Davideo7 : Will the new server your moving the games to be able to support resuming broken downloads? I ask because last week I tried downloading Final Fantasy VII and it kept resetting itself. It would get about halfway to 75 % and start over. I eventually hit my data limit and had to give up. Just wondering if it could do this or at the least be a lot more stable.
For larger games it would be a big help.

Davideo7 : Hey, I Have completed the screenshot offer. The games I chose were "TeleroBoxer", "Space Squash", "Vertical Force", "Red Alarm", and "Innsmouth no Yakata" .  All are for the Virtual Boy. All of them have at least 10 screenshots but some have more. I ended up with a total of 67, if I counted right. I believe them all to be unique, but that's for you to judge. If they aren't then tell me and all try to make some that are.

Thanks.

Davideo7 : Hey, thanks for adding more games. It's always a good thing. One question about the offer. Can it be multiplied? For example If I write a 1000+ review and then do the screenshot set and then go do another 1000+ review can I get 45000 in all or is it just a " one time"
15000Vizz reward for doing one of these things ? Thanks again

B619ook : Hey, just sent you 3,000 Vizz. Thank Barathemos, I got it from him but no longer need it. Enjoy!!

Barathemos : Thanks for the Vizz. But unfortunately I don't need it now. I did a special review last night and got about 12,000 Vizz for it so I no longer need it. I have edited my above post to reflect that.

Now, a choice. Would you rather have me return the Vizz to you,or, would you rather have me donate it to someone else in your name?
Thanks again

iN008 : Thanks, I'm glad you approve.  I put a lot of effort into making it a good one. The reason why I put the spaces and the====into was because with my on experience of reading others reviews I tended to get (for a lack of a better word) snow blind from the sea of words, especially with the larger reviews. I just wanted it to be a comfortable read for everyone, including the ones who still like to pretend they don't need glasses, like me. Oh well, different strokes for different folks I guess. The one thing I would do differently is make it shorter. In my opinion, the larger review's tend to be skimmed through if read at all. And if their not read then they don't do what their intended for. One thing, how do you add screen shots to the review? I didn't see a way while I was writing the review, nor when I looked in the support page for taken screen shots. If it was I must have over looked it. Could you give me a short description or a link to where I can find it. This is actually something that I wanted to do with my first review but I didn't think it was possible. Any assistance would be appreciated and Thanks in advance if you do.

Razor-987 : Thanks, It may not seem like it but this review took me three nights to write. I don't like to do something if I don't put at least a  little effort into it. But I have to wonder, do people actually read these reviews all the way through? With my on experience reading other people's I tended to start skimming through if they went on long enough, so I'm thinking it might be best to keep it at a 1400 word max. Sure, the Vizz incentive is there to write a 2000+ word review, but if people don't read it then it doesn't fulfill it's purpose. Anyway, after writing two reviews almost back to back I think I'll take a break and play some games for a few weeks. But just wanted to say how good it feels to have someone appreciate something you put so much effort into.  Thank You  

iN008 : Hello, I noticed your post about a week ago and after finding myself in significant need of vizz I decided to accept your offer.
Please see "The Reason Why" in the review section. I believe, in my opinion, that I have fulfilled all of the conditions, but that's for you to judge.
One thing though, as this was only my second review I didn't see a way to add screenshot's to the review itself. Instead I posted them on the game profile page. I hope this is acceptable. 

Thanks for your time.

                                                             
                                                                  Hello, and welcome to My Aero Blasters Review.

     Before I start I would like to ask you a question. What makes a great game? Is it the graphics or Is it the sound?  Or would you say it’s the story, or maybe the challenge even? Perhaps a combination of all these things? What do you look for when choosing a game? There must be something. Some spectacular feature that makes them stand out from amongst the rest. There’s always a reason why you choose the ones you do. So what would it be?

     I ask this because after I was done playing through this game I came away asking myself the very same question. What makes the games I choose so remarkable?  Why does one appeal to me and the other one doesn't? What lead me to these questions I will not get into until the end of the review, but for now I would like you to ponder this little mystery while I attempt to give an explanation of what it was I saw in this game that made it so enjoyable to me.


                                                                                      +++++++Backstory++++++
                                                                                    =======================

     In the year 2021 a mysterious orbital space weapon appears and assaults the nations of the Earth. The players control the pilots Mike or Holly who are a part of the Trouble Speciality Raid Unit whose mission is to stop the invasion. You control one of two potential air/spacecraft that you use with an assortment of  weapon upgrades to shoot down incoming enemy craft and missiles.


                       [Special thanks to Wikipedia, without which I would have never known that there even was a story involved.] :-)



                                                                                        +++++++Review+++++++
                                                                                      =====================


         Graphics       (9)       This is probably the best things about retro games. Yes their 16 bit, but that's also what adds to the charm. The best way I can describe it is a "futuristic sci fi anime". Everything from the explosions to the detail of the enemies looks very well done. Although I have never played a Turbografx 16 game, the visuals seemed to be very good for the era. In some ways they look just as good as the Sega Genesis. I also liked how smooth the scrolling was, although there was some stuttering from time to time. But this could have been because I'm playing on probably the last single core laptop ever made. It tends to get a hiccup sometimes when a page refreshes or something on my computer starts using up a lot of resources. For that reason I won't take off anything because of it.


    There is, however, a couple of drawbacks. The amount of things happening on the screen sometimes can get confusing. At which point you get lost and lose track of where you are. There also appears to be a glitch where your ship turns invisible. Right after you "die" your ship is supposed to come back on screen and flash for a few seconds to get you prepared to go again. However, sometimes it doesn't flash, it just isn't there. You can fire your weapon to see where your ship is supposed to be, but it's just not there. After few seconds your ship appears again and you can proceed from that point, but with a game that requires timing and exact movement those few seconds can be deadly. For that reason I removed one point from the score, even though I'm not entirely sure if it's a problem with the emulator or the game it self. Either way, It was to just to big a problem to ignore


=========================================================================================================

.
         Sound        (8.5)           The sound, in my opinion, is quite good. Even though it does have sort of tinniness to it. That's to be expected really, since sound on any console in that era wasn't all that good. There were exceptions but for the most part the audio wasn't a high priority. I guess to save on space, I don't know. Anyway, overall the music and sound effects fit the game perfectly. The weapons fire and explosions are nicely done with music accompanying the action appropriately in most cases, slowing down and then speeding up during fast segments and boss encounters really helps to keep the action tense and engaging. Overall it does what it's supposed to and does it nicely


=========================================================================================================

.
         Addictiveness    (9.5)       This is probably THE best aspect of the game. The sheer thrill of shooting down enemy aircraft and at the same time trying desperately to avoid theirs is possibly one of the best experiences in gaming. Every shot, every upgrade pickup, every enemy destroyed compels you to go further, to achieve more than you had before. Even dying helps achieve this, forcing you to try harder, to be quicker than the last time. The best way to describe the feeling is like being at a arcade and using all your money on a game only to be left with a single dollar bill. Instead of cutting your losses and going home you decide to try one more time. So sure that, in the end, you would emerge victorious. All you needed was just one more play.


=========================================================================================================


          Story         (6)                There's a story? Surprisingly yes, there is. Although it's paper thin. It won't win an Oscar or anything but it does give you a reason to shoot down hundreds of enemies at a time, not that you needed one to begin with. All you need to know is that a whole bunch of aliens have made their way to earth. Instead of doing the whole "live long and prosper/world peace" thing, they decided to get all uppity and blow up some stuff, namely Earth. Now it’s your turn. Hop in your suped up jet fighter, head into the fray, and bring the righteous hand of God down on these heathen scum. Got it? Groovy!!


=========================================================================================================


          Depth            (7.5)                Meh...there's about as much depth as you would expect from a side scrolling shooter. There's only six levels or phases as the game calls them. There aren't any extras or secret levels as far as I know of. The upgrades are all the same from level to level, no difference from the first phase to the last. Even the story is almost non existent. All and all I would have to say this is the one of the biggest weakness of the game. If the developers had of incorporated some of these things it would have went a long way to making this a very replayable game. It is what it is though. But then again, games like this don't really need those things do they?


=========================================================================================================


           Difficulty       (10)                 Difficulty? What difficulty? This games totally easy. You'll be able to zip through this in one hour, two tops, guaranteed..........yep..............yeah I don't believe me either. Okay I'm going to level with you, this game is hard, really hard. Have you ever tried to juggle a sack full of grenades while walking through a minefield with your pants around your ankles? No? Well if you did this is what it would feel like.

    Just as the graphics were a reminder of why I loved the 16 bit era, so too does this remind me of why I absolutely hated it. Almost every game we had was some grand experiment in sadism. It was like the Game Creators were toying with us, prodding us, looking to see how much we could endure before we eventually broke. We would be drawn in by the promise of such a grand adventure only to be crushed by merciless cruelty. I've had more than my fair share of broken controllers because it.

     Luckily, I've grown out of that, and I no longer throw my remotes in frustration, but I have to wonder, why would they make a game so hard that you couldn't beat it? With arcade games I can understand, your trying to get as many plays as possible, more plays more money, but why would you with a console? This is something I may never know. But to get back to the review and as to what makes it so difficult there's a few things. Foremost is the amount of things trying to kill you at any moment. At one time there can be anywhere from five to thirty (give or take) missiles, plasma orbs or laser beams on the screen at once, not including the actual enemies themselves. Add on top of that how one hit can kill you and you have a very harrowing time just trying to stay alive
.
    Thankfully, only the last two levels are that difficult. The first four phases, while challenging, are still easy enough that you Should be able to get through them without much trouble. But what about the last two levels? How do you level the playing field you ask? By using that other wonderful tool from 16 bit era. CHEATS!! That's right, I cheated. Gloriously so. Everything from giving myself extra credits to using the level select, without both of them I would have never got past the fifth phase. But you know what? Inspite of all that I was never able to beat last phase. I tried, I really did, I tried so many times but was never able to.

    I guess some things never change.


=========================================================================================================


                                                                                     +++++++Conclusion+++++++
                                                                                ==========================


    So what can I say? That this was one of my favorite games from my youth? It wasn't. Can I say that this was a game that  I had so many memories of playing? No, I had never played this game before now. Can I say that it was a game that I had always wanted to play? No, I can't because I never did, I never wanted to play this game. So why would I then? Why would I take the time to play, much less write a review for a game I cared nothing about? The answer to that is simple really, Because I wanted to play something else.

    For the last few weeks I've been trying to earn enough vizz to get the PlayStation item from vizz store. I had already missed the Earlier promotion and when the price went on sale for half-off I decided to make it my goal to try and obtain it. A decision that would ultimately lead to me writing my first review. But after finishing it and running into numerous problems ( none of which was because of vizzed) I was debating whether or not to write another one. So Instead I turned to other ways to earn vizz
.
    As I was searching the market forums one particular thread caught my eye. was the name. It sounded promising, with it I would have just enough to get the psx item, so I clicked on it. It was a simple request, all I had to do was play a game and write a thousand word review. There was also the matter of taking screen shots, that too I had never done before, but after looking at the support page it didn't seem that difficult. So, I accepted.

     As I clicked on the link he provided to the game I had to laugh. How was I ever going to write a thousand word review about a side scrolling shooter? I didn't like side scrolling shooters, at least I didn't think I did, In fact the only shooters I did like was the ones where I had a gun in my hands and I'm defending the nation from a terroristic threat or fighting off some otherworldly alien horde hell-bent on our destruction, for whatever reason they had at the moment. Certainly not a side scroller.

    But as I started playing it occurred to me. It wasn't that didn't like them, it was simply that I had forgotten I did. As I grew up, there came a point in my life where I started looking for more complex games and as I found them the simple joy of blowing things out of the sky began to fade. By the time I  played my first RPG it was all but gone. But after playing one again after so long, I start to remember why I liked them so much. The sad thing is if I hadn't taken this offer I would have never remembered it.

     So what about you? Why do you choose the games you do? Theres always a reason. For some its a way of reliving the past, some special moment they had playing with their friend's or family. For others it's the challenge, the thrill of overcoming against impossible odds. And for others it's a way to lose themselves, somewhere deep within a virtual realm. Even new games have their own reasons, to see things never seen before, to experience stories never told. Not to mention the millions in advertising, telling us how much we want the game, giving us a reason to pick them up. There's always a reason.

     But for some games there is no reason, nothing that makes them stand apart, nothing that makes them unique in our minds. And so we pass by, never knowing what lay beneath it's dust covered exterior, so sure that whatever it was about we wouldn't like. That was how I felt about this game. If  I hadn't taken the offer I would have never known what it was I was missing. Needless to say I've already chosen my next game. "Blazing Lazers" as it's called, oddly enough for the same console. Although not a side scroller, it still holds the same spirit. And in doing so I hope to encourage others. The next time you see a game you think you would never like, give it a try. You never know. You may find that one thing you were searching for all along.



                                                                                      The Reason Why We Play.

tgags123 : Hello, sorry to bother but I found your user name in the Vizzed generosity thread. You said that you would Lend/give vizz to people who need it. Since you had the most I figured I would ask you. I had a kid leave a profile comment on my profile page asking for vizz, said he needed it. At the moment I'm unable to help him. His user name is "MineCraftManiac" and he's 12. I tried to tell him how to get some vizz and how to get to this thread but he's only been here about a month. So if you do help him you might have to PM him. I don't know how much he needed.

Now about me, I been trying to get up 25,000 vizz to buy the PlayStation item from the vizzed but currently I only have about 18,000. I've been doing reviews and such but don't Know if I'll get up enough by September 22 when it goes back to full price. So I was wondering if you would loan the remaining 7,000 vizz if I did not get it in time.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Either way thanks for your time


Edit: My apologies, I didn't read through your other posts and did not realize your were saving up for something. Thanks anyway. I'm not sure if I have to "summon" someone again so maybe they'll see this 

Edit 2: Thanks everyone, I've already achieved my goal so please don't send me any more vizz, I'm good at the moment. Unless of coarse you want to make me a Vizzillionaire then I will accept. Thanks.

Mistress : Thanks for the help. I was wondering about the whole plagiarism thing, that's why I added it as a reference . As for the double post I noticed . I've been trying to go through forums trying to find who to contact about it. This was my first time posting a review so I'm not sure what happened. I don't think it gave double Vizz or anything but I didn't want to take the chance. As for back story most of it you would never know if you didn't have a manual that the physical game came with since almost all of it is never revealed in the game. Without you miss a lot of the story so that's why I added. I made sure not to add anything that might be a spoiler, at least I thought I did. Thanks again.  

"I am the Lord of Dead side, Shadow born at the confluence of worlds to walk between. Live side is without the meaning that my partly living possesses here in Dead side, where the darkness is manifest at the edges of reason. As a god, I step forth upon the writhing, suppurating surface of the Dead side Serpent. What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coilings of the snake's mortal shuffling. Weapon in my hand, MY HAND, the arching deathblow at the End of All Things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it."                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Guy Miller, Dead side Dreams
                                                     [co-creator of Shadow Man the game]

 Welcome to Dead side, the dark and foreboding realm of the dead, a place of torment and madness, where lunatics and madmen rage unadulterated. A place where the very land itself is made from the decomposing flesh of it's inhabitants. It is a place that everyone, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, goes when they die. But for Michael Leroi and his Shadow Man alter-ego, this nightmarish hell is the place he calls Home.



Before I star the review let me give you some back story to help you understand the game and how Michael came to be the Shadow Man. Born in New Orleans Michael grew up in a family of four. A Mother, Father and a Brother who's name is Luke. After Mike graduated from high school he attended college where he studied English literature. For one reason or another he eventually dropped out and started gambling. With his money nearly gone, Mike moved to Chicago where he took a job as a taxi driver, while keeping secret from his family that he was no longer in college. One Night while on the job the passenger that Mike was ferrying was gunned down in a drive by shooting. Fleeing the scene Michael eventually lost his pursuers. Unsure what to do, Mike pulled over to check on his passenger. Realizing that he was dead , Mike looked through his belongings and found $20,000 dollars in a briefcase that the passenger was carrying. Instead of turning it in to the police Mike took the money an fled. Returning home to New Orleans Mike used his new found wealth to shower his family with gifts, even paying for his brother Luke's much needed operation. But the gang who the money belonged to tracked him down and threatened to kill him and his family if the money was not returned. Unable to repay the debt mike sought out a Bokor [Voodoo priest that practices both white/black magic] for protection. Eventually the gang returned. While sitting at a red light a car pulled along side them and opened fire. Every member of Michael's family was killed, everyone except Mike. Recovering from a coma Michael lost his memory and was later found by the Boker who turned him into a zombie slave that he used for assassinations under the name "Zero". One day Mama Nettie, a very powerful voodoo priestess arrived and took revenge on the boker(presumably for an assassination by Zero). Using the last of her powers Nettie forcibly implanted the Mask of Shadow, an artifact of voodoo origin into Michael's chest. From that moment, during the night or in Dead side the mask would emerge from his chest, turning him in to the Shadow Man, a African voodoo warrior with supernatural power to protect the world from threats that came from the spiritual plane. Michael would regain is memory and enter the service of Mama Nettie. One night Nettie had a prophetic dream where 5 serial killers under the command of a demonic entity known as "Legion"(alluding to the same demon that Jesus cast out in Mark 5:9 of the bible). This is where the game begins and also where this introduction will end. Please keep in mind that I have never played the Dream cast version, only on the PC,Ps1, and now the N64, so please remember that when I make comparisons from the other versions

[After stumbling upon the review rules I thought it best to claim the top as a reference even though it was written mainly from memory for the sake of avoiding a ban. I did however Use  shadow man wiki and a 1999 interview that Guy Miller gave to IGN to check that I had the facts of the back story right and in the correct order. I don't want it to be considered plagiarism since there are only so many ways to tell a back story before you have to start making things up. The poem at the top of the page was written by Guy Miller and appears in one of the cut scenes in the game. As to why I put a back story in the review was because the the description in the game profile was a little vague. People in the comments section where wondering why mike used a teddy bear to cross over. To be clear to everyone mike isn't focusing on the teddy bear but on his brother Luke, whom the teddy bear belongs to. As he focuses his desire to see his brother again mike slips into dead side where his brother is. Crystal? Good! It also helps to add a short description to better understand a game review. Now as to the review below it's all me so if I get banned I can't help it because I did my best. Wow, so much legalese for a game review. I feel like I need to add a disclaimer about pregnant and nursing mothers as well as operating heavy machinery. ]                                                     


                                                             ++++++++++Review++++++++++
                                                           ============================          
   

  Graphics         |9|       Visually this version holds up guite will against the other versions. Some textures like the sky are a little more blurry than the Ps1. There is no dynamic shirt movement in this version either,however the overall textures of the character models as well as the environment textures seem to be better than the Ps1 version. Nothing compares to the PC version so it probably wouldn't be fair to compare it. Overall the visuals are nice, clear, and creepy. Textures like the flambeu doors made of stretched skin and the Dark Asylum that looks oddly like a cross between a medieval castle and a industrial age factory make for a very surreal experience. This is a stark contrast from the live side levels like the Bayou which is guite beautiful in it own right, even if it does have a sort of evil vibe to it. This also applies to the New York level, it in some ways looks guite nice and yet          retains it's House of Horrors feel. Not to mention the actual enemies, some of which were human once, of those some have visible autopsy scars and other marks on there bodies that give a hint of how they came to be in dead side. Probably the creepiest enemy would be the two headed torso,that thing still freaks me out. All & all the visuals do a very good job of creating a chilling atmosphere and drawing you into the game world.
   

  Sound            |10|      The sound is by far one of the best aspects of this game. Everything from the "Moonlight Sonata"      playing in the intro to the sound of screaming of the True forms in their cage is great. One of the best gaming moments I ever had was doing battle with Milton T Pike (one of the Five) for the first time while The Doors song "This is the End" plays. That will always be in my top 5!! Every thing from the sound of footsteps running over hot coals, to the screeching of the shadow gun and mechanical hum of asylum machinery are done nicely. Much more when you trigger an event like waking  up the sisters of blood from their slumber. I still dread the sound of their energy blasts. All I can say is that like the graphics it does good job of making the world a rich and believable place.
   

  Addictiveness    |10|      120 dark souls to find and multiple weapons and items to collect, everything from shotguns to sub      machine guns, voodoo weapons and the all-powerful violator. All that and much more make this one of the most addictive games ever made. There is also carteux which are basically gourds but you can use them to increase your health if you offer them to the la on a alter in the temple of life. 100 carteux for every extra level of life with a max of five to obtain. There is also the reward for finding all the dark souls. If you manage to find every last one of the 120 you'll be able to open the level 10 coffin gate. What's behind it is a mystery because I'm not going to tell you. You wouldn't want to ruin the supprise any way would you? Needless to say it's well worth the effort. Not to say it's a chore or anything because it's not. It's actually very rewarding. Just think of it like Pokémon but with evil black worm looking things.  
    

Story            |10|      This also is one of the best aspects of the game. You play as Michael Leroi(A.K.A Shadow Man) whose   task is to stop the impending Apocalypse brought about by the Demon "Legion". To that end you'll Have Track Down Five serial Killers Who are trying to pierce the veil between Live side and Dead side to open a conduit through which Legion can send his army of true forms(juggernaut like creatures that stand about one story tall) each with a dark soul implanted in them. But eliminating the five won't be that easy, because each one has also been implanted with a immortal dark soul, making them nearly indestructible. Only the shadow man with his wraith blasting Shadow gun can separate these beasts from their immortal power and bring an end to their infernal existence once and for all. Along the way you'll have to explore the worlds of dead side and live side to find clues and artifacts as well as collecting dark souls to increase your shadow power so you'll be able to face them. Since your also immortal You can never truly die in this game but you can be sent back to the last checkpoint. Be sure to check in with nettie and Jaunty from time to time because you'll hear a lot more of the story if you do.  

    Depth            |9|       Another area this game shines. The amount of detail the makers but into this game is amazing. Everything from the design of the weapons to the thought put into the layout of Dead side and the Asylum make it all seem like it could really exist. And just because you "complete" an area doesn't mean your through with it. Some areas will be inaccessible until you find a certain gad (mystical tattoo)that allows you to touch, walk on, or be submerged in fire.
    

Difficulty       |8|       This is probably the one weakness of the game. The above mentioned layout of the game can get         confusing. I've played this game multiple times on more than one system and I still get lost some times. The enemies can sometimes be a pain. Mostly the dubbies and the dead wings that usually appear in groups. It can get annoying later in the game when looking for a certain area and having to fight almost constant battles while doing it. My advice is to just run because they'll just appear again if leave and come back into the area. I also recommend you Google "shadow man map" to get a map that came with the game or from the strategy guide (I can't remember which one it came with). And  If this is your first time playing I also recommend you make your own rough map since the other one I mentioned admittedly isn't that good. Believe me you'll be glad you did towards the end of the game when you have to do a little backtracking. One last thing, the last boss's second form is relentless. You will die.........over and over and over and over...........................                           






So in conclusion I'll say this. Very few games have ever captured my imagination as much as this one. The only exceptions being Final Fantasy 7 & 8 and Legend of the Dragoon. Those are the only three. Everything from the level design to the characters, story and especially the dark poetry make this one of the most memorable games I have ever played. If you can, I would seek out a pc copy from eBay or from Amazon since it's by far the best. I've also heard Steam is in talks with activision to sell it. Either way, no matter what version your playing, this is one game you do not want to miss. I highly recommend it.              

"I am the Lord of Deadside, Shadowborn at the confluence of worlds to walk between. Liveside is without the meaning that my partly living possesses here in Deadside, where the darkness is manifest at the edges of reason. As a god, I step forth upon the writhing, suppurating surface of the Deadside Serpent. What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coilings of the snake's mortal shuffling. Weapon in my hand, MY HAND, the arching deathblow at the End of All Things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it."                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Guy Miller, Deadside Dreams
                                                     [co-creator of Shadow Man the game]

 Welcome to Deadside, the dark and foreboding realm of the dead, a place of torment and madness, where lunatics and madmen rage unadulterated. A place where the very land itself is made from the decomposing flesh of it's inhabitants. It is a place that everyone, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, goes when they die. But for Michael Leroi and his Shadow Man alter-ego, this nightmarish hell is the place he calls Home.



Before I star the review let me give you some backstory to help you understand the game and how Michael came to be the Shadow Man. Born in New Orleans Michael grew up in a family of four. A Mother, Father and a Brother who's name is Luke. After Mike graduated from high school he attended college where he studied English literature. For one reason or another he eventually dropped out and started gambling. With his money nearly gone, Mike moved to Chicago where he took a job as a taxi driver, while keeping secret from his family that he was no longer in college. One Night while on the job the passenger that Mike was ferrying was gunned down in a drive by shooting. Fleeing the scene Michael eventually lost his pursuers. Unsure what to do, Mike pulled over to check on his passenger. Realizing that he was dead , Mike looked through his belongings and found $20,000 dollars in a briefcase that the passenger was carrying. Instead of turning it in to the police Mike took the money an fled. Returning home to New Orleans Mike used his new found wealth to shower his family with gifts, even paying for his brother Luke's much needed operation. But the gang who the money belonged to tracked him down and threatened to kill him and his family if the money was not returned. Unable to repay the debt mike sought out a Bokor [Voodoo preist that practices both white/black magic] for protection. Eventually the gang returned. While sitting at a redlight a car pulled along side them and opened fire. Every member of Micheal's family was killed, everyone except Mike. Recovering from a coma Micheal lost his memory and was later found by the Boker who turned him into a zombie slave that he used for assassinations under the name "Zero". One day Mama Nettie, a very powerful voodoo preistess arrived and took revenge on the boker(presumably for an asassination by Zero). Useing the last of her powers Nettie forcebly implanted the Mask of Shadow, an artifact of voodoo origin into Micheals chest. From that moment, during the night or in deadside the mask would emerge from his chest, turning him in to the Shadow Man, a African voodoo warrior with supernatural power to protect the world from threats that came from the spiritual plane. Micheal would regain is memory and enter the service of Mama Nettie. One night Nettie had a prophetic dream where 5 serial killers under the command of a demonic entity known as "Legion"(alluding to the same demon that Jesus cast out in Mark 5:9 of the bible). This is where the game begins and also where this introduction will end. Please keep in mind that I have never played the Dreamcast version, only on the PC,Ps1, and now the N64, so please remember that when I make comparisons from the other versions

[After stumbling upon the review rules I thought it best to claim the top as a referance even though it was written mainly from memory for the sake of avoiding a ban. I did however Use  shadow man wiki and a 1999 interview that Guy Miller gave to IGN to check that I had the facts of the backstory right and in the correct order. I don't want it to be considered plagerism since there are only so many ways to tell a back story before you have to start making things up. The poem at the top of the page was written by Guy Miller and appears in one of the cutscenes in the game. As to why I put a backstory in the review was because the the description in the game profile was a little vaque. People in the comments section where wondering why mike used a teddy bear to cross over. To be clear to everyone mike isn't focusing on the teddy bear but on his brother luke, whom the teddy bear belongs to. As he focuses his desire to see his brother again mike slips into dead side where his brother is. Crystal? Good! It also helps to add a short decription to better understand a game review. Now as to the review below it's all me so if I get banned I can't help it because I did my best. Wow, so much legalese for a game review. I feel like I need to add a disclaimer about pregnant and nursing mothers as well as operating heavy machinery. ]                                                     


                                                             ++++++++++Review++++++++++
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  Graphics         |9|       Visually this version holds up guite will against the other versions. Some textures like the sky are a little more blurry than the Ps1. There is no dynamic shirt movement in this version either,however the overall textures of the character models as well as the enviroment textures seem to be better than the Ps1 version. Nothing compares to the PC version so it probably wouln't be fair to compare it. Overall the visuals are nice, clear, and creepy. Textures like the flambeu doors made of streched skin and the Dark Asylum that looks oddly like a cross between a midevil castle and a industrial age factory make for a very surreal experiance. This is a stark contrast from the live side levels like the Bayou which is guite beatiful in it own right, even if it does have a sort of evil vibe to it. This also applies to the New York level, it in some ways looks guite nice and yet          retains it's House of Horrors feel. Not to mention the actual enemies, some of which were human once, of those some have visible autopsy scars and other marks on there bodies that give a hint of how they came to be in dead side. Probably the creepiest enemy would be the two headed torso,that thing still freaks me out. All & all the visuals do a very good job of creating a chilling atmosphere and drawing you into the game world.
   

  Sound            |10|      The sound is by far one of the best aspects of this game. Everything from the "Moonlight Sonata"      playing in the intro to the sound of screaming of the True forms in their cage is great. One of the best gaming moments I ever had was doing battle with Milton T Pike (one of the Five) for the first time while The Doors song "This is the End" plays. That will always be in my top 5!! Every thing from the sound of footsteps running over hot coals, to the screaching of the shadow gun and mechanical hum of asylum machinary are done nicely. Much more when you trigger an event like waking  up the sisters of blood from their slumber. I still dread the sound of their energy blasts. All I can say is that like the graphics it does good job of making the world a rich and believable place.
   

  Addictiveness    |10|      120 darksouls to find and multiple weapons and items to collect, everything from shotguns to sub      machine guns, voodoo weapons and the all-powerful violater. All that and much more make this one of the most addictive games ever made. There is also carteux which are basicly gourds but you can use them to increase your health if you offer them to the loa on a alter in the temple of life. 100 carteux for every extra level of life with a max of five to obtain. There is also the reward for finding all the dark souls. If you manage to find every last one of the 120 you'll be able to open the level 10 coffin gate. What's behind it is a mystery because I'm not going to tell you. You wouldn't want to ruin the supprise any way would you? Needless to say it's well worth the effort. Not to say it's a chore or anything because it's not. It's actually very rewarding. Just think of it like pokemon but with evil black worm looking things.  
    

Story            |10|      This also is one of the best aspects of the game. You play as Micheal Leroi(A.K.A Shadow Man) whose   task is to stop the impending Apocalypse brought about by the Demon "Legion". To that end you'll Have Track Down Five serial Killers Who are trying to pierce the veil between Liveside and Deadside to open a conduit through which Legion can send his army of true forms(juggarnaut like creatures that stand about one story tall) each with a dark soul implanted in them. But eliminating the five won't be that easy, because each one has also been implanted with a immortal dark soul, making them nearly indestructable. Only the shadow man with his wraith blasting Shadowgun can seperate these beasts from their immortal power and bring an end to their infernal existence once and for all. Along the way you'll have to explore the worlds of dead side and live side to find clues and artifacts as well as collecting dark souls to increase your shadow power so you'll be able to face them. Since your also immortal You can never truely die in this game but you can be sent back to the last checkpoint. Be sure to check in with nettie and Jaunty from time to time because you'll hear a lot more of the story if you do.  

    Depth            |9|       Another area this game shines. The amount of detail the makers but into this game is amazing. Everything from the design of the weapons to the thought put into the layout of deadside and the Asylum make it all seem like it could really exist. And just because you "complete" an area dosen't mean your through with it. Some areas will be unaccessable until you find a certain gadd (mystical tattoo)that allows you to touch, walk on, or be submerged in fire.
    

Difficulty       |8|       This is probably the one weakness of the game. The above mentioned layout of the game can get         confusing. I've played this game multiple times on more than one system and I still get lost some times. The enemies can als be a sometimes be a pian. Mostly the dubbies and the deadwings that useually appear in groups. It can get annoying later in the game when looking for a certain area and having to fight almost constant battles while doing it. My advice is to just run because they'll just appear again if leave and come back into the area. I also recommend you google "shadow man map" to get a map that came with the game or from the strategy guide (I can't remember which one it came with). And  If this is your first time playing I also recommend you make your own rough map since the other one I mentioned admittedly isn't that good. Believe me you'll be glad you did towards the end of the game when you have to do a little backtracking. One last thing, the last boss's second form is relentless. You will die.........over and over and over and over...........................                           






So in conclusion I'll say this. Very few games have ever captured my imagination as much as this one. The only exceptions being Final Fantasy 7 & 8 and Legend of the Dragoon. Those are the only three. Everything from the level design to the characters, story and especially the dark poetry make this one of the most memorable games I have ever played. If you can, I would seek out a pc copy from ebay or from amazon since it's by far the best. I've also heard Steam is in talks with activision to sell it. Either way, no matter what version your playing, this is one game you do not want to miss. I highly recommend it.              

Hi David, thanks for making such a great site, I'll try to be brief because I have a few guestions. First of all you mentioned a mobile version of vizzed. Would it be a app based version or would you try to use it like vizzed plugin in a mobile browser and for what OS(Android/IOS/...) And would you be willing to add a "Kickstarter" like option in the Donate page where what you donate would go primarly towards it?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     There a second part that I would like to ask about the DDoS attack. Specificly if it where possible that one person could be causing it. Say like your signed in and useing 2 devices at the same time(tablet+Laptop) and have about 8 to 10 tabs of game profiles open would it cause vizz to crash? I ask this because I've been wondering if I or someone doing the same thing might be causing it. I've also noticed that sometimes if I close the vizzed plugin page without closeing the emulator first my browser will crash and when I go back to vizzed the site is down. I'm pretty sure I've broke the rules about the number guestions so just answer the top part and answer the 2nd if you feel like it. But if its something I'm doing I would like to know so i can stop it. I'm sure others would feel the same.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Thanks for your time.

Hi Dave, thanks for fixing Vizzed, it was hard trying to search for a game with it constantly crashing, sometimes 4 times a night. Glad you fixed it and added a bonus by making it faster. Good Job!! I was going to donate but when I went to the page it only had the 25,50,100,250 amounts what happened to the $10.00? I remember reading the faqs that you got 10000 vizz for $10.00. so why was that one removed? While I want to donate, right now I can't even afford the $25. Is there anyway to donate a specifiate amount that you want to give? I looked on the donate page and couldn't find anything about it