Shadow the Hedgehog revealed

The first official screenshots of Sonic spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog reveal that the game will place a strong emphasis on shooting in addition to the super-speedy platforming for which the Sonic series is best known.

While we've previously run a handful of grabs taken from , these five new shots mark the first hi-res images of the game - which provides players with an assortment of weapons and vehicles with which to progress through the 50 missions - that we've seen.

"Since we first introduced him in Sonic Adventure 2, we have wanted to feature Shadow in his own game," says the game's director Takashi Iizuka.

"We maintained Shadow as a mysterious character and now fans can control his destiny by engaging in a unique gameplay experience that offers a multitude of possibilities."

Shadow the Hedgehog will be released for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube this winter