A Shadow review that doesn't completely rip the game apart? Amazing!
If you look past everybody insulting the game, Shadow the Hedgehog is actually a pretty fun game.
Lets start with the graphics. As with most 3D Sonic games, they're nothing spectacular. Thats not to say they're bad by any means, but I've seen better. Theres alot of repetition in the level design, so that'll lose a point too. Still, theres nothing horrible to speak of here.
Gameplay is where alot of people had issues. As for me, I rarely had any problems. The controls are nowhere near as bad as the so called "experts" have said. There is the occasional glitch or two, especially on the ARK levels, where you can fall through a solid floor, but those are minor. The gunplay was also a problem for alot of "purists", but I didn't see a problem with it. As long as Sonic doesn't go haywire with an AK-47, I'm good to go. Also, the guns work quite well. The turrets are a bit of a joke, but the actual weapon combat plays quite well.
As for the sound, Senoue impressed me again. There is the occasional bad track, such as "Digital Circuit" or "Almost Dead", and some of the tracks sound too similar, but overall, the soundtrack is good. My biggest problem is the voices. No, I'm not an Anti-4Kids idiot, and I actually like Griffith's take on Shadow, but its the lines that the characters use. Lines like "Where's that D*MN fourth Chaos Emerald" do not belong in a Sonic game of any kind. Guns? I'm cool with those. Cussing hedgehogs? NO. The fact that Shadow drops a D-Bomb on every hit and every fall makes it bad enough. Whats worse is that they make other characters, such as Knuckles, Espio, and even Sonic, cuss as well! I've even heard reports of people claiming to hear Tails drop a D at one point.
All in all, if you can look past the needless media and fansite bashing, Shadow is a very good game. Not perfect, as I once would've fanboyishly proclaimed, but good nonetheless.
At least give it a chance.