Shadow Man: 2econd Coming
Encyclopedia
Shadow Man: 2econd Coming is an action-adventure
video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside
and published by Acclaim Entertainment
. It was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2
and is loosely based on the Shadowman
comic book
series published by Valiant Comics
. It is a sequel to 1999 video game Shadow Man
.
Like the first Shadow Man title and the comic both are based on, the game features a dark and mystical atmosphere that also has a distinctly Cajun
feel to it. In addition to the storyline being set largely in or around New Orleans, the game is filled with themes of death
, voodoo
, Creole
characters and names, as well as elements of African spirituality. The game follows protagonist Mike LeRoi in his quest to protect the living from otherworldly
forces as part of his responsibility as the Shadow Man—which he became after being given (by the voodoo priestess, Mama Nettie) an ancient artifact called the Mask of Shadows, which gives the wearer the ability to traverse the worlds of the living and the dead
.
The story begins as Mike LeRoi resurrects from "Deadside" to "Liveside" in order to contact Jaunty, a human-headed snake and a close associate of Mama Nettie. Unfortunately, after LeRoi finds and returns Jaunty to Mama Nettie, he is cursed with a powerful spell. Upon completion of his second task and after another encounter with Mama Nettie, LeRoi receives a note from a man named Thomas Deacon whom he goes about in search of, after which LeRoi learns of Asmodeus
and the Grigori
, as well as their plan to cause Armageddon
. It is once again up to Mike LeRoi, or Shadow Man, to save the world.
Acclaim
found themselves in a bit of a controversy, when plans of advertising the title on small billboards on tombstones, adding that "poorer" families might be especially interested. They also said "It's a dark, gory type of game and we thought it was appropriate to raise advertising to a new level."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2002/mar/15/games.advertising
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside
Acclaim Studios Teesside
Acclaim Studios Teesside was a British video game developer based in Teesside, England. The company was founded in 1988 by brothers Darren and Jason Falcus as Optimus Software. Optimus was acquired by American developer Iguana Entertainment in 1993 and was renamed Iguana UK...
and published by Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. It was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and is loosely based on the Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...
. It is a sequel to 1999 video game Shadow Man
Shadow Man (video game)
Shadow Man is a video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was designed by Guy Miller and Simon Phipps and is loosely based on the Shadowman comic book series published by Valiant Comics. The game was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64,...
.
Like the first Shadow Man title and the comic both are based on, the game features a dark and mystical atmosphere that also has a distinctly Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
feel to it. In addition to the storyline being set largely in or around New Orleans, the game is filled with themes of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
, Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
characters and names, as well as elements of African spirituality. The game follows protagonist Mike LeRoi in his quest to protect the living from otherworldly
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
forces as part of his responsibility as the Shadow Man—which he became after being given (by the voodoo priestess, Mama Nettie) an ancient artifact called the Mask of Shadows, which gives the wearer the ability to traverse the worlds of the living and the dead
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
.
The story begins as Mike LeRoi resurrects from "Deadside" to "Liveside" in order to contact Jaunty, a human-headed snake and a close associate of Mama Nettie. Unfortunately, after LeRoi finds and returns Jaunty to Mama Nettie, he is cursed with a powerful spell. Upon completion of his second task and after another encounter with Mama Nettie, LeRoi receives a note from a man named Thomas Deacon whom he goes about in search of, after which LeRoi learns of Asmodeus
Asmodeus
Asmodeus may refer to:* Asmodai, a demon-like figure of the Talmud and Book of Tobit* Asmodeus , Austrian black-metal band*Asmodeus , the name of several characters in Marvel Comics*Asmodeus...
and the Grigori
Grigori
The Watchers is a term found in the Old Testament Book of Daniel, and later sources, which is connected to angels...
, as well as their plan to cause Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
. It is once again up to Mike LeRoi, or Shadow Man, to save the world.
Acclaim
Acclaim
Acclaim may refer to:positive recognition*Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher*Acclaim Games, an online video game company based in California, USACars:*Plymouth Acclaim, a mid-size sedan...
found themselves in a bit of a controversy, when plans of advertising the title on small billboards on tombstones, adding that "poorer" families might be especially interested. They also said "It's a dark, gory type of game and we thought it was appropriate to raise advertising to a new level."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2002/mar/15/games.advertising