Shadow Warrior

It's a lengthy romp with plenty of action, though it does fall somewhat flat when it comes to being memorable or offering stand-out encounters; it's gory entertainment, doesn't take itself seriously -- the recent release of "Viscera Cleanup Detail" confirms that -- and has some good first-person swordplay for $40.

Shadow Warrior is a wild ride; crazy, hilarious and fun. It’s an old-school wolf in modern clothing that plays and feels just like the classic 90’s shooters we all fondly remember. Though it tries a bit too hard in some areas, it can’t be faulted for at least trying to elevate itself above other shooters.

Shadow Warrior is a good shooter that stands out for its humor and fast-paced action, and that's enough to satisfy fans of FPS until something more substantial comes along.

If you're going to remake a game known for its tacky humor, this is the way to do it. The crassness is here, but it's merely seasoning in a colorful old-school first-person shooter that allows excitement to build organically from the way its systems interact.

A gory old-school shooter that largely makes up for a lack of variety by being making combat very, very enjoyable.

A visceral game in every sense of the word. The blood of the enemies on the floor will merge will yours as you try to push through the levels. Old school, made today. Simple, straight to the point and very fun.

Shadow Warrior isn't free of some design flaws that can take away from the experience, but as an action game, its combat is solidly put together. While not the easiest to use, the various weapons and sword fighting combos you have really make you feel like a badass warrior whenever you pull off a gruesome decapitation.

As a throwback revival, Shadow Warrior lives up to the minimal expectations all but the most die-hard old-school PC shooter fans might have for what it should be. But when Shadow Warrior is less content to settle and reaches for more with its swordplay, its boss battles, and its story of cross-dimensional family infighting, it flirts with something much more — often enough to make clearing a lower bar seem insufficient.

The game is fun, at least it starts out fun, but repetition eventually morphs into boredom and killing demons changes from a guilty pleasure to a chore. By the game's mid-point the joy of combat has faded, the humor has worn thin and the characters and storyline aren't strong enough to carry the game. Shadow Warrior does stay true to its 1990s roots, but never truly moves past them.

It’s a game full of hits and misses, whether it’s the boorish comedy, uneven pacing or erratic level design, but its combat hits more often than not, simple as it may be.

Flying Wild Hog has re-imagined a cult classic while maintaining Shadow Warrior’s unique personality in a shamelessly flawed and flimsy shooter concerned more with laughs and blood-letting than balance, and the team’s bold embrace of the game’s roots goes a long way to excuse the game’s problems.

For a game obsessed with OTT violence and knob gags this is a surprisingly charming and likeable shooter, if an unavoidably shallow and repetitive one.

It's exciting, guts-spilling fun in short bursts, but the campaign feels too long and dramatically self-indulgent for its own good. That said, if you want to sever limbs and cleave through torsos using bullets and a blade, you're bound to enjoy yourself. Just don't expect to get your brain or your heartstrings involved.

This is pure throwback FPS fun, an updated take on the '97 3D Realms original. As such, the objectives are barely removed from that of the archetypal Doom: kill everything, find the key and get to the door.