Shadowrun

"Simply amazing!"

Back in the early 90's, DATAEAST was hurtin' for a hit. Well, they certainly produced a game that SHOULD have been a hit. Sadly, it never really got all the attention it deserved. This game came out in between FF2 and FF3, so you would have thought that RPGers everywhere would have been standing in line for this one. Unfortunately, the public was WAY too pampered to the Final Fantasy ''medieval'' settings. (Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge FF fan) And so this futuristic RPG (based on a board game) was not well received. However, if you can handle the VERY dark theme, this game is a MUST.

Story (10/10): Wow is about the only word I can use here. The story is DEEP. VERY DEEP. Not only do you not know who you are, but someone is out to get you as well. I don't want to give anything away here, PLAY THE GAME.

Characters (9/10): Excellent character depictions here. Jake looks almost like a seudo Terminator, and that's a GOOD thing. Unfortunately, he doesn't ever talk. But, when you really get into it, it's actually really cool that he's the silent type. The characters he interacts with have VERY detailed personalities.

Gameplay (8/10): The mercenary party system is very cool and allows for customization. The only thing slightly bad about the gameplay is that a FEW objects are hard to see. The core of the game play is the way you move around and battle. Battles take place on the same screen and are real-time. You run and shoot at your enemies and they shoot back. The karma points are very innovative and add a lot to the game. The level up system works very nicely and allows you to customize your character however you want.

Graphics (8/10): As compared to others at the time, this is good stuff. The colors and textures are very well rendered. The only real problem is that, sometimes, it’s hard to see objects.

Music/Sound (10/10): OK, so there AREN'T 50,000 songs in it. But the ones that are, are EXCELLENT! Very dark, very moody, really gets you in the groove ya know? The sound effects are cool; you can even hear an electronic shout when you kill someone!

You absolutely MUST get your hands on this game somehow! It is a classic! I recommend it to any RPGer, and even if you're not, get it anyway.

Score: (9/10)

---- Can 'ya dig it?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/08/01, Updated 02/08/01