Reinventing Shadow Warrior for the modern era

Just over 16 years ago, Shadow Warrior launched on PC. As the follow-up to 3D Realms' popular shooter Duke Nukem 3D, the two bore similarities; both donned an iconic first-person shooter style, substituting substance for violence at every turn. While Duke Nukem was a macho, chauvinist with all the ammo he could ever need, Shadow Warrior's main character was crass in a slightly different, albeit still offensive way.

The ninja assassin protagonist, Lo Wang, intended as a spoof on East Asian action heroes, was a walking racial stereotype. Lo Wang shouted "you want-a some wang?" with a mocking Asian accent, used chopsticks to catch flies, picked up fortune cookies in secret areas and fought sumo wrestlers. For many, Shadow Warrior was offensive and the game was criticized heavily for it.

Sixteen years later, Devolver Digital and developer Flying Wild Hog have announced a collaboration to reinvent Shadow Warrior; the spoils of the partnership due this fall on PC and in 2014 for unspecified next-gen consoles. While a modern Shadow Warrior will bare an updated skin, the "reinvention" isn't expected to be a departure from the original game's roots.

Gallery: Shadow Warrior (Announce)

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Reinventing Shadow Warrior for the modern era originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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