Shadowrun

"The Year is 2050..."

This game is good. Hell, it's really good, and without a doubt one of my favorite SNES RPGs of all time. Sadly, this masterpiece is often overlooked when placed next to its contemporary RPG giants like Chrono Trigger, Seiken Densetsu 3 and Final Fantasy 6, and that's rather sad, considering how great this title turned out to be.

Shadowrun is set in a futuristic Seattle, where nothing is quite the same. In the world of Shadowrun, the megaplexes are huge stone and steel monsters casting long shadows. As Jake Armitage, the hero of this game, that's where you live; in the cracks between the giant corporate structures.

The game wastes no time putting you right into the action. You awaken in a morgue, apparently as the victim of a homicide by the hand of hired hitmen. Your head his throbbing, and you can't remember a thing. As you roll off the slab and hit the floor, you find a piece of paper, which gives you the first piece of identity you have. Your name, it Jake Armitage. From there, it's up to you to discover how you got killed in the first place. The story takes you on a roller coaster of twists and turns, and with each new twist it rips a bit more into the plot, showing you the true nature of what you must deal with.

The graphics, I must say, are mediocre. The sprites are a bit too small, and the profile pictures are poorly done, if not representative of the world they are in. However, one quickly learns to ignore the graphics and becomes more concerned with the highly interactive world around. What other games allow you to talk to someone, and then blow him away for snubbing you?

The music, on the other hand, is very, very good. It's fits the world of Shadowrun perfectly. After my first time playing, the music was the one thing that stood out most in my mind, and one of the factors that brought me back a second time; gotta love the music in The Wastelands! The sound effects could use a bit of work, though; I find myself annoyed when, out of about ten different guns, there are only three different sounds for them. That may not sound so bad, but when an assault cannon and a heavy pistol make the same noise, there's something wrong.

The storyline is my favorite part of this game. I love the way that the plot slowly unfolds, and you're hit with little pieces of knowledge that serve as an enigma, making you wonder what exactly happened. When all the loose ends are finally tied together, the mission becomes clear, and you're left with one final goal. The pieces fall into place at just the right time, too.

Challenge? Hah! This game has a steep leaning curve... for about five minutes. Seriously, during my first minute or two of playing, I hated this game. It works as a sort of mouse-like interface, where you press the B button to move around a pointer, where you can then highlight certain things to press B again and get a menu. What one fails to realize is how much depth this adds to the game. It may seem like very little, but even now there are few RPGs that give you a description of an item before you pick it up.

Customization in this game is basically a choice. You can choose to make Jake a set character type, if you really want to; a decker, a shaman, or a street samurai; but most probably won't recognize the ability to do so, or even care much. I myself must concur. Seeing as how this deviates from the pen and paper game's magic rules, you can have all the cyberware you want, plus magic and body ratings that exceed those of the strongest trolls and wizards. The same goes for other runners. You can take them along or not, but their services will require a hefty amount of nuyen.

Like I said before, Shadowrun is a great game. It may not be for everyone, however. I would reccommend this title to any hardcore RPG gamer, as well as anyone interested in the pen and paper game. All and all, this game is worth a 9/10 for its many great traits, setback from a perfect score for a few minor flaws.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/02, Updated 10/27/02