Shadowrun Embraces Cheats and Exploits

In the spirit of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" the folks at FASA studios and Microsoft Games have designed Shadowrun to take cheats away from cheaters, and share them with the rest of the class.

During a Microsoft Games for Windows event yesterday in San Francisco, I had the chance to see what it feels like to battle PC to Xbox 360 over the network.  After a minute of play using the 360 controller, I forgot completely that I was sitting in front of a PC.  My virtual foe was sitting in another comfy chair next to me using a 360.  Based on the furious battle, I'd have to say there was no discernable difference between the two experiences.

Some readers have expressed concerns about the fact that PC gamers will be able to cheat their way to victory over their console brethren through the use of software or hardware add-ons to take advantage of exploits.  Though Halo 2 cheaters have had a happy time with modded consoles, there is a possibility that PCs will have the upper hand when consoles and proper computers face off on Live later this year.

Shadowrun developers are hoping that the game will be so cheat-centric that the average gamer will have the same options usually reserved for the tech-savvy.  A Microsoft representative made it clear that commonly used cheats were carefully studied as a part of the design process for the game.  Things like wall exploits and super jumps have been folded into Shadowrun as teleportation, enhanced vision and glider jumping.  the theory, of course, is that covering every cheat possible and making it an in-game option should weaken the urge of cheaters to search for cracks in the game.

A shooter with a heavy focus on magic gives the devs a lot of room to covert a lot of cheats, but cheaters are sneaky, so it remains to be seen whether or not users will add some cheat topping to the cheat-friendly sundae that is Shadowrun.