The gun-totting short-tempered Shadow the Hedgehog was apparently designed for Americans.

In 2005 Sega released Shadow the Hedgehog, a spin-off title from the Sonic series that put Shadow in the centre stage. Shadow first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 back in 2001 as a failed experiment and judging from the success of Shadow the Hedgehog life mirrored art. The character was represented as "edgier" than Sonic as he had a trouble past and used guns.

In an interview in the new issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine Takashi Iizuka has stated that the character was designed to please the US market at the time.

"After Sonic Adventure, we had two studios, in the US and Japan. The Japanese Studio was to develop a Sonic game in the standard style, and the US studio was to develop something different which could contribute to the Sonic franchise."

"That background generated the Shadow game as he appeared from Sonic Adventure. We wanted to offer other game systems to attract a different audience from traditional Sonic fans. In the US, first and third-person shooters were popular and we decided to go with a character who could work with them."

Shadow has continued to pop up in many of the Sonic games since but has never had its own title again. To read more of the interview pick up the newest issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine, in stores now, and let us know what you think of this particular hedgehog.