I can see Shadows of the Damned, despite it's generally average critical reception and (more than likely) mediocre sales out of the gate, gaining a strong fan base over time.

Or maybe that's just my dream, because I really love this game. There isn't a single thing that stands out as amazing or revolutionary. Well, maybe except for the sound design. But what makes SotD work so well are the countless little touches of brilliance and how everything comes together.

If I am being completely honest, I would have to say this is my favorite game of the year so far.

Too early to say? Yeah, definitely. I'd still put money down on it being called a "cult classic" in a year or so. Almost all of Suda 51's games turn out that way. I'm definitely in the pro-Shadows camp; it's one charming fucking pig.

While I really enjoyed the game, I don't think there were really enough elements in it to make it culty.  The whole things really boils down to a man and a skull repeatedly shoot goats.

While I really enjoyed the game, I don't think there were really enough elements in it to make it culty.  The whole things really boils down to a man and a skull repeatedly shoot goats.

I think it's too soon.

It's probably too soon, but it'll probably more than likely go that way. I'll definitely be part of the relatively small group that loves the hell out of this game.

No shadow of the damned is still to Mainstream to be a cult classic

here is some exampels of some recent cult classics

I think it will be. It's a cool game.

I suspect it may fly under a few peoples radar for a while but will pick up a little steam at some point. Just a guess, though.

One of my favorite games of all time, Ghosthunter, was pretty awesome and that one seemed to just dissipate so you never know with these things.

Same goes for Vanquish, which is also an Shinji Mikami creation. I would say that has an underground following,  I mean that didn't hit everyone's radar when that came out. Maybe the lack of  online contributed to it, who knows. 
 
Finished SotD earlier today and I loved it, it has characteristics which can easily make it a cult hit. Being that it's crass with some longevity that not your average consumer is going to appreciate. It has a lot more dignity than Duke ever had . . . 

Does a cult following automatically mean a game is a cult classic? Deadly Premonition seems like it will prove to be something of a cult classic (if only because of the strength of its following), and Okami is most certainly. But Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom? Nier? Folklore? Enslaved? I think they're all interesting games, but they don't exactly strike me as games as good as Okami, Valkyria Chronicles or Eternal Darkness.

Anyway, I think it's too early to say Shadows of the Damned is a cult classic, but I definitely feel that the game is a lot better than a quick glance at its critical reception overall would have you believe. The internet has had a pretty damn positive response to the game, so it's likely. I do think there's a tendency to start trying to call this sort of thing too early though, kind of like all of the Beyond Good & Evil comparisons Enslaved recieved last year.

I would argue that, considering the people who worked on it and their fanbase, there's definitely a cult status attached to Shadows of the Damned. Or at least a waft of it.

When I look at games that people consider "cult classics", the thing that immediately sticks out is that they all have extremely fresh, creative gameplay ideas, and those ideas ultimately alienate them from commercial success while the people who actually give them a chance discover that they're actually, surprisingly amazing. Just look at games like Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Rez, Katamari Damacy. The list goes on.

While I think Shadows of the Damned is brimming with stylistic awesomeness, the gameplay is simply not a component in that package of awesomeness. The gameplay is just a loose, slippery rendition of an already dated formula we've seen in so many games before it.

Give it till the end of the year at least.

@Tomorrowman said:

While I really enjoyed the game, I don't think there were really enough elements in it to make it culty.  The whole things really boils down to a man and a skull repeatedly shoot goats.

I'm not sure you understand what cult classic means.  It refers to a game/movie/book/etc that develops kind of an underground devoted following.  Not necessarily a mainstream success, but still successful amongst the people who like it.   It has nothing to do with the content of the product and more to do with the following it acquires.    And yes, a week is definitely too short a period of time to determine if something ends up being any kind of classic.  I'd say 10 years would be the minimum, but for some things it probably takes more like 25 years to really determine that classic status.