we haven't had a Maria dub in a long while since Shadow the hedgehog and Sonic X.
Based on what I've seen, Sega seems to be backtracking their horrible assessment of Team Dark's dynamic. The fact that they officially acknowledge that Shadow is the only person Rouge is genuine to points this out. They've yet to show Omega be more than a killthirsty death bot like in Heroes and 06 outside of the Overdrive short and the TailsTube Christmas episode, but his borderline childlike excitement for battle is a good start. This might be Ian Flynn's doing.
When they first announced the game, I was not hooked yet. Not even when they showed Black Doom. Them both these three work of arts and the last trailer showing a potential reunion leaves me with only one concern (aside from me already owning the original.) Will this game have glitches? Happened with both Origins and Colors, and I really would hate if that happens again.
Shadow used to be more introvert rather than straight up loner. Until 06,at least in every games written by Shiro Maekawa, Shadow is virtually never seen alone.
WHATEVER YOU DO 05:28 DO NOT GO BACK AND PLAY SONIC BATTLE AGAIN, I REPEAT, DO NOT GO BACK AND PLAY SONIC BATTLE! Remeber the knuckles missions? The endless streams of self-destructing E102 clones? Not worth it. Idc how good the soundtrack is.
Maria might be the most badass human character in Sonic serie, she is so funny, energetic and brave without losing her aura of the 'proper lady from the' 50s'. But how many years we had to wait before knowing her? Poor Shadow on the other hand was and is always sad and always so mean toward himself. At least Rouge and Abraham (who used to torment him) care for him. (Can't say much about Omega, from what I understand he is emotionless being a robot).
I've seen people complain about Rouge telling Abe that Shadow can't be talked down when she was the one that suggested they raid a GUN base instead of asking, and that the whole GUN fight scene was unnecessary padding, but like... Yeah? That's the point. Look at her sly smirk. She's lying and shifting the blame onto someone GUN can't punish to keep her job. She also brings up Maria on purpose to tug at Abe's heartstrings. She orchestrated the whole GUN raid for the fun of it and came out smelling like roses. Come on, people. Rouge is a classic femme fatale secret agent archetype. These kinds of characters are known for constantly manipulating everyone around them, even those they geniunely have a bond with. She's even playfully manipulating Shadow for his own good by putting an "only if you come to Sonic's birthday party" condition on her intel, probably just to make Shadow socialize a little. Also, no fight scene that badass is unnecessary.
I didn’t just enjoy Dark Beginnings: I ADORED it. I’ve been waiting for something like this for years and, if I have to be honest, we’ve never reached such a depth of character and dialogue before, not to my knowledge. Sure, SA2 and 06 have some very nice scenes, but I feel like this tops all of them. It truly felt like a dream coming true, the dream of the child I once was.
Dark beginnings was crazy good, watched it in japanese for the ultimate experience. As for the english dub, Kirk Thornton is returning to delivering lines nicely like in sonic forces, the other voices were great, though karen strassman as rouge sounds way too young and promiscuous.
I dont know if this series is a blessing or a curse. one one hand this could be showing a brilliant new direction in Sonic storytelling... on the other hand this might be a one hit wonder and we will be left wanting for the rest of time. It was almost... too good.
I'm honestly incredibly mixed from the implied character regression to the cheap visuals & oddities/inaccuracies in characterization cus Flynn isn't very good. I do like all the 05 lore stuff as it fits neatly into everythin before & I like seein the gun commander. This could've been way better if ST wrote it themselves & actually used 1 of SEGA's own animation studios instead of cheapin out the way they did. This is a 5/10 at best
I’ll be honest, Kirk didn’t give his best performance he could’ve for Shadow. Because the major problem I have with it is that, he sounds samey. Like Shadow doesn’t change much from his calm deep voice. Which bothers me as scenes where he’s mad that he thinks he’s no better than the Black Arms and annoyed that he couldn’t cure Maria, sounds more like he’s mildly annoyed than anything. Which makes Maria’s reaction feel more like an over reaction unless Shadow has been doing it all of the time off screen and doesn’t listen to her words.
Fun fact: Kirk Thornton said he actually teared up during the ending of Episode 3 due to how much Maria reminds him of his own granddaughter.
yo
Damn.
Ian Flynn also teared up writing it
Is his granddaughter alive and well?
@@TheUltimateNatural Yes. Don’t worry about. No Soldiers are gonna go trigger happy.
It's a cute detail that Rouge's eyes light up when she notices Shadow in Ep 2. She was in full work mode eyes glazed over, until her bestie showed up. Also like how she calls him "handsome" in the same episode he flashes back about feeling like some ugly alien freak. And maybe just me, but when Rouge implies only Maria could ever talk Shadow down, kinda feels like she's selling herself short...
Or she's trying to cover her own tracks for not suggesting to Shadow that they simply walk in and ask for a ride. Remember that Rouge is a very clever and sneaky lady, and she will try to weasel her way to her next paycheck if she has to, since G.U.N. is the one that holds her next paycheck, so of course she would try to glaze over that little mistake of entering before knocking.
Honestly, who knows what happened at the front door. Maybe Omega went loud first, which prompted Shadow to follow suit since he might as well stretch his legs and display a little of his power.
Honestly the justification they give for attacking the GUN base does feel a little goofy. At the very least they could have said that securing permission for a rocket normally would be more time-consuming; even the Commander probably has rules and protocols he’d have to obey to set up a rocket launch.
This might be a hot take, but it's always seemed (post-SA2) that Rouge and Shadow have that will they/won't they kind of relationship where they're always hinting at further feelings than just comraderie but won't go through with the payoff. In SA2, and I still stand on this hill, Rouge and Knuckles were always the couple that just looked possible, their flirty rivalry over the Emeralds and all that. Yeah, it is probably more from Rouge's personality as she does flirt with almost anyone she comes across but still. As far as living characters go, only Rouge can talk him down. Omega might but his own personality would most likely rather make Shadow go apeshit against his enemies instead, damned psychotic robot lmfao
@@nickynegron3515
Rouge: "I know what you've been through, and I know deep down you're a hero. I'll stand by you no matter what!"
Omega: "CRUSHING YOUR ENEMIES? I WANT IN! DIBS ON THAT GUY!"
@@a.z.pantera5577 These three in their own show would be a drug no one is ready for smh
Rouge & Omega are the best friends Shadow could ever ask for.
I agree, even though after Maria died Shadow may feel alone but he's not, Shadow's got Rouge and Omega to keep him company and that's a good thing and Maria would have been proud of him
Also a nice little lore detail, in
Sonic Battle or somewhere in
a piece of Sonic Media, Gerald
mentions in a journal entry that
Emerl activated and cause destruction throughout The Ark which is exactly the event we see
playing out here in Shadow's Memory
Yup. Gerald discovered Emerl from Angel Island as he did fieldwork for his research regarding the ultimate lifeform (which the mural in Hidden Palace depicted).
He traded Emerl to GUN as leverage to continue his work on Shadow, since they were becoming impatient with him.
GUN messed Emerl up with power, resulted in a chunk of destruction, and still had the audacity to use that as a reason to shut the ARK down.
The announcement playing during Emerl's break out, also says multiple experiments escaped. Possibly hint of the Artificial Chaos running wild in Lost Impact
I just wanna see Shadow the Hedgehog have his own spin-off film. He's too damn good for a Paramount+ series. Besides, Keanu is a *certified* movie star.
Shadow in his own paramount spin-off series is just a fantastic idea.
@@mayracordero382
Eh, not exactly. I don't want to see Shadow of all characters get the same treatment Knuckles did in *his* own show. Where he's sidelined by a human character no one came to see because of TV budget reasons. I don't want another repeat of the formula.
That is true
@@liamphibiaWell considering Shadow is both Iizuka-san’s and Jeff Fowler’s favorite Sonic franchise character, I bet there would be MUCH more oversight from them on a Shadow spin off series then there was for the Knuckles series. Jeff Fowler only was directly involved with the first episode of the Knuckles series, which is why it was the best episode of that series.
So hopefully a Shadow spin off series will be much better.
a show would be nice but hopefully we get a spinoff movie. itd allow them to do say, the black arms story
Seeing Shadow go through it in the last few shots got me. I think it's the most vulnerable we've ever seen him. His usually unflinching expression looking positively fearful. Just showing emotion at all beyond superiority is such a good thing.
I'm still wonder where and how Emral is gonna fit into this. A Sonic Battle refrence after so long? Connecting it like it did to the main serries proper...? It's like a dream.
The Team Dark reunion made me squeel. Was great seeing them again and they wasted no time at all making SURE we knew this was Archie/IDW Omega with his badassery mingled with humor. He did not need to run his minigun across the ground to help spin it up, but we look past that cause, yeah Omega would do that. And the robot sound genuinely disappointed like a kid told he can't go to the candy store, when denied the take down. Which is hilarious. If he had said "Worthless consumer models" at any point, I might have had a fit.
Seeing Rouge be Mama Dark again was so refreshing, playing both sides but keeping things smoothed over as well as being fully capible in a fight (that drill dive through a bot, beautiful). It's about time. Tho the translation of the Japanese scene at the end.of part too might haunt her... Not that people already don't look at her that way...
I was honestly gonna skip this as I never was really interested in Sonic Generations but this? I want to support this. I want to support the good storytelling and world building. Maybe other charcters will get the same love or even finally officially bringing IDW charcters into the game universe beyond a single hard to find line or skins in a mobile game. I'd love to see how they would incorporate Tangle, Whisper or Surge abilities into gameplay.
Since Frontiers, I feel like Sonic Team is talking to me the adult fan of Sonic and not surfing on nostalgia anymore, which is a paradox because the new game is a remaster +++ but it really feel like they have the freshest and most mature take on the characters since Frontiers.
With Frontiers, I fell in love again with Sonic, Knux, Tails and Amy (particularly Amy for whom I had absolutely NO expectations) and with those shorts and like... Shadow and Maria, Team Dark, Professor... EVEN THE COMMANDER AND EMERL??? Nah Sega, I'm full but f- it I want more.
Course correction. Much like how Sonic 06 killed the Adventure era. Sonic Forces killed the Meta era.
Omega has a total of 4 lines in the two episodes, 2 of them being close to/the same line, and they still captured his personality perfectly. He's hardly plot relevant here, especially in Episode 3, but he's a highlight we don't get to hear enough from (also Roger does a solid job with him). I adore him LMAO
Also shoutouts to Roger voicing the Commander, he sounds perfect in the role with his Kale Hi Fi Rush (and several other “serious” characters) voice and I would not mind to hear him in the role again in the future (if the Commander ever returns)!
oh boy, trust me, when it comes to complaining from Sonic-Tubers, youre the most vanilla sauce guy ever
That both makes me feel better, and also worry about how bad those other people must be! 😅
Hear hear!
Premydaremy is the King of complainers.
@@rickyrackey7930 i dont think he even likes the franchise lol
@@rickyrackey7930 He is, but the more I've watched of him, the more I've noticed him actually say a lot of positive things but just has an annoyed tone because of the commenters antagonizing him and only acknowledging his complaints.
He's literally been speaking very positive about Shadow Generations the entire time EDM music aside (and even then he admitted the Kingdom Valley remix started warming up on him. lol)
I just love how I recently posted a video essay about his trauma and PTSD, *AND HE HAS A LITERAL TRAUMATIC FLASHBACK THINGY IN THE LAST EPISODE, SIGNIFYING THAT HE'S NOT ONLY STILL HAUNTED BY HIS PAST, BUT THAT PTSD LINGERS...* Sorry, but seeing him hyperventilate a little bit got me super excited lol
The Chaos Snap is a blessing for animators, both in these shorts and the live action movies. Because it lets you reposition a character with ZERO betweens. It's the same reason Dragonball started having characters 'zip' around faster than you can see. Saves on animation! And looks cool at the same time.
True
I think most Shadow fans can agree that he was at his absolute best in Sonic '06, so it should be refreshing to he his character be written so beautifully after 18 years of hit-or-miss with him.
When you make a series and people complain that it's too short and demand a full large show, you know you made a masterpiece
Literally no complaints about Dark Beginnings other than that
...I have some (not about the animation tho thats fantastic)
Tragically, I'm just waiting for someone like Mariotehplumper to come along with his "funny" trolling videos calling the new game awful because it reminds him of "that awful SA2", and that it sucks because there isn't enough Classic Sonic in it, causing Sega to completely go back on themselves, undoing everything that they've set out to do, and end up giving us another half arsed attempt at appealing to Classic purists, similar to what they did with Sonic 4.
I mean.. there are definitely some legitimate writing issues with Dark Begginings (like how the whole plot falls apart once it's revealed that Shadow has an Emerald, since that means he could've just warped to the Ark without needing a ship), but there's definitely some good ideas here as well. It's more so the execution I have problems with.
Shadow knowing about the Black Arms and lamenting about how he's only a hedgehog on the surface is a really bizzare retcon, and makes his rivalry with Sonic into SA2 very weird. Especially lines like "Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here." Shadow was utterly baffled by Sonic calling him a "fake." He actually thought himself so superior that Sonic was the real fake hedgehog by comparison.
Why would Shadow ever say that when he believes he himself is not a real hedgehog, and hates that aspect about himself? If he was aware of all that (and viewed his "true identity" as an alien in a megative light), then he wouldn't say stuff like "you're not even good enough to be my fake" so proudly.
@@DLxxx While there is no official information about it, we can probably assume that Gerald altered his memories after GUN caught them on Earth
And alongside that, he made Shadow think Maria wanted revenge, and even Rouge tells Shadow's memories could be fake
And the Emerald thing... I guess he wasn't sure 1 Emerald was enough to send him all the way to the ARK so he chose to raid an Eggman base
@@DLxxx I always figured that the "faker" exchange was intended to showcase that Shadow thinks that Sonic is pretending to be him, while Sonic thinks the same thing about Shadow.
a family won and lost is such an awesome title ngl
Thank you, glad you like it!
@@AceCardGaminghow did you come up with that?
@liamphibia I had initially planned on calling it “A Family Reunited” to celebrate the Team Dark reunion, but I felt that kinda didn’t do justice for Maria, the family he lost. So I just combined them. 😅
@@AceCardGaming Ahhhhh!
I love the animation of the dark beginnings shorts acecardgaming and the love and care shadow and maria have for each other warm me in happy tears.
Call me crazy, and this might sound controversial, but... I think Ace likes Omega
Also, I've stated this before, but I like how Abraham Tower went from being a Thunderbolt Ross type character to Shadow's Hulk, who utterly despises him, to a Commissioner Gordon to Shadow's Batman, where while they have different ways of bringing justice, they respect and support each other despite not always seeing eye to eye.
And a Team Dark spinoff series or game would be AMAZING. Shadow has become a strong and popular enough character to warrant one. New characters, new threats, so much you could do with that. I would eat that up.
You’re actually correct. I DO like Omega. I’m glad you brought it up though, I was worried I didn’t make it clear enough!
I'm just glad that we're getting to a point where Sega appears to have the confidence to actually give us a potential spinoff or new games with Team Dark. I'm not entirely convinced that we'll actually get one though.
Maybe I'm sounding pessimistic, but there's a part of me that worries that the people at Sega are still very reluctant to go all out with these concepts. I guess I worry that they're still thinking "Yeah, these shorts have been well received by fans, and they're loving that we've finally done these characters justice... but there are still critics, haters, detractors and people who just don't play Sonic games. They still see these characters as nothing more than Sonic's stupid friends. And we've got to keep them happy too, right?"
I'm honestly worried that the damage has been done, but I've been wrong about this stuff in the past. Heck, when this game was first announced, I was convinced that the Shadow portion of the game was going to be like the Episode Shadow DLC from Sonic Forces. Just a half arsed attempt at appealing to Shadow fans without any actual effort thrown in.
*Sigh* "Here's your Emo Edge Lord! He plays just like Sonic, cos that's all people will accept from Sonic's dumb friends! Here's a cutscene where he kicks a guy in the head! We think he did that in a previous game that people liked, but we honestly don't remember or care! Are you happy now? We really need to get back to what's important. More Classic Sonic and Green Hill!"
@@bowmaj8666 I can see where your skepticism comes from. But between Ian Flynn's writing, the extremely positive reception of this prologue, and eventually the game itself, I think those "Haha Shadow had guns! Haha he's just evil Sonic with no friends! So edgy!" days are coming to an end.
I've been seeing even non-sonic fans start to re-appreciate this franchise again, despite this past decade of mid games and self-deprecating memes. And I see it as only getting better.
@@BonitoJoe111 Even Flynn's writing is getting criticised nowadays though. He's arguably one of the best things to happen to this series in years, and you've still got whiners going "No! Don't like it! Get rid of it! Waahh!"
Now these kinds of mixed attitudes are inevitable, but I really wish that Sega would just stop taking into account the opinions of overly critical critics, Sonic haters and detractors, and people who don't even play Sonic games.
Almost the entirety of the 2010's was just Sega backpedaling and taking away so many aspects of the Sonic series that people enjoy, just because people are always whining about them on the internet.
"Sonic games shouldn't be about the story!"
"Get rid of his stupid friends!"
"I don't want that green eyed imposter Sonic!"
As if changing this stuff has done the series any good. All that does is alienate long time fans.
I guess that it also really surprises me that we're seeing the return of Black Doom and the Black Arms; elements of the series that were pretty poorly received. But I'm glad that they have. They're taking these elements and expanding on them. They're utilising the storytelling potential. They're not just taking these elements and sweeping them under the rug like they never happened. They're not making cheeky references as a way of winking at the audience going "don't worry, folks! WE hate that stuff as much as you all do! Yeah, see? We get you! We're on the same level! Please buy our games again!" At least now you can see some passion in these projects.
14:46 there can even be practicality in this if he’s lowering his guns to slow his role and stop himself.
We can all agree that Omega is our ideal chad
Somehow I had a feeling that the G.U.N. Commander would make a present-day return in these shorts, especially in the very last one. It would only make sense if the second one re-introduced his younger self. And I am so happy that they confirmed these thoughts in the most heart-warming way possible.
The animation for this was just amazing! The ending was one of the best Shadow moments.
Dude legit these shorts have awakened an Omega obsession in me I haven’t felt in a while. I NEED MORE OMEGA!!! He’s SOOOOO GOOD!!! He’s SOOOOO COOL!!! 🤖🖤
Ditto! Was always a fan, but now… it’s love!
In my opinion, all three episodes of Dark Beginnings are masterpieces. I imagined a scene in my mind a while ago of Shadow sitting alone in a field of grass at night with his alien wings stretched out and suddenly Maria appears above Shadow with angel wings and gives Shadow a hug without saying anything. Suddenly, night becomes daytime. Shadow and Maria smile while hugging each other and Shadow's alien wings transform into angel wings just like Maria's wings.
Id love an Omega-based spin-off. Hes hilarious and deadly, the perfect mix
The shorts were just perfect Shadow is my joint favourite Sonic character with Knuckles and seeing him get the treatment he deserves makes me so happy 😭😭😭. As much as I adore him I mean he voices my man Siax from Kingdom Hearts I just can't get on board with Kirk as Shadow his voice just feels weird coming out of Shadow I just imagine what it would be like hearing Jason or David do these lines and it's chilling ^__^. Seeing Team Dark back together is a dream come true their chemistry is amazing and Omega has always been one of my favourites he's so underappreciated so seeing him kick major ass and crack his brilliant one liners was just incredible. Them bringing back the G.U.N commander was such an unexpected mad lad move huge kudos to the team god Sonic fans are just getting W after W at the moment it's honestly just wonderful😭😭😭😭
Did anybody notice that when shadow runs to catch Maria when she feels faint he’s trying to skate and not run
12:53 This is the second time I hear a Sonic-tuber say this and I am loving it
It's because Maria had NIDS that she needed to go to the ARK. Several pieces of Sonic media like Sonic battle state that NIDS is some sort of neurological condition and that zero gravity aids in its control. Similar to handicapped people in space. It's basically the reason why Gerald agreed to join Project Shadow as GUN wanted a bio weapon and were quite blunt in telling him that. It was only when they told him that the research could be used to cure Maria that he agreed.
"I love this guy!" You can say that again! I'm with ya there too!
While I wish episode 3 didn't say that only Maria could talk him down (that's not true), I still loved this whole series. The characters were well-written, the animation was spectacular, and the voice acting was surprisingly good. Also, as an Archie fan, I'm so happy that the G.U.N commander has his Archie name. That name goes back to 2009. 11 years before the movie commander.
Yeah Rouge is not giving herself enough credit. Or just purposely deflecting. In the Archie comics especially, she is easily Shadow's closest friend/confidant in present day. I'd like to think that deep down, she maybe doesn't consider herself a good enough friend to him. Especially since Maria meant everything to Shadow. But enough of my rambling...
@@a.z.pantera5577 She's not his closest friend in Archie. I'd say Hope was. But she can definitely talk down Shadow in the games, so could Amy, and maybe even Sonic.
@@bowserbreaker2515 damn I'll be honest, I kinda forgot about Hope. I guess my memory is spotty. The point remains, saying only Maria can talk him down in kind of overselling it.
@@a.z.pantera5577 Agreed.
She is bringing up Maria on purpose to tug at Abe's heartstrings, she knows that she's significant to him. That whole scene is Rouge lying through her teeth and manipulating the situation to come out blameless, even though she was the one that suggested Shadow attack a GUN base for kicks.
They are actually playing into Rouge's femme fatale character archetype that's kinda been forgotten over the years.
1:07-1:24
Not exactly. Shadow's memories are playing out of order. Maria was genuinely fearful, but then the memory switched to the northern lights. It's foreshadowing the eventual realization that Shadow is being screwed with.
7:50 "I CALL DIBS" on THIS "Larva" being Black Doom 2.0, a.k.a our new Shadow Generations Black Doom that is currently aboard the Ark. (according to the new post credit scene from the compilation)
You mean the jumpscare?
@@thedarkdevil1661 oh I like this theory
I appreciate the inclusion of these Animated Shorts, i just hope the Game doesn’t disappoint.
By the way, did you what the Full Animation with it’s Bonus Ending?
Also, while i would like another Anime, especially in this Style, what would it even be about? A Game Adaptation or something more Original? What would you prefer?
Speaking of which, what Sonic Fan-Projects do you know of?
I’d be cool for an Anime of existing stories or entirely original ones. There’s absolutely no reason not to do either in my view.
In terms of fan projects, I’m not all that familiar with that many but my recent favourite is Project Shadow 2023.
@@AceCardGaming hm, haven’t heard that one.
@johanstenfelt1206 It’s a CGI/Live action short covering the origins of Shadow. It’s free to watch on RUclips so you should check it out if you have the chance.
This was a great reminder/introduction to Shadow. For fans new and old. I do hope we see stuff like GUN, Mephiles, multiple playable characters, and humans come back into the series. Along with this more serious storytelling Sonic Team set with Frontiers. That’s my constructive criticism.
0:35 literally me
Can we long term shadow fans ever since Dreamcast SA2 through all the ups and downs stand up and just applaud this moment 👏🏽 you can tell Sonic team and Sega wanted to do this back in 2002-2005 but really dropped the ball and have been given an amazing opportunity to do it so much better and to see how it's been executed only strengthens my faith for the movie, the game and more. Sonic forever is one of the best protoganist, but for the Sasuke/Vegeta character shadow needs a good moment in the spotlight.
I know when the next Sonic Game comes out after Sonic X Shadow Generations, they’ll definitely do more of these shorts again.
Honestly, when the only complaint the audience has is: I Want More!
You know you've created something spectacular.
My thoughts exactly!
I need SEGA to do more Team Dark stuff I miss them so much they're my favourite characters
Amen my friend!
These shorts is what was missing in sonic frontiers. What I mean is the relationship between eggman and sage was nice but not as flesh out as it could be. While the relationship between Maria and Shadow was well executed in like 14 minutes as a whole and 4 minutes together. These showed that given some time no matter how short you can display such emotions.
Frontiers Absolutely would have benefitted from shorts like this. At least it’s a lesson they seem to have learned from. Can’t wait to see what they have planned for the next game.
these shorts had more effort in them than sega did in years with sonic
Can any of y’all make a single original comment? 😂
@@rickyronny4019 as soon as sega makes some damn effort
@@karljohan2300 makes some damn effort? Did you not see the recent game that came out? At this point y’all so called “fans” just love talking shit for the sake of it. Sega’s putting in effort for the past couple of years. Shut up
@@karljohan2300 y’all niggas can’t even make original complaints either 😂 🤡
While I am looking forward to playing this , I worry for what newcomers and even returning players are gonna feel about the "Sonic" portion of this game. The Sonic Generations section of “Sonic X Shadow” is without a doubt far less intense compared to Shadow’s story, and is even childish, humorless, and just downright stupid sometimes; unsurprising considering we had incompetent directors and writers working on the games for the past decade. Shadow’s campaign is designed to delve deeply into his dark and troubled past, offering a more narrative-driven experience. In contrast, Sonic’s story in the original Sonic Generations just fixated more on revisiting nostalgic levels and iconic moments from the series.
Shadow’s story will run parallel to Sonic’s, providing a richer backstory and exploring his motivations as an anti-hero. This means that while Sonic’s portion retains its classic charm, Shadow’s campaign adds a significant layer of depth and emotional weight, something Sonic's story lacks significantly.
Even Shadow’s gameplay has been designed to be more dynamic and intense. Shadow’s abilities, like Chaos Control and his combat skills, add a unique flair that can make his gameplay feel more engaging and varied compared to Sonic’s.
Sonic’s gameplay, while still fun and nostalgic, focuses more on speed and platforming through classic levels. Shadow’s story, on the other hand, incorporates more action-oriented sequences and a darker narrative, which can make it feel more compelling for players looking for a deeper experience.
The quality of Sonic games has significantly improved with “Sonic Frontiers; the game brought fresh ideas and a more cohesive story compared to some of the previous titles. Which is why Sonic story in generation just feel so incompatible with Shadow's which takes the same liberties as Frontier's in being clever with in how portrays its story and characters. I wish they took the opportunity to actually somehow improve Sonic's story; it would have been great to see more character development and a richer narrative, similar to what Shadow’s story offers.
Honestly all of this character development for Shadow and Maria feels like I am dreaming, I had totally resigned myself to the fact that after Sonic 06, Shadow was going to be a one dimensional cutout of himself meant to be revealed to get extra buys from Sonic games and views for Sonic TV shows... I just still cant believe they are getting Shadow so right, that Sega actually LISTENED TO THE FANS and gave us what we wanted. As for the future of Shadow...if we the fans want to see more of this then we need to vote with our dollars and buy this game. I already got the collectors edition so the rest is up to you fellow Shadow enthusiast.
I absolutely love these shorts. Everything I want in Modern Sonic animation or storytelling is here. The characters are written well with good serious storytelling and yet also time to be funny or humorous. The animation is glorious and action made for experiences I could only dream to see in another anime (As a Sonic X fan pleases please please PLEASE make another anime, it would be glorious!). And of course the story is very intriguing and yet also mysterious as anything good with Shadow should be. And if the game is anything like this then I am hyped. We have entered a true renaissance era my friends and I hope it doesn't stop anytime soon! Also I really wanna say I love how Casey Williams is now just a singer in the sonic series. Not full time but still apart of it. It makes sense given the similarities in RWBY and Sonic pertaining to music and just makes me smile after RTs shutdown to see these people still working and making other cry and happy with their talents.
From what I understand, NIDS is an actual thing, but it’s actually a category of disorders instead of just a single one. Neuroimmune disorders are a group of conditions that occur when the immune system and nervous system interact abnormally, causing inflammation and damage to the nervous system. This can happen when the immune system mistakenly attacks the nervous system, or when the nervous system malfunctions and affects the immune system.
A common treatment for a lot of these kinds of disorders is water therapy, which temporarily reduces the impact of gravity on the nerves. So Maria living on the ARK due to it’s low gravity helping her condition makes total sense.
This makes wonder however, knowing these revelation facts… I guess it’s confirmed that Shadow DOES NOT in fact work for GUN as well come to know? That he’s his own commander?
Shadow-Man
*CONTINUITY*
WE'RE EATING GOOD THIS YEAR
these promo animations honestly blew it right out of the park, like even in terms of animation the thing the previous ones were all strong with, this series has them all beat. this is the type of animation evolution i've been wanting after night of the werehog, fully blending 2D and 3D taking advantage of both of their strengths as well as tapping into sonics anime routes, like who knew sonic humans could look good when they're also stylised, almost like they were cartoon characters also.
but besides that this is a much better way of integrating past lore than fronteirs had, it's a lot more show don't tell. i will admit i was worried (and honestly still am since a promo and actual game story are two completely different things) after the fronteirs dlc doubled down on the core games issues and erased the sacrifices in favor of hype, like they could have taken the alternative timeline to its logical end and undo reviving sonic so the dlc could fully focus on the returning cast and make super sonic gaining a cyber power boost more hype because of that as an example.
but i'm so glad there's a focus on the emotional stakes in this while still having room for goofyness. it really is an underrated aspect of the "dark age", nomatter how bad a game was there was a passion in their creation. when a game like forces is bad, then quite frankly i'd prefer to play 06 because for how many issues that game had its simply a more engaging experience.
i do hope they don't fumble shadow gens, for every mania there's a forces and every fronteirs there's a superstars, the bad is thankfully becoming less so in recent years just can't lie, i want the return to form to be the good game and let santiago die. cutesy mute classic is yet another meta era blemish which erases a much more complex character. i miss jerk sonic, all you need to do is either take out his dated slogans or lean into them, man didn't compete with mario by trying to be him.
Well, I'll put my 5 cents into this.
What I liked:
1) Epic fights.
2) Sound direction. It really feels nice to hear Kirk Thornton sound more like previous Shadow depictions. I hated how he always makes Shadow say stuff with badly hidden disgust, as if Shadow have some kind of superiority complex.
3) Team Dark reunion. Yeah, everyone liked that.
4) Fanservice: enemies from old games
5) Omega with his comics personality. Absolutely brilliant.
6) G.U.N. Commander finally gets his name canonised.
What kinda bothers me:
1) Team Dark reunion. It feels really random, too coincedential. Could be more deliberate, y'know?
2) Pretty sure Shadow works for G.U.N. now. He worked with them in S'06, he joined them in his solo game. Why bother fight them, aren't they supposed to be on his side?.. Yeah, Abe, I really feel you.
3) Why the hell Rouge suggests raiding G.U.N. base, and then like "Well, too bad, I couldn't talk him out"? This whole operation was your idea! (c) Not to mention, she's also part of G.U.N., and could easily ask for a shuttle on Shadow's behalf.
4) Rouge and Omega are supposed to be staying with Shadow, as he travels to ARK. Ain't they his friends? And I get it, Rouge has her mission, to give Abe the stolen info. She can't go to Shadow's part of adventure, cuz we already know she get trapped by Time eater. But, y'know, after S'06 leaving Shadow to deal with his legacy on his own... feels very wrong. Atleast she could ask Omega to join him. Yeah, so much for Team Dark.
Yeah, I just can't make sense of Shadow and Rouge's choices here. Shadow has actively worked for G.U.N. in the past (the whole reason for that is to show how he's matured enough to work with them for a better future instead of getting caught up in his past grudges-- i.e. he put the past behind him). He's also friends with the GUN Commander, and even went to visit him at home to see his new grandchild, as revealed in Shadow it's expert mode.
There's no justifiable reason for him to be raiding a GUN base when he personally knows the Commander and could ask him directly for a shuttle. It's way easier and time efficient, and even if he didn't want to, Rouge could've.
Speaking of Rouge, I really hate how she "justified" her choices. It's not like Shadow decided to raid the base and she went along with because he made up his mind. It was *_her_* idea. That entire conversation falls flat because of this. She's just lying, and it's really confusing.
OMEGA THE FUCKING GOAT 😭❤
I absolutely LOVED these animations, it's has been such a long time I saw something cool about Shadow (from Sega or whatever "official"at least), since Sonic 06 maybe?
Very unexpected in a good way, this just made me love this character even more (in a non degenerate way lol).
I've been looking forward to your video. I know you said you were going to wait and review them all. Glad this was worth the wait. Now to share my thoughts.
Why are we so focused on slapstick comedy, bowling man children, and parallel worlds when we can have fresh-cooked anime like Dark Beginnings?!
(Don't get me wrong. I like Boom and Prime, but let's face it, Sonic has and always will be shonen.)
Yes give us an amine with the guys either behind this one or Divergence. Heck, I'll take one from Trigger. SEGA! Just give us an anime, Damnit!
This is by far the best pre-release series to date. Divergence was really good too, but this....this right here is a perfect example that not only Ian Flynn knows his Sonic, but is also best suited for the job. No Saturday morning antics, no fourth wall breaks, no one bland characters. Fans seriously need to get a grip and stop bashing this guy just because of a few undesirable choices. I know he's not perfect but he's better than what we had. Furthermore, SEGA is the one that puts up limitations and mandates. But now it looks like finally, they are starting to loosen the reins a bit. This means that hopefully Shadow is toned down on his edginess.
As for the voice actors. I still thought that Kirk was given too much flack when first started. He always sounded fine to me. I confess I never knew he didn't learn about Shadow's character before voicing him, which for an actors job sounds unprofessional in my opinion. But his performance wasn't all bad, and it was great on here! Of course David Humphery will always be Shadow to me. I feel the same for Karen as Rouge. I might get beaten for this, but I couldn't stand Kathleen's Rouge. She made her sound way too old for an 18 year old bat. (Please don't hate me....) Karen's a good voice, but like Kirk, she just needs better direction. It worked for Cindy's Amy, it can work for them. As for Omega, let me just say, if they ever replace Sonic, I hope they keep Roger as Omega and Abe. And, let's not forget Maria Stephanie Sheh is a legend among english dubbed anime! She's perfect for a girl like Maria
I loved everything about this. My only complaint; It's too short. I'm sure others share the same feeling. Now I am at the edge of my SEAT for this game to come out! I can't wait! Nice video as always. Looking forward to your review on the game once it's out. Also be careful, the game has been leaked.
Very reasonable thoughts and well put! Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the heads up about the game leaking. I’m keeping my head pretty low online until I get it on Oct 22nd 😅
I love this so much
These shorts just scream give us a Shadow anime series from Shadows beginning of being created developing the relationship between him and Maria leading into the events of Emerl unleashed and G.U.N's attack on to where he's sealed up on Prison island in Sonic Adventure 2.
Each short is just as good as the previous with team dark being great. Shadow is great Rouge is beautifully done and Omega is down right laughable. while we don't have a short with Professor Gerald shadow and Maria its still great seeing the relationship between Shadow and Maria.
The voice work is great especially for Maria which is funny as we haven't had a Maria dub in a long while since Shadow the hedgehog and Sonic X.
You deserve more subscribers dude
Thank you! All in good time, hopefully.
Based on what I've seen, Sega seems to be backtracking their horrible assessment of Team Dark's dynamic. The fact that they officially acknowledge that Shadow is the only person Rouge is genuine to points this out. They've yet to show Omega be more than a killthirsty death bot like in Heroes and 06 outside of the Overdrive short and the TailsTube Christmas episode, but his borderline childlike excitement for battle is a good start. This might be Ian Flynn's doing.
When they first announced the game, I was not hooked yet. Not even when they showed Black Doom.
Them both these three work of arts and the last trailer showing a potential reunion leaves me with only one concern (aside from me already owning the original.)
Will this game have glitches?
Happened with both Origins and Colors, and I really would hate if that happens again.
I enjoy seeing Shadow being seen as more than just 'an edgy loner"; that should never have been the way that SEGA portrayed him.
Shadow used to be more introvert rather than straight up loner. Until 06,at least in every games written by Shiro Maekawa, Shadow is virtually never seen alone.
@@alicesacco9329 Shadow isn't alone in 06. Unless you mean up until *after* that game.
@@DLxxx Yes, I meant that
10:17 ofc he isn't the G.U.N Commander from the games, he doesn't have the homophobia in the eyes
Great analysis of a fantastic anime series. So good, I enjoyed every minute of it.
It truly was amazing and such a pleasure to cover on the channel. Glad you enjoyed my coverage of it.
WHATEVER YOU DO
05:28
DO NOT GO BACK AND PLAY SONIC BATTLE AGAIN, I REPEAT, DO NOT GO BACK AND PLAY SONIC BATTLE!
Remeber the knuckles missions? The endless streams of self-destructing E102 clones?
Not worth it. Idc how good the soundtrack is.
I had actually forgotten about that… or blocked it out, one or the other. 😅
13:51 i like that he smirked after saying it too cocky shadow is best shadow
Your my favorite youtuber ace
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoy the videos.
@@AceCardGaming your most welcome
Maybe in the movie walters will retire or otherwise be forced to stop being GUN commander and abe will take over?
Nah, Walters us the movie version of Tower.
Maria might be the most badass human character in Sonic serie, she is so funny, energetic and brave without losing her aura of the 'proper lady from the' 50s'. But how many years we had to wait before knowing her?
Poor Shadow on the other hand was and is always sad and always so mean toward himself.
At least Rouge and Abraham (who used to torment him) care for him. (Can't say much about Omega, from what I understand he is emotionless being a robot).
Shouldn't the actors get a character sheet before doing thirty lines?
Here is a book, this who the fans are expecting you to portay?
Depends on how much the people in charge care.
I've seen people complain about Rouge telling Abe that Shadow can't be talked down when she was the one that suggested they raid a GUN base instead of asking, and that the whole GUN fight scene was unnecessary padding, but like... Yeah? That's the point. Look at her sly smirk. She's lying and shifting the blame onto someone GUN can't punish to keep her job. She also brings up Maria on purpose to tug at Abe's heartstrings. She orchestrated the whole GUN raid for the fun of it and came out smelling like roses.
Come on, people. Rouge is a classic femme fatale secret agent archetype. These kinds of characters are known for constantly manipulating everyone around them, even those they geniunely have a bond with. She's even playfully manipulating Shadow for his own good by putting an "only if you come to Sonic's birthday party" condition on her intel, probably just to make Shadow socialize a little.
Also, no fight scene that badass is unnecessary.
I didn’t just enjoy Dark Beginnings: I ADORED it. I’ve been waiting for something like this for years and, if I have to be honest, we’ve never reached such a depth of character and dialogue before, not to my knowledge. Sure, SA2 and 06 have some very nice scenes, but I feel like this tops all of them. It truly felt like a dream coming true, the dream of the child I once was.
Yo, where the Black Doom ending
Scripted, recorded and edited before that was released. I was disappointed about that! 😔
I don't care what Abe thinks lol.
English is not my strenght so please tell me what a "Dibs" is? QwQ
Dibs means to call something for yourself. In this case, it meant Omega wanted to take on these enemies and destroy them himself. 😁
Dark beginnings was crazy good, watched it in japanese for the ultimate experience. As for the english dub, Kirk Thornton is returning to delivering lines nicely like in sonic forces, the other voices were great, though karen strassman as rouge sounds way too young and promiscuous.
I dont know if this series is a blessing or a curse. one one hand this could be showing a brilliant new direction in Sonic storytelling... on the other hand this might be a one hit wonder and we will be left wanting for the rest of time. It was almost... too good.
I'm honestly incredibly mixed from the implied character regression to the cheap visuals & oddities/inaccuracies in characterization cus Flynn isn't very good. I do like all the 05 lore stuff as it fits neatly into everythin before & I like seein the gun commander. This could've been way better if ST wrote it themselves & actually used 1 of SEGA's own animation studios instead of cheapin out the way they did. This is a 5/10 at best
I’ll be honest, Kirk didn’t give his best performance he could’ve for Shadow. Because the major problem I have with it is that, he sounds samey. Like Shadow doesn’t change much from his calm deep voice. Which bothers me as scenes where he’s mad that he thinks he’s no better than the Black Arms and annoyed that he couldn’t cure Maria, sounds more like he’s mildly annoyed than anything. Which makes Maria’s reaction feel more like an over reaction unless Shadow has been doing it all of the time off screen and doesn’t listen to her words.
Dark Beginnings was just stunning! 🥹 Encore! 😭