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#watchthis The Internet, Twitter in particular, seems to be heads-over-heels in love with Shadows of the Damned. More »

Spend a day in the shoes of a Demon Hunter with this trailer celebrating the launch of Shadows of the Damned!

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and legendary Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture today announced that Shadows of the Damned is now available at retail stores across North America. Created by renowned developers Suda51 (director of No More Heroes), Shinji Mikami (di...

Shadows of the Damned is a strange game. Not just because of its visuals, which are weird, or its story, which is deranged, but because of the way it comes together. Or doesn't. Shadows of the Damned is a game you might play and enjoy, but not necessarily because you'll enjoy playing it. The things it does best - the bizarre visuals, the fantastic soundtrack, the strange narratives and side stories - are largely removed from what you spend your time doing...

In my 20 years in the industry, I have never had an experience like the one working on Shadows of the Damned. First off, I spent the majority of last year living in Japan and onsite with the developer; Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. It was a great experience living in Tokyo and working alongside the great team at Grasshopper Manufacture.

The concept of light and dark as a metaphor for good and evil is an old one, but the Light and Dark gameplay in Shadows of the Damned takes it to a whole new level. It is less literal, but rather metaphorical, in the pain and torment that is caused to our hero. As for gameplay, the player should not take the approach of “shoot anything that moves”. Each environment and enemy will require a thoughtful approach in order to progress. Usually, darkness is lethal to the player, but sometimes may be required in order to expose an enemy’s weakness. Each situation is different and the player must build upon the earlier concepts encountered in order to defeat the tougher enemies deeper in the game. Shadows of the Damned is the thinking man’s shooter.

With regards to the story, our hero must find the love of his life, Paula, who has been taken from him by the lord of demons in retribution for killing his minions. Garcia Hotspur is a demon hunter by trade, but must now travel through Hell in search of his beloved, the most important thing in his life.

In the traditional view of Hell, sinners suffer punishment in body and soul for eternity resulting in everlasting punishment for the damned. Conversely, Suda51’s metaphorically twisted vision is Hell is a place where suffering is more mental than physical. It is a place where our hero must endure his trials of torment and can one day leave if deemed worthy. Suda’s version of Hell envisions the player passing through several tests and in doing so, purges and refines our hero, so that someday, when he finds his true love and defeats the lord of demons, he will be allowed to return from hell. If he fails, it will consume them permanently.

There are many interesting aspects in Shadows of the Damned, and we are really excited for the game to launch so our PS3 gans can enjoy it as much as we did making it. Until then, enjoy some of these PlayStation exclusive screenshots from the game!

Of all the gags in Shadows of the Damned, the biggest may be that it's rated "M for Mature." Believe me, Shadows of the Damned is anything but. Over the course of its narrative, I have wielded a weapon called the "Hot Boner," shoved any number of revolting things into a wailing infant's mouth and sprinted across a giant, mostly-naked woman's body (including a breast roughly the size of a gazebo). And the dick jokes -- so many dick jokes.

In short, Shadows of the Damned is insensitive, puerile, gross, incredibly profane and ... kind of wonderful.

Shadows of the Damned launches June 21, 2011!

#gameclub Howdy everyone! Welcome to the next installment of the Kotaku Game Club! Starting this week, through the month of July, we're going to play Shadows of the Damned, the third-person shooter from Resident Evil mastermind Shinji Mikami, and the crazy man behind No More Heroes, Suda 51. As with previous game club discussions, the goal of our little group isn't to review the game, judge it's graphics, etc, but to explore the game's storytelling: themes in the plot, how the game's mechanics and art are used to enhance that story. More »

Another developer diary for Shadows of the Damned is out, this time featuring Suda 51 and the game's composer, Akira Yamaoka. Once again, rather than opt for boring translators, each creator is given a dramatic -- and goofy -- voice over. Appropriate, given the game's over-the-top presentation.

It's the sounds of vomiting and death! Sound design highlights this diary!

Kotaku is bringing back the Game Club next month! We'll be playing next week's Shadows of the Damned. If you're planning on playing it, stay tuned and we'll let you know when we're going to start playing and how! More »

Were we to face off against an ugly demon who erupted into a Hellish bird monster, we'd scream, run ... maybe pee. We are not Garcia Hotspur from Shadows of the Damned. Without flinching, he just calls the monster a pendejo and starts shooting. Check it out after the break.

If you're inspired by this display of stupid machismo, you can bear your appreciation of Shadows of the Damned on your desktop. GHM posted three new wallpapers to Facebook, promising to post more every day until the June 21 launch.

Carve your name in the flesh of this demon bird.

You don't see a lot of "Garcia's" in the demon hunting world.

Last week, we got to spend some quality time with the first three acts of Shadows of the Damned. Rather than force you to sift through a mound of words, we've compiled our impressions into one convenient video. Check it out after the break. Keep in mind that, by the nature of the game itself, it's mildly not safe for work.

Grasshopper Manufacture's resident impresario, Suda 51, has made mention of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse again and again in marketing and interviews for his upcoming HD debut, Shadows of the Damned. But after making my way through the first half of the game, it's clear there a...

The latest screens from Shadows of the Damned include things we've come to expect (by which we mean total horrors) -- as well as something we didn't. The screen above shows a stylized, side-scrolling 2D segment that kind of looks like And Yet It Moves moved to Hell.

The Shadows of the Damned trailer after the jump shows off the game's unique weapon upgrade system -- but unfortunately, it's titled "Enlarge Your Johnson." Check it out if you'd like to learn how to properly bolster your armaments; just make sure your browser doesn't spam-block us in the process.

I feel like they're not JUST talking about gameplay here.

#demonenhancement In Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned, hero Garcia Hotspur has a demonic pal named Johnson that can transform into various weapons, tools, and even vehicles. Why? So they could release an 'Enlarge your Johnson' video. More »

You'll get nowhere with that little Johnson you're carrying around right now.

Welcome to the first nightmareish moments of Shadows of the Damned!

George takes on a much more ominous form to try and put hitch in your giddy-up in Shadows of the Damned.

Take on a murderous demon in close quarters amidst a sea of easily collapsable huts in this level from Shadows of the Damned.

#screens Shadows of the Damned creator Grasshopper Manufacture has never been known as a run of the mill video game developer, but the team's next game, the spicy adventure to Hell due in June, may be its oddest-looking yet. More »

Warning: the latest screens from Grasshopper Manufacture's Hellacious shooter Shadows of the Damned feature some ... disturbing imagery. We see a hanging dead body, a giant tattooed monster about to get shot in his demonic beanbag, and -- is that a cage full of eyeballs? The guy seen here, who appears to have a head made of three skulls hacked together, is among the tamer images.

And this is apparently just from acts 1 and 2.

Shadows of the Damned is, among other things, a delivery system for new Akira Yamaoka music. Pre-ordering the game, according to a new announcement, will get you the soundtrack, featuring some new Yamaoka tunes and English punk band The Damned, in an even more convenient format.

Pre-orders of Shadows of the Damned from the EA Store, GameStop and Amazon will come with a free download of the 12-track soundtrack. Amazon specifies that the incentive applies to existing pre-orders, too, so if you've already put money down on the Suda-Mikami grindhouse epic, you're already getting a musical bonus!

You can hear a bit of the soundtrack under the funny voice-overs in this dev diary.

Naturally, it takes a mind like Goichi Suda, better known as Suda 51, to make a game like Shadows of the Damned work. He didn't do it alone though; Resident Evil mastermind Shinji Mikami also collaborated on this bizarre blend of survival horror and grindhouse bloodsports and the partnership certainly shines through the gore...

#video Normally, I'm not one for watching "developer diary" videos, but when it comes to a game like Shadows of the Damned and developers like Shinji Mikami and Goichi "Suda 51" Suda, consider me interested. Plus, when a developer is dubbed this spectacularly, it makes watching worthwhile. More »

Oh Suda, you make the best developer diaries.