Shadowrun

"As fun as it is flawed."

Ahh finally, another Shadowrun game. Unfortunately for the pen and paper role players, its not the intricate RPG they've been waiting for. Instead this version is loosely based on the SR Universe, not a direct translation by any means. If the fanboys of the original concept could look past that and actually try the game they might be pleasantly surprised.

The basic premise of this version is about a corporate group known as RNA who's main goal is to control the magic in a South American country for profit, while the opposing side, The Lineage, a type of rebellion attempt to preserve the magic for all. Each side consists of 4 playable races. There are the tech savvy Humans, swift footed Elves, tank sized Trolls and magically inclined Dwarfs. Each has their own strengths and weakness in all areas of play. If for ex. you play as an Elf, you'll be fast with a Katana blade but slowed down by heavy weaponry. Play as a Troll and you can carry any type of armament without so much as breaking a sweat. Same rules apply to magic and technology. Many say this game is Counter Strike with magic, which is a fair comparison. Like CS, you're granted a certain sum of money to buy new stuff depending on how well you and your team does.

Aside from not making basement dwelling warriors happy, Shadowrun has other faults. For a $60 price tag you're not getting many options. There is no single player campaign, instead there's a brief training course that acquaints you with how each facet of the game works. At the end of each training mission is a round devoted to fighting against bots. It's great to have but don't expect to do it more than once. But the real meat of the game is the online multiplayer. And again, considering what you've paid, you would fully expect there to be a multitude of online options. Sadly there are none. Basically if you want to play online you have to join a random public match. You can however create a party with friends and move from match to match if you like, but it doesn't always guarantee you'll all be on the same team. Than there are the modes of play. Raid, Attrition and Extraction. Raid and Extraction are virtually the same thing. Either both teams vy for the Artifact/Flag or one team simply defends it. Attrition is basically team deathmatch. Not much to it and very disappointing.

Another issue most people noticed is the lack of character customization. Although you can choose from 4 different races, there are only 2 model types for each, one per faction. You'd think at the very least, being based on such a prominent RPG you'd have at least some customization. No dice. Although it doesn't necessarily ruin the gaming experience, it certainly doesn't help it. Something not as predominant but noticeable is the animations. As a steadfast gamer I couldn't help but cringe at how bad some of it was. The ugliest one is how your avatar ascends a ladder. You don't so much as climb it as you just sorta float up in a standing position. It really leaves the impression that this game shipped unfinished.

But despite all of Shadowruns faults, the gameplay is just brilliant. There is so much strategy amidst the frantic gameplay. As complex as it may seem, anyone can pick this up and learn all you need to know in about an hour. Any argument you can make against SR, you can't say this isn't fun. That much they got right. I think this game will truly shine when some d/l content comes out.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/07