Shadowrun

"Good game, minor faults."

Shadowrun is an entirely multiplayer (there is an offline training mode and bot matches, but no actual story mode), first person shooter. It is a good, addictive game that any gamer can easily put 150+ hours into. However, it does have its faults.

The graphics in this game aren't so great for a next-gen console; it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out. Although they aren't great, they're fine. Not great, but fine. When you play this game, the graphics will not leave you in amazement, but they also will not leave you in disappointment.

Another not-so-great part of this game is the lack of maps. There are 3 good game modes, so I don't have any complaints against that. However, since this is an entirely multiplayer game, I would've expected way more maps. This may be pushing it, but around 20 maps would've been fair. So far, there are only 9 maps (actually, there is 12 maps, but those other 3 maps are just smaller versions of 3 bigger ones, for smaller matches). There may be more in the future, or maybe not. I do not recall FASA studios making an announcement regarding this.

Moving on to the good stuff, this game has a very good story. Now, I know what you might be saying, “But you said this game is entirely multiplayer”, and you're right. However, that doesn't mean that this game doesn't have a story. By going through the training mode, and watching the trailer (the trailer plays whenever you turn on the game. You can also find it online), you'll have a full understanding of the story. Basically, to break down the story for you, ancient magic has recently returned to the world. RNA Global (a multi-national corporation) wants to take control of the magic and sell it to people. However, the Lineage (a resistance force to this happening), wants magic to be free for every one to use, they want to preserve it, so they are trying to capture this magic before RNA Global takes control of it.

Besides having a great story, this game also has a great (and active) online community. Sure, you may get your occasional A-hole here and there, but for the most part, every one is friendly and willing to help the team. If you resurrect someone, you'll normally hear a “thank you” or an “I appreciate it” from them. If you are low on health, and you need a tree of life (A tree of life heals you), one or more of your teammates will be more than willing to cast one for you (assuming that they have that spell). Plus, if you need some cash (to buy a weapon, or a magic spell, or technology), you'll normally have a few teammates willing to give you all the money you need, sometimes even more. Heck, one time I needed $250, and I received over $3,000 because the player didn't need the money.

In addition to a great story and a great community, this game has a lot of Variety. There are 4 different races you can use, 8 weapons, 7 magic spells, and 6 techs. This may not seem like a lot, but you are mistaken. Seeing as how you have to buy most of these items to use them, and people are always mixing it up (buying new things, trying new builds), this is the perfect amount.

Last but not least, the game play is awesome. That's the best way to describe it. When you aren't in huge battles where every one from both teams is fighting, you'll be in intense 1v1 or 2v2 battles, where the only way to win is by using your equipment correctly, and knowing when to fire. When you're not doing any fighting at all, you'll either be guarding the artifact (The artifact is the ancient magic that I mentioned before), healing/resurrecting your teammates, or counting down the seconds to victory.

If you are thinking about buying this game, I would recommend renting it or playing the demo first. I purchased it 3 days after it came out, and I liked it. However, some other people that purchased it felt different. You either like it, or you don't.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/13/07