You know, I've always thought that hell is a weird idea. Think about it, what you may consider hell - I could consider being heaven. It's all based on someone's views. Well, Grasshopper Manufacture, the developers of the new action title Shadows of the Damned have a pretty clear view of what they think of hell…they've turned it into one big dick joke. Yes, it's funny, but what do you get when you take away that humor? Shadows of the Damned showed a lot of potential, but in the end plays like a game that should have come out years ago - and that's not a good thing. Though it side steps some of the elements that have become so cliché in games like this, Shadows of the Damned never seems to carve out its own identity.

Stop me if you've heard this one before, your girl has been taken to hell and you've got to go down there to get her back. Even though the premise has been used, the team at Grasshopper Manufacture (most famous for the No More Heroes games) have done a great job giving the tale its own spin, and yes - it's potty humor. The game wastes no time, or chance to make a crack about genitals. You see, you run around hell with your Johnson, a floating skull that acts as your tour guide and can turn into a pretty bad ass weapon when the need arises. The good news is that the voice acting and the rapport between the two characters feels so natural and it's actually fun to listen to. Once again, Grasshopper has delivered with great voice acting. As I'm sure you could guess, there's a lot of opportunity for low brow humor there, but as immature as it is, it works well here - come on, No More Heroes wasn't exactly clean was it?

"It's part third person action game, part shooter - and even part arcade."

From the gameplay aspect, Shadows of the Damned is a bit hard to describe. It's part third person action game, part shooter - and even part arcade. In the simplest terms, you peruse around hell with your Johnson as it turns into everything from a giant knife, to a machine gun and even a flamethrower to take out the creatures of the damned. There are some interesting puzzle elements thrown in, but they all sort of feel the same after a while. As you progress through Shadows, the difficulty will amp up and you'll have to change up your strategy; sometimes in ways you wouldn't expect.

Shadows of the Damned also employs an interesting light VS dark mechanic to make things interesting. Though it's a simple concept - you're safe in the light and your health depletes in the dark, it does change how you go about the game. To make an area lighter, you'll have to find a goat head hanging on the wall (no, really), and they're sometimes hard to come by. Do you try to search out the goat head or be quick with your strikes to keep the pace moving?

"...the mechanic feels awfully dated and clunky. "

The problem with Shadows of the Damned is that it's so full of mechanical issues, it's hard to enjoy at times. For instance, for a game that you're going to be spending a lot of time aiming at enemies, the mechanic feels awfully dated and clunky. You'll often be aiming at a fast moving target, only to have it move and the game can't keep up, leading to missed shots and a hell of a lot of frustration. Another issue you'll find is that the camera never feels like it's positioned just right. More often than not, it pushes in too far and you're unable to see everyone you're fighting, which of course can also be incredibly frustrating.

The Game's biggest offense though is just how repetitious it is. Yes, you'll get new weapons, upgrade them and level up, but the core action never really changes. Walk into an area, stay in the light, attack enemies...dick joke. It's a fun equation, but you're bound to notice just how much you'll be doing it before long.

Regardless of the issues, I enjoyed my time with Shadows of the Damned; it's a stylish, fun and interesting action game that only Grasshopper Manufacture could bring you. Though it never really creates its own identity, and features a slew of mechanical problems, this is a game that should at least be experienced by anyone who likes a good, crass action experience.