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For the sequel, the scope expanded to include cooperative play and some RPG-style itemization and questing. The game engine built by Flying Wild Hog was nearly perfect for balls-to-the-wall shooter action and delivered much of the experience that Doom 2016 was celebrated for a few years later. Relying more on the possibilities provided by its eastern setting and less on the misogynistic and racist leanings of its predecessor, 2013’s Shadow Warrior managed to bring the best parts into the present. Years later, the team at Flying Wild Hog, themselves veterans of high-adrenaline arena shooting classics like Painkiller and Bulletstorm, revived the Shadow Warrior brand with a stellar outing in 2013. Built on the same engine that powered Duke Nukem 3D and designed entirely around frantic action and not-so-casual racism, the game is certainly a product of its time. If I was forced to rattle off the games that I had fond memories of from childhood, the original Shadow Warrior would surely be on the shortlist. I’m no longer ready to watch or wash Wang Shadow Warrior 3 is now ready for launch on the foundation established by its fast-moving predecessors but routinely falters when asking the player to do something that doesn’t involve dismembering its oodles of stupendously inventive enemies. Be it Black Sabbath records, Evil Dead films, or Olsen sisters, coming along after a pair of solid lead-ins has worked out well in the past.
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