First Strike: Shadowrun

Microsoft’s FASA Studios – Xbox 360 and Windows Vista

Some future’s aren’t so bright and cheery. You take fantasy and magic, science and cyberpunk – mix them together and you have a setting that is overflowing with potential. Microsoft’s latest multiplayer shootfest Shadowrun takes good advantage of the fictional setting of its originating game (a pen and paper RPG) and changes things up enough to make it stand out in the realm of cookie cutter team based shooters.

Looking back at the history of the series, this title breaks every expectation by being a shooter. Shadowrun has years of story and the previous games all pretty much focused on role-playing and adventure style mechanics. Shadowrun for the 360 and Windows Vista is nothing like them. Instead we get a game populated by fantasy races like elves, dwarves and trolls as well as “Neuromancer” style cybernetic augmentations, smart guns and “The Matrix” but the core idea is to team up and shoot your enemies and not in the tradition of Riggers and Street Samurai.

The game is not at all about the single player experience. Like the Battlefield games there really is little more than a tutorial or non-challenging bot matches that comprise that aspect of the title. Unless you’re a big fan of online competition there are a few good reasons to avoid Shadowrun. Players learning the ropes are introduced to the game’s setting through static news briefs describing the eruption of magic in South America followed by the emergence of the fantasy races from among the local population. There is an interesting story that could be told here but FASA and Microsoft take a pass – instead introducing each weapon, augmentation and magic spell in a series of tutorials where you face off against computer controlled enemies to progress.

Playing Shadowrun felt initially like playing Counterstrike or Team Fortress. The basics of the game surround teams competing to capture or defend the flag-like artifact. Sure this is an old form of gameplay that just about everyone has experienced but the changes made to suit the setting are interesting. Players still get points for killing enemies and have to defend or abscond with the glowing pole but the team dynamic and abilities are different enough that the game does a great job of encouraging true team play – something you hardly if ever find in a Halo 2 or Halo 3 match.

The fantasy elements like the “Tree of Life” spell – which sprouts a healing tree that helps anyone in proximity and doubles as cover – and the introduction of certain powers that are limited by a player’s personal essence or magic points adds an interesting tactical element to the game. The coolest of the new concepts is that players don’t just respawn in a match, they can be resurrected by teammates. Killing your enemies also means destroying their body since a player’s dead body lying around allows a teammate equipped with Resurrection to bring them back. Resurrection avoids lengthy spawn time but the resurrected player is dependent on his sponsoring teammate’s continued survival. Should the buddy who brought them back die, they quickly need to get another teammate to assume the responsibility for them by casting another resurrection spell or they will bleed out.

Why bother resurrecting someone when they can respawn? Well simply its to keep your hard earned cash. Players who kill foes earn cash rewards that are then used to purchase abilities, augmentations and weapons. If you respawn during a match you keep purchased abilities and augmentations but lose any weapon and have to purchase it again. This can make a huge difference in a match as the weapons of the game really can make a difference.

I’d recommend Shadowrun easily to Vista and 360 owners who spend hours online playing games like Counterstrike and Halo but if you’re not one of those folks then the lack of a single player focus or story means you really shouldn’t waste your money. The game also requires an Xbox Live membership so on top of the initial $60 you’ll need to pay Microsoft a little more cash to play.

There are a few different reasons to enjoy Shadowrun but they are unfortunately dependent upon the quality of your teammates and competition. Matches with no coordination play like your typical 12-year old infested mindless shooter but when you get that wonderful mix of strategy and tactics along with intelligent competition there are not many games out there that are as much fun to play.

You can find screenshots, videos and desktop images for Shadowrun hosted here on Filefront.com