Gamecube game asks "Who are you serving?"

Last night I finished Shadow the Hedgehog on the Gamecube. First of the 3D Sonic titles I've played (my sister and I played the Genesis ones to death), and I came away with a satisfactory experience.

It wasn't perfect: no lock-on targeting when you shoot enemies, and sometimes the camera wouldn't rotate, leaving me blind on occasions. However, I did have fun playing this game for the most part, even if it was a radical departure from the normal Sonic experience.

I think what I enjoyed about the game the most is that it gave me a choice on whether I wanted to be good or evil. So many games make you stay on one narrow path. You can't decide if Master Chief turns on his team, or if Mario says "screw it" when it comes to saving the Princess. I realize that not every game needs the player to make that kind of choice, but it's refreshing to play a game where you decide which master you'll serve (even if the execution was lacking: switching back-and-forth between your allegiances mid-level with no consequences from the side you betray seemed unrealistic, but so does a talking hedgehog).

I chose the bad guy route through the whole game (fun to do considering that most games make you be the good guy), but the game really did make me think about choices. All it took in this game was the press of a button, and you'd go from serving evil to serving the good guys, Then another button press, and Shadow was only serving his own selfish motives, forgetting about the good AND the bad guys.

Seems like that mechanic is a lot like life. One minute you could be serving God, and then, in the blink of an eye, you are going right back to your sinful ways. The things you do might not even be serving Satan outright: it could just be your own selfishness. Playing the game also made me reevaluate my motives and my actions over the past few months. Am I doing everything I do for the right reasons? Am I getting too relaxed when it comes to doing the right thing that I slip into a sinful state of mind?

It's refreshing when a mostly-forgotten five-year-old Gamecube title reminds you to always be on guard when it comes to serving Christ.