Shifters, also known as Shifters of Might and Magic, is a 2002 action role-playing game developed and published by The 3DO Company for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Set in the fictional Might and Magic universe, it is a direct sequel to the PlayStation 2 incarnation of Warriors of Might and Magic.
| Shifters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | The 3DO Company |
| Publisher(s) | The 3DO Company |
| Director(s) | Josh Cloud |
| Producer(s) | Robert Daly |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) | Sean Craig |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Barry Blum |
| Series | Might and Magic |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay edit
The player controls Alleron, the lead character from Warriors of Might and Magic. Alleron must defeat a horde of flesh and metal invaders who are replacing villages with steam-powered cities. Unlike the previous game, Alleron has gained the power to shapeshift and can assume 24 different creature forms, such as a humanoid ram and a griffin-style creature.
Alleron travels through six different worlds in which he must battle with members of that world's race, often ending in a boss battle. During the game, there are secret areas that are only accessible to particular shapeshift forms. However, the main game can always be completed no matter the choice of form.
The combat system has different attacks based on the current form and weapon. Different forms and weapons have different attack combinations, some of which can send enemies flying. Some forms come with a different spell than other forms. Some spells can be used to gain access to previously inaccessible areas which often have secrets or treasure. Spells useful for combat also can be gained, creating more favorable circumstances in certain combat areas.
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 37/100[2] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 3/10[3] |
| Game Informer | 6.75/10[4] |
| GameRevolution | D[5] |
| GameSpot | 3.9/10[6] |
| GameSpy | 37%[7] |
| GameZone | 5.9/10[8] |
| IGN | 4/10[9] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine |   [10] |
The game received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2]
IGN reviewed the game, calling it a "game of a great many disparate parts, all of them widely varying in quality, somehow stuffed together into a single, highly unwieldy package [...] It's not an entirely bad game, in other words, but the good bits are like needles lost in the giant haystack of the ones that aren't so good."[9]
References edit
- ^ "3DO Ships Shifters™ for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system". The 3DO Company. June 17, 2002. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002.
- ^ a b "Shifters". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ EGM staff (August 2002). "Shifters". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 157. Ziff Davis. p. 126.
- ^ Mason, Lisa (July 2002). "Shifters [score mislabeled as "2/10"]". Game Informer. No. 111. FuncoLand. p. 83. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Liu, Johnny (July 2002). "Shifters Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Lopez, Miguel (June 27, 2002). "Shifters Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 7, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Pavlacka, Adam (June 21, 2002). "Shifters". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Tha Wiz (June 20, 2002). "Shifters Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b IGN staff (July 25, 2002). "Shifters". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Steinman, Gary (July 2002). "Shifters". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 58. Ziff Davis. p. 101. Retrieved December 27, 2023.