Shadowrun

"More fun in the shadows, and an excellent RPG."

What can I say about Shadowrun? Well, it's based on a FASA License, it's got an intriguing story and a good background. It's also one of the best games for your antiquated Sega Genesis.

First of all, the combat system is OK. You hit the A button, a target appears, you hit the A button again to shoot them.

The interface is top-notch. Movement, weapons, and magic (yes, magic) controls are great. The conversations are well handled, keeping it down to a ''3 or less ideas'' (mapped to the A,B, and C buttons) system.

Items that you can buy are excellent. You can buy everything from Cyberware upgrades (Wolverine-ish claws, cyberjacks, etc.) to Magical supplies (foci, spells, scrolls, etc.). The weapons are well-done and keeping with all the weapons of the Shadowrun game system, such as the classic Remington Roomsweeper (illegal, cops will arrest you) and the Uzi-ish assault weaponry that ''pop a cap'' quite quickly. There are no ''Rocket Launchers-O-Death'' weapons, though there are several grenades, of varying ranges of death.

Part of the fun of the game comes from taking ''runs'', otherwise known as quests in almost every game in history. These can range from shooting people to hacking into people's computers. Shadowrun has an intriguing Internet-like hacking device, which is more like a cheesy representation of VR than anything else.

Another big part is maintaining contacts. By the end of the game, you will have over 27 people to call on the public phones and telecoms littering the slums of Seattle. These people can sell you weapons, magic, and even services, at which point people can join your party.

The game is overall excellent and will keep you playing, it has excellent graphics for the Genesis, and is long-lasting, as I have not beaten the game yet, I have just rolled over the 100hour mark, and have also run through some cheats to get the Roomsweeper. Plenty of replay value.

Unfortunately, the game is very rare. You will be lucky to find a copy. But those who do can consider themselves gods.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/18/00, Updated 09/18/00