Shadowrun

"Neither graphically fantastic or aurally stunning, but the results are still rather compelling !! :)"

FOREWORD

I will hold my hands up - I had never even HEARD of Shadowrun until my brother explained what it was to me and, I have to admit, once I understood the background, the prospect of playing a pen-and-paper role-playing game-to-home console conversion did make my ears prick up a little, as I was genuinely curious as to how a console would be able to cope with such a mammoth undertaking (needless to say this was the first time I had seen it done).

What did I make of it ? Breakfast ? Or a Banquet ?? Read on ...

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME

It is the year 2050. You are Jake Armitage, a courier who is shot and almost slain by a group of assassins on the streets of Seattle. You are taken to the morgue (presumed dead), and awake with a splitting headache and a BAD case of amnesia.

Your ongoing mission throughout the game is to try and piece together your identity, find out what happened to you, and take things from there.

GRAPHICS - 6/10

Whilst there are some nice touches to the graphics, this is not a graphically stunning game - the sprites are small, as there is often quite a lot to take in on-screen, so you need to be able to reconcile the sprite for Jake with the surroundings in which he finds himself (and in a three-dimensional world, this means you have to take into account things like stairs, overhead walkways, rooftops, and so on and so forth).

The levels of animation on the sprites are generally sparing (running looks a bit more like skipping at times), and there is repetition in the portraits used for faces when you are speaking with people - however you have to keep in mind that this is often a text-driven game, and so you shouldn't be disappointed with the graphics.

The visual effects when you shoot at things, cast spells, make things explode and so on, are all very reasonable, but few and far between are instances in the game when you sit open-mouthed in amazement from a graphical perspective.

SOUND - 6/10

Again, as with the graphics there are a number of nice and reasonably well done effects, but there aren't really any that will have you squealing with delight. There is no attempt to put digitised speech into the title, which is a GOOD thing because of the HUGE amount of dialogue that takes place, and instead characters voices are replaced with a kind of clicking sound which you come to get used to as being that of somebody talking.

The music is pretty decent and easy to listen to, and it remains of a very reasonable standard throughout the title.

CONTROLS - 7/10

Hokay. Imagine taking a pen-and-paper role-playing game ... a game that revolves around stacks of books, piles of paper, pens, dice, and LOTS of crisps, and trying to convert that (and I say TRYING because I know of a number of HORRIFIC failures) into an easy-to-use electronic format.

That's right - it's a b@llbreaker for sure.

What the developers have done with this title is demanded that you interact with everything (objects, people, etc.) through a simplistic menu of context-based commands. So, for example, when you walk up to a door you might find options like "open", "close" and "talk" (depending on whether it's closed or open, or somebody is hiding behind it).

As I said, this menu is context-based, and one prime example of this being put to use in the game is when you are talking with people. Topics of conversation that are new to you are highlighted during conversation, and these form a database of permanent topics which you can then bring up when you are talking to other people, so you can grill them for their knowledge on sometimes general and sometimes very, very specific topics. So, for example, if you are talking with a doctor and he mentions the topic "healing", then "healing" will go into your topics database, and you will able to ask anybody that you meet about "healing" as a subject.

Using this conversation system enables you to progress through the game, and develop the plot AND your character at the same time. It isn't just a luxury - it's MANDATORY to progressing through the game.

Moving about is simple once you have gotten used to the fact that you are controlling a character in a 3d, 3/4 viewed world (aside from when you are in Cyberspace, where the action becomes 2d to ensure you appreciate the different environment), and all told the control method really does work for this game.

You might think it's kinda involved and time-consuming but, like most really enjoyable games, once you're hip-deep into the control system, it becomes somewhat second-nature to you.

The only gripe I have about the control system is that sometimes it is difficult to rapidly position your cursor, particularly when you are shooting at moving targets (people tapdancing on rooftops and so on).

PLOT - 9/10

The plot to this game is really decent actually. Fine, it's barely a stone's throw away from Johnny Mnemonic (or is the reverse true ?? I guess it may be !!), but you get used to interacting with the world around you quickly, and thereafter it's a case of simply exploring the immediate area, entering buildings, opening filing cabinets, checking voicemail systems, operating computers and so on, gradually piecing together the plot until you work out what has happened to you, what you were carrying, its relevance and importance, and how you can put things right.

The plot is well-paced (although there are times when you will be storming about levels screaming "I've BEEN there, where do I go NOW !?!?!", particularly if it's a missing topic of conversation that's keeping you from making forward progress), and Jake is a likeable character, so the good definitely outweighs the bad during play.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

It's actually really good fun to play. The interface is quite simple once you have used it a few times (although your main character screen does take a while to display, which can be a bit frustrating if you hit the wrong button whilst hip-deep in a fight.

You have the ability to ready a weapon and a spell at the same time, so combat can be nice and varied, and the game handles you dealing with multiple combatants at the same time very well.

There is a very nice sense of character development during play, so as you work on your skills such as using a computer, negotiating or the accuracy of your shots, you do feel the benefits as you play on.

Finding topics of conversation to engage people with is rewarding in a way, and the game has very intelligently been written so that quite often more than one person will give you the same topic, so you don't always have to find that one person in that one location to add that one topic to your conversation database.

All told, the game balances action with adventure in a fun and progressive way - it's good fun to get stuck into, but you must be willing to invest the time it will take to do so (and it WILL take you a while).

REPLAY VALUE - 6/10

Whilst the enjoyment derived through playing this title is good, it is unlikely that you will want to play it all the way through from start to finish once you have completed it. At least, not in the short-term. Give it a few months, maybe even a year or two, and you might start to look at it again.

VALUE FOR MONEY - 7/10

Considering the hassle-factor of obtaining a Super NES and a copy of this game at the present time, there are better-presented titles that you can obtain easier. HOWEVER, if you are a fan of Shadowrun, or would like to get stuck into a Super NES RPG, then I would suggest you do your best to pick up a copy of this title (or any of the Zelda series), as they do represent a good ratio of enjoyment to time spent playing.

OVERALL - 8/10 (This is NOT an average)

Shadowrun is a well thought-out and very enjoyable game to play. Whilst the graphics and sounds are not fantastic, you have to remember that they have managed to shoehorn in a HUGE game onto a tiny little Super NES cart, and they do deserve to be given praise for that achievement.

Shadowrun is a game that will keep you playing it until the playing is done, and leave you with fond memories of kicking butt and developing Jake, for quite some time thereafter.

MAIN GOOD POINTS

* Very good plot that draws you into the game
* Music is easy to get down with
* Combination of graphics, sound, plot and character development blend very well

MAIN BAD POINTS

* Graphics are not fantastic
* Sounds are not fantastic
* Will be difficult to find these days

SO SHOULD YOU GET IT ?

Yeah, if you CAN get a copy without selling any major organs, then I would suggest you pick it up and play it through - it's a good, fun game to play, and you are unlikely to get rid of it once you have it (even if it takes you an age to play it again !!).

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/07