When it was first announced that PC gamers and Xbox 360 owners would have the chance to battle it out on the same game on the same servers many people in the industry were very skeptical. The idea that the match would even be fun let alone skilled were the main worries. Microsoft assured everyone that it would work and the only place you could do it was on the Microsoft platform; the new Windows Vista and the Xbox 360. The game to take this next generation leap went by the name of Shadowrun and all that was known about it was it used to be an old school RPG of the same name. By the time everyone finally got to see this mystery cross-platform shooter all they hype had died down and it was up to developers FASA Studios to make a quality title that would get gamers hooked, cross-platform or not. While there are a lot of things wrong with Shadowrun there are some things that are really good and may get this game in more than a few homes across the globe. The biggest problem with the game is the lack of any sort of single-player campaign whatsoever. Shadowrun focuses on the multiplayer aspect of gaming only (with no online stat tracking whatsoever by the way) and relies on it to convince gamers to pop down the 60-dollar price tag (yes, that’s a full price game). Things such as a very intuitive and original approach to the overplayed first-person shooter genre and some really sweet online play do a decent job of dishing out an overall average title that would have done much better at a slightly lower price point.
The gameplay style that the developers were going for with Shadowrun was some kind of cross between Quake and Counter-Strike. It is very fast-paced action that includes the use of modern day weapons (guns, grenades, etc.) and super-natural weapons (spells, magic abilities, etc.) to spice up what would otherwise be a run-of-the mill shooter. As I said before there is absolutely zero single player gaming, which is odd considering the original Shadowrun game had a storyline that could fill up most of today’s expansive RPG titles. You can of course play by yourself if your internet connection is down, too bad the only thing to do is play the normal maps against computer controlled bots. Both online and offline modes only include three types of play: Extraction, Raid, and Attrition (all seem to be eerily similar to capture the flag). This game would have been much stronger had it taken a cue from the FPS’s out there right now by including many more gameplay modes. Luckily there are nine total maps to battle it out on and while some may not be much different looking than others, there is a nice mixture of styles and looks.
What will remind gamers of World of Warcraft is that this game has not just humans but all different types of races, four in total (Dwarf, Elf, Troll, and Human) each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Most people will quickly find which race they like the best and use it throughout their play with Shadowrun, because if you get good with for example an Elf character you do not want to have to learn an entirely new system of playing just to try out the Dwarf race. You will start off each match with a clean slate (other than your technology), purchasing your goods before the round starts with money you have earned throughout the online play. Get kills and you get money, the same goes for objectives, saves, and flag captures. Using the currency gamers can purchase weapons, magic, and technology. The buy menu is very Counter-Strike-esq and will be picked up easily by anyone familiar with the FPS style gameplay. Guns and magic work together like peanut butter and jelly; on the other side of the fence your character’s tech stands alone and carries through to the next game (unlike the former).
Think of tech like accessories in other FPS games, abilities such as seeing through walls, lock-on to opponents, and many more. This was one of the most intuitive features in Shadowrun because it really pushes the envelope as to how much stuff you can cram on one character in a FPS game. The weapons (guns, etc.) are pretty basic so don’t expect anything groundbreaking there but that is not the spot where this game differentiates, that is handled by the magic feature. Resurrection allows players to bring their dead comrades back to life with a quick push of a button. When a fellow teammate dies a small icon comes up on the screen where his body is signaling all teammates to rush to his aid, before he bleeds out. Taking the spot of your magic gage is a system termed Essence, each time you perform magic it uses up Essence, run out and your tricks are done for the moment. Not only are these abilities cool unto themselves, Shadowrun takes it to another level and gives people the opportunity to pair up magic and tech. Depending on what combination a player uses it unlocks or allows all different types of attacks and defenses. Limiting you to three slots was the developer’s way of bringing balance to Shadowrun; if the you were able to carry unlimited things the game would just be too insane.
