 Who- Microsoft Game Studios & FASA Interactive
What- Fast-Paced Tactical First Person Shooter When- Since last May for America, June for Europe Where- Only on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista Huh? - Being a magical, teleporting Elf with a high-powered sniper rifle is fun; With Friends. Hey everyone! It’s Zenek, your favorite American contributor for the lovingly crafted Skullkids site. I’d like to give a heads up that most of my reviews will be for games that are mainly found on the Xbox platforms, and that’s not to say a Nintendo game can’t weasel it’s way into my “reviewer’s sights” though. Before you ask, no. I won’t touch Sony systems and that’s another story for another time. Those games I pick to review vary wildly in popularity, age, and (naturally) quality. My job here at Skullkids is to explain why you should pick up that game that no one else will touch, and that it is much better than you think it is for you to enjoy until Halo 4, Gears of War 5 and Killer Instinct 3 come to market. Now that you’ve got an idea for what the future holds, let’s get to tossing grenades at Dwarves, ok? The last game that combined the forces of FASA and Microsoft was the mighty and often misunderstood Shadowrun. I was also confused at their latest offering with questions ranging from: “What, no single player?” and “Windows Vista only?” Well, now that the game’s been out for nearly a year it’s clear that Shadowrun was NOT the beacon of commercial success that FASA and MGS were hoping it would be. It was intended to be the great uniting force between PC and console gamers in a heated and bloody battle to decide who could squash who. Complaints flew in from all sides, and it looks like the fickle reviewers have sunk another great game before it even had a chance. One of the strangest things I’ve seen whined about this game is that is supposedly doesn’t really “use” the Shadowrun license. Shadowrun has a long history of being a tabletop pencil and paper dice throwing game along the lines of Dungeons and Dragons. It had always been a cyber-punk magical themed game, and if you use your imagination, you can “role play” while you gun down the other team, I suppose. The game’s back story, completely hidden from the player unless you do your own research, starts in the year 2011 when powerful magical artifacts are found in Brazil. Two groups of magically mutated mercenaries are locked in guerilla combat over these world-changing relics, the RNA Security Division or the Lineage. The RNA is a group of hired guns to protect the company and its assets, just what it implies on the tin. The Lineage is a group of local rebels and/or goons depending on your viewpoint, but it boils down to reddish team vs. blue team. You then choose from four races: The Human with average stats and slightly more kash, the Elf with high speed and low health, the Dwarf with the most magic aka “Essence” with the slowest magic regeneration and finally, (my favorite) the Troll with his slow speed comes thick skin and brute strength. Before a match starts, you are given money to purchase weapons, magic or tech to aid you in combat. The beauty of this system shines brightly because it is easy to get what you need quickly (so your team won’t abandon you at the starting point) and it’s a nice feature to see what your krew is using as to not overlap the skills, or to augment their own strengths or cover their weaknesses. The best part is that cash is handed out at the end of the round, earned by enemy kills, team heals and objective completions. The combat options are split into three categories: Weapons, Tech Abilities, and Magic Abilities. The Weapons are basic fare for a first person shooter, and veterans of the genre should feel familiar with the selection including the Shotgun, Katana, Sniper Rifle, and trusty Pistol. All of the weapons handle smoothly and are comparable to other FPS’s with tight controls such as Perfect Dark Zero and Halo 3. Tech Abilities and Magic Abilities are assigned and used with just as much ease as a weapon using the right and left triggers and shoulder pads. The Abilities are what set Shadowrun apart from your average shooter, often adding several extra dimensions to the tired “run back & forth and shoot” FPS mechanic. Tech includes a Glider to make long calculated jumps across the map and to avoid death via long drop, and the Anti-Magic Generator device that when set cancels out the magic meter of all who step in the device’s powerful radius. Magic is almost certain to be the high po int of your strategy, as using Resurrect to bring your teammates back from the dead, the ability to Summon a magical minion to beat your foes to death, and to Teleport through walls challenges everything you knew about First-Person Shooters. None of the Weapons or Abilities are over powered and there’s a delicate balance over every game played. That’s the beauty of Shadowrun. Speaking of beauty, the graphics are very detailed. The character models ooze individual charm as if they each had his own backstory to tell. The maps are pretty as well; with gleaming interiors of corporate buildings, dirty and graffiti baked slums of Santos, and the snow-topped ziggurat are gleaming examples of how detailed the Xbox360 can get. Although you’re going to notice the sound effects, rather than any music aside from the main menu, the sound is of high quality. I wouldn’t forget my Achievement Hounds, though! Shadowrun’s Achievements are very practical as they reward the player with Achievements ba sed on things that they would normally do over the playtime of the game. That includes killing 100 Dwarves, killing 100 foes with Grenades, and winning a match as each of the four races. No two games of Shadowrun will play out the same, as you will feel out your teams needs and strengths as well as augment your own abilities to overtake your foes. You might be the lone Troll in an Elf-fest with a penchant for Miniguns one game, and the next will feel like a diverse and well balanced team. Shadowrun is best played with friends over at your place, or over Xbox Live. That said, the Single Player options are very thin, and that’s includes the six-part Training Mode and Deathmatches with Bots of decent intelligence. Gametypes are limited to Extraction, Raid and Attrition. Extraction plays out as a basic “capture the flag” scenario where both teams try to capture and deliver the Magical Artifact to their respective base. Raid is a more special game type as the RNA team defends the Artifact from the Lineage. Attrition is a unique take on the common “Deathmatch” as not only do you have to kill the other team, but the slain players’ bodies can be resurrected unless destr oyed with the precious Artifact. Even with the exciting and unique team-based combat, there are sadly only 12 maps, and even then three of those are small variants of larger maps. If you’re in love with Xbox Live, and/or have a solid krew of gaming friends who you invite over often, I can’t recommend Shadowrun enough. If you don’t have Xbox Live and have as many buddies as the Grinch before he went soft, I can’t in good conscience suggest this otherwise beautiful and entertaining game. So, what was Shadowrun’s fate? It wasn’t all sunshine and summons… Both versions of the game didn’t sell well, Microsoft closed FASA Studios September of 2007, and the FASA Team went in many different ways. Many found new jobs at MGS, and about half left for other ventures. One-time creative director Jordan Weisman founded the new studio “Smith & Tinker” and secured the rights to Shadowrun and other FASA staples. It was a complete shame to see FASA divide and disappear, however if you’re the gaming social butterfly who can’t wait for the next great FPS on your Xbox360 or PC, give Shadowrun a try and you should be pleasantly surprised. I give Shadow run a solid B.
+Balanced, engaging, fun achievements. Trolls are cool.
But Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn Ya… |
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