Shadowrun

"Enter the Matrix (No, not THAT Matrix)"

Shadowrun. I'll bet most of you reading this have no idea what Shadowrun is. So here's a bit of history. Shadowrun is a pen and paper RPG similar to AD&D. But it is based in a not-so-distant future, where an alternate reallity has spawned many things (uncluding many AD&D-esque things) There are ogres, trolls, dwarves, elves, and wizards. But this is not some land of high sorcery alone. Guns and vilence still rule the day. Most of the storylines behind Shadowrung take place in Seattle, Washington. Including this game.

Now, for those who DO know what Shadowrun is (which should be everyone of you now that I explained it) Know that there were two Shadowrun games released, and they were VERY different. We'll focus on the SNES version here (don't worry, I'm reviewing the Genesis one too, so don't get all "he's a racist against Sega" on me.

Gameplau - 9

In the Snes version, you are cast as Jake, a guy who is not having a very good day. You see, Jake has just been shot. Yeah, that's usually not the best way to start your day. But luckily for him (maybe) a young lady named Kitsune arrives on the scene and casts a spell on our boy Jake and sort of ressurects him, if you will. A few hours later, Jake awakens at the morgue. Of course the morticians aren't used to seeing corpses get back up (but they ARE used to seeing wizards and elves? Go figure.) And thus beginss the story of Jake. You'll travel all over Seattle looking for answers, ande eventually become an associate of the Dog spirit, whome will lead you to the final confrontation with your killers. It's a dark and moody game, filled with lots of intrigue. You can get other Shadowrunners to join you as well. The combat is simillar to the Fallout games. You'll be in controll in a real-time battle, but with the ability to pause and plan ahead. There's not alot to it, just shoot, shoot, and shoot really. But who cares right? The game is really good though, despitte the combat system.

Now, you're probably wondering where I got the title for this review. Well, I'll tell you. You see, in Shadowrun, there's more than just killers and wizards. Another means for people to do things (mainly criminal things) is to "jack" (hey, that sounds kind og like "Jake" As Ben Stein would say, Wooooow) You'll use a cyberdeck combined with your datajack to enter the Matrix (no really, that is what it's called.) This is a virtual world where hackers can do anything to affect the computers of others, like steal data or even shut down power.

Graphics - 9

The game lloks pretty good for a SNES game. The tone is pretty dark and moody. The character sprites could have been alot better, but that's really trivial. There's alot of small details, like flickering streetlights and dripping water, that all add up to make the atmosphere even better. Good stuff for the most part.

Sound - 10

Frankly, I love the sound here. I really do. The music is great. It really fdfits the mood. The effects are standard fare, but good nonetheless. And like I said, the music is great. It's really like a combo of hard edge 80's style metal riffs (like Iron Maiden, not Poison) and cool blues riffs too.

Overall - 9

I love this game. I really do. While it is far more focused than it's Genesis cousin, it's nice to get more story with the game, as opposed to the other game which focuses more on a geberic role-playing ideal. Get this game if you can find it. It's worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/04