Shadowrun (Xbox 360, 2007)

Most of what folks are posting here is true... There is not single player mode (other than playing "Solo" matches against bots and the training "missions"). There are 9 maps and 3 game types.

I don't quite understand the frustration people are having over getting the game home to realize there is not single player mode, though. It has been widely reported for months (since the game was announced) that this would be a multiplayer only game. You should always research a game prior to purchasing it.

I find the game quite fun, and entertaining. I am a huge fan of the original pen and paper version of Shadowrun, and while this game does not stick terribly close to some of the "rules" of that version, it does an admirable job of presenting what I think of as a small slice of the Shadowrun world and mythos.

I am a FPS junkie, and this game does a lot to keep me interested. I really like the options I have on how to equip my character with the different spells, tech, and weapons. It is amazingly cool to be able to glide into the air teleport through a wall, take perch on top of a statue, and snipe the opposing team. Then I glide off my perch, back through the wall, and escape before they can retaliate. Or, even better, when under fire summon a minion to attack my foe as a distraction while I teleport in behind them to take them out from behind.

I like the ability to purchase new items between rounds. To me this seems fresh and new, but apparently that is because I did not play Counterstrike. Also, this serves to heighten the intensity from round to round, since each character is buying and employing new/stronger abilities each round.

Because the game is round and objective based it does require teamwork. The teamwork isn't as essential as it is in a game like Gears Of War, but it does help to work together. This is not a Halo clone, where you just run, shoot, die, respawn, repeat. Shadowrun requires much more strategy and teamwork. I feel as though this (along with games like Gears Of War) is one of the early steps we are seeing to the next evolution of FPS gaming. The Halo-type game is fun, but to me feels dated with its lack of innovation, and same-old-same-old feel. I prefer Shadowrun over the Halo 3 beta hands down.

However, this is not a perfect game by any means. FASA is having a very hard time getting their servers to cooperate. Many people, myself included, are having a hard time getting into matches. Most of the time a match is found within a couple of minutes, but there have been times when I have waited 5-10 minutes without a match being found before I turn it off and go to play Gears Of War. I have seen online that there have been some people that haven't been able to get into public matches since the game was released 5 days ago. FASA has stated they are working on the problem.

I do wish there were more gametypes, but what is there will be enough until an update comes out in a few months. The matches are all varied, since there is such a large variety of buildouts for characters, etc. I have had no 2 games that played the same.

My biggest complaint about this game is the inability to insure that your party stays together when you go into a match. I can have myself and 7 of my buddies together in a party and when we go to join a public match we will be split up in order to "balance" the teams. You don't even have the option to switch up who is playing on what team. The computer decides for you.

Ahh finally, another Shadowrun game. Unfortunately for the pen and paper role players, its not the intricate RPG they've been waiting for. Instead this version is loosely based on the SR Universe, not a direct translation by any means. If the fanboys of the original concept could look past that and actually try the game they might be pleasantly surprised.

The basic premise of this version is about a corporate group known as RNA who's main goal is to control the magic in a South American country for profit, while the opposing side, The Lineage, a type of rebellion attempt to preserve the magic for all. Each side consists of 4 playable races. There are the tech savvy Humans, swift footed Elves, tank sized Trolls and magically inclined Dwarfs. Each has their own strengths and weakness in all areas of play. If for ex. you play as an Elf, you'll be fast with a Katana blade but slowed down by heavy weaponry. Play as a Troll and you can carry any type of armament without so much as breaking a sweat. Same rules apply to magic and technology. Many say this game is Counter Strike with magic, which is a fair comparison. Like CS, you're granted a certain sum of money to buy new stuff depending on how well you and your team does.

Aside from not making basement dwelling warriors happy, Shadowrun has other faults. For a $60 price tag you're not getting many options. There is no single player campaign, instead there's a brief training course that acquaints you with how each facet of the game works. At the end of each training mission is a round devoted to fighting against bots. It's great to have but don't expect to do it more than once. But the real meat of the game is the online multiplayer. And again, considering what you've paid, you would fully expect there to be a multitude of online options. Sadly there are none. Basically if you want to play online you have to join a random public match. You can however create a party with friends and move from match to match if you like, but it doesn't always guarantee you'll all be on the same team. Than there are the modes of play. Raid, Attrition and Extraction. Raid and Extraction are virtually the same thing. Either both teams vy for the Artifact/Flag or one team simply defends it. Attrition is basically team deathmatch. Not much to it and very disappointing.

Another issue most people noticed is the lack of character customization. Although you can choose from 4 different races, there are only 2 model types for each, one per faction. You'd think at the very least, being based on such a prominent RPG you'd have at least some customization. No dice. Although it doesn't necessarily ruin the gaming experience, it certainly doesn't help it. Something not as predominant but noticeable is the animations. As a steadfast gamer I couldn't help but cringe at how bad some of it was. The ugliest one is how your avatar ascends a ladder. You don't so much as climb it as you just sorta float up in a standing position. It really leaves the impression that this game shipped unfinished.

But despite all of Shadowruns faults, the gameplay is just brilliant. There is so much strategy amidst the frantic gameplay. As complex as it may seem, anyone can pick this up and learn all you need to know in about an hour. Any argument you can make against SR, you can't say this isn't fun. That much they got right. I think this game will truly shine when some d/l content comes out.

Shadowrun is a fantasy RPG game, much like Dungeons and Dragons where human beings gather around a table and participate as imaginary characters in a tale woven by the Game Master, except its setting is a few decades in the future.

When it came to Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, I was in love. All the player's statistics could be upgraded, you got karma and cash for jobs completed, you could buy new weapons, armor, cybernetic upgrades, or magiks, and the storylines were great. That was in 1994, so you could imagine my great anticipation for a new release of Shadowrun with modern gameplay.

I was horrified when I learned that it was going to be adapted to an FPS because Microsoft was drunk with revenues from their Halo series, and thought that since multiplayer was so popular with Halo, why not make a game exclusively for multiplayer use? I decided not to get it for a couple of years so I could read the reviews - which turned out very badly indeed, and I share much of their woes after having finally tried it myself.

The gameplay is unique, unlike any other FPS. FASA Studios, the original masters of the Sega and SNES versions, did a fantastic job with their extreme limitations imposed by the bureaucratic overlords at Microsoft, who purchased the company solely for the development of this game. The conditions?

- Multiplayer ONLY.
- Microsoft systems ONLY (XBox 360 and Windows Vista).
- Keep It Simple, Stupid
- First Person Shooter with no campaign, no missions, no jobs, no story
- Other than that, be as creative as you want and use the Shadowrun theme.

As you can imagine, it was a debacle. FASA did their very best to appease their new masters, but outside of its original element, it was already doomed to fail. All Shadowrun fans shunned this disaster they called a video game and turned back to their pen-and-paper fantasy tales.

One day, a modern video game company should purchase the rights to the Shadowrun copyright and truly make an epic RPG which the substance of the game demands from the get-go. I haven't played a single pen-and-paper game of Shadowrun, but I just know that a next-gen platform can pull off a platinum hit with true Shadowrun game masters at the helm.

Hell, I'd even write the story if I knew I had a large, talented team of designers to work with.

Read this review and others with pictures/video @ http://gnadegames.blogspot.com

Shadowrun is the first dual platform Xbox/Vista game. Poor PC gamers have to purchase the game, a Windows Live account (the PC version of Xbox Live), and probably a gamepad. Luckily for 360 owners, you probably have everything but the game...but you may not even want that.

Gameplay: 7/10
Pros: Magic/Tech elements work well and being able to resurrect fallen teammates is a great addition. Using the 3 mapped abilities is easily done and it all rounds out to be a very different FPS experience with lots of depth and strategies to be worked out.
Cons: Only 3 ability slots sucks because changing abilities leaves you completely vulnerable and is awkward in the middle of a match. Why not use the d-pad to hold 4 more abilities? The game is multiplayer only which is a real shame since the abilities could've made some interesting levels and missions.

Graphics: 7/10
Pros: Magic effects look pretty cool and all the abilities are animated really well. Different character classes, weapons are easily identified. Levels look good. Visuals are decent.
Cons: No climbing animation! Characters just float up ladders! There is a total lack of variety/customization with the races...every RNA human looks the same, every Lineage dwarf looks the same, etc. with only 2 factions this seems ridiculous.

Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: The training has good voicework, sound effects are very diverse (from magical zaps to machine guns spewing lead) and the music fits the mood of the gameplay and level.
Cons: Music is forgettable and the overall audio experience is on par with other titles.

Lasting Appeal: 5/10
Pros: There are a lot of nuances, weapons, abilities, and characters classes to experiment with and learn how to use. The combinations of abilities, weapons, and classes really affect how you play this unique first person shooter. Online multiplayer with up to 16 people on xbox and Vista is a first.
Cons: Only 9 maps, a handful of modes, multiplayer only, 8 or so abilities, techs, and weapons and 4 races is not worth $60. The gameplay online is tough to get into and there's a steep learning curve.

Average: 67.50%
Tilt: - 3.50%

A $60 pricetag for this game is pretty infuriating. You only get 9 maps and judging from the Xbox Marketplace 4-6 maps go for about $10...so let's say $20 for 9. $10 buys you a casual Xbox Live Arcade title so since this one has better graphics and all that, lets say $20. That leaves us with a $40 game, now subtract $5-10 for not taking the time to animate climbing or making more modes and you are left with a $30-$35 game. At that price, Shadowrun would be a fair deal and would make the experience enjoyable. At $60, this game is an entire rip-off...and while the game is not bad...it's price forces you to compare it with all the other $60 titles out there which feel like much more complete packages in comparison.

Verdict: 64%

Shadowrun is the lastest first person shooter from FASA Interactive, known for its Mechassault and Crimson Skies franchises. FASA has brought another of its RPG franchises to Xbox, and while the transition from pen-and-paper to pixels-and-polygons makes Shadowrun purists weep, the end product is one of the most innovative and addictively entertaining shooters to come out in a while.

There's a little backstory to the game, as the wild premise requires a bit of explanation, but once it serves its purpose of setting the scene, it quietly goes away, and the game is no worse off for it. After about 5 millenia, magic returns to the world, giving birth to physical mutations that produce a number of different races: Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Trolls, and Orks, though Orks are not present in the game through a backstory element. When this magic returns, two groups step up to claim it. The RNA Corporation seeks to seize the magic and control it, purportedly to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The Lineage, however, seeks to keep the magic so that it's free to everyone. The game essentially plays out skirmishes for control of a powerful artifact that will aid either side in its ultimate goals.

One of the first differences in this game is the presence of races, Each race has its own abilities which help you. Humans, still being the common denominator, tend to have more money, and are more attuned to technology, allowing them to use it with no ill-effects to their essence. Elves are faster than other classes, and have regenerating abilities at the cost of physical durability and raw strength. Dwarves have a large pool of essence, but don't regenerate it very quickly. To compensate, if they near anything that contains essence, they will drain it for themselves. They also have a thick skull, literally, that prevents bullets from causing critical damage. And then, there are trolls. The big, horned, hulking masses of hurt whose skin hardens when attacked, and who can lug any equipment like a sheet of paper. They're just not very fast to begin with, causing them to fall behind in combat more often than not.

The big draw of the game is the use of technology and magic in the struggle for power in Santos, Brazil. Players can turn their bodies to smoke, create jagged crystals to dissuade attackers, teleport through solid objects in any direction, produce torrents of wind, deflect bullets with swords using wired reflexes, soar through the air with gliders, see through walls with enhanced eyesight, suck the magic out of anything that walks by with an anti-magic generator, heal others with a live-giving tree, and ever bring friends back from the grave. As you can see from that description alone, there's a lot that can go on in a match of Shadowrun. Combine that with the unique race abilities, and watch the possibilities multiply exponentially. It's not just about the guns, like most other shooters. There's so much more depth.

The bottom line is this: Shadowrun is a wonderfully innovative game that will be thoroughly and endlessly enjoyed online, and if you don't have the privilege of playing online right now, the offline experience is surprisingly fresh and engaging, for the 1st or 51st time. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants a new and innovative gameplay formula.