X06: Shadowrun impressions

by Kyle Orland { Sep 28th 2006 at 7:45PM }

It seems that nowadays every other game falls into some sort of "shooter with X" category. It's a shooter with a shaky, cinematic camera. It's a shooter with a cold, barren setting. The best way to pigeonhole Shadowrun into a similar category would probably be "shooter with magic abilities."

Based on the popular pen-and-paper RPG series, Shadowrun is a straight-up multiplayer melee with single-player training against computer-controlled bots. The developers hope to set it apart from the hundreds of other similar games with a variety of special abilities, ranging from the technological (a glider) to the supernatural (a health-regenerating tree, teleportation). Using the abilities is as easy as hitting a button, but using them effectively takes a little bit of skill. After some practice, though, the results can be incredible -- one developer showed off by teleporting through a wall on his glider and picking off the disoriented players below with a few well-placed shots. Players can further customize their characters with four selectable races, which vary in speed, strength, magic ability, etc.

Shadowrun will be the first game to support cross-platform matches between players on the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. The X06 demo showed off this support with PCs and Xbox 360s networked together seamlessly for an eight-player team capture-the-flag match. While the developers said they were taking pains to make sure neither platform had inherent advantage, the game seemed much smoother and more polished on the high-end PC than on the 360.

While it's not likely to completely revolutionize the genre, Shadowrun is shaping up to be another fine online "shooter with X." Look for it to launch alongside Microsoft Vista, whenever it ends up coming out.

Previously: Shadowrun impressions from E3

Tags: FPS, RPG, Shadowrun, X06

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

eng050599 @ Sep 28th 2006 8:00PM

Greetings;

Who on earth takes alook at the SHadowrun world and says, "Let's make an online-only FPS out of this."? The Shadowrun series has always been about more than just a constant deathmatch? The previous titles on the SNES and Genesis represent some domn fin gaming, to the point where I still go back and play them...on their respective consoles. I've never liked online FPS's and I don't see this changing anything. The developers had a chance to create a game worthy of the source material here, but it's obviously easier (and cheaper) to just spew out "shooter with magic", and then let the microtransactions pile up.

FSK405K @ Sep 28th 2006 8:30PM

Did everyone play the Genesis version (on this one only, screw SNES)?

It was incredibly ahead of its time, in that you could do the plot, or you could take missions and just play it in Oblivion-fashion. You could learn weapons or hacking or magic or unarmed combat, or whatever mix of those you wanted. When you go on missions, it was your Privateer-inspired "go steal this company's new tech plans" or other fun things like that. Some Uplink: Hacker Elite action, that is to say. And if you bothered to do the main story, it was pretty damned cool.

Looking forward to the next incarnation.

heavyness @ Sep 28th 2006 8:40PM

yes, i like the rpg'ish of Shadowrun. i loved the paper/dice rpg and is one of the few rpgs i finished on the snes. but why shoehorn every FPS to be about killing zombies/aliens on mars/hell?

halo started as a RTS and made one hell of a FPS. if you stick to one formula, you will never reach new audiences and you game will suffer a slow, suffocating death.

i say, bring on the FPS Shadowrun!

Michael @ Sep 28th 2006 8:49PM

Seems like im not the only one thats peeved about this. I would like to echo the 2 1st posters sentiments.

When I heard a shadowrun game was in the works for Microsofts next gen console I was HOPING for something a little deeper than halo deathmatch with magic.

Its my opinion that this licence could have been used a whole hell of a lot better than just a shooter with some mild rpg elements.

A single player oblivion style style sandbox game with an over the shoulder camera view game would have done this licence a whole lot more justice. This is almost like Blizzard only allowing everyone to play WoW Battlegrounds yet calling it Wow. Its not wow because I cant quest and explore, you are constraining me to a deathmatch like experience ONLY. Im sick of deathmatch.

Microsofts console has only been out a year and we really need ANOTHER fps? Seriously? What next, Final Fantasy Deathmatch?

"ohh but Squaresoft is trying to branch out"
"well, its another fps with slight rpg elements."

..........

Half the fun with the previous versions of shadowrun for the Nintendo and Sega console was the ability to "Upgrade" yourself or have a kind of sandbox play experience. You were never forced into playing the story through unless you wanted to.

Want cybernetic eyes to see in the dark? perhaps cybernetic eyes that can see in the dark and help you aim better? No problem, just walk on down to your local seedy blade runner esqe chiba chop shop and have your eyes replaced.

Want to break into the coporate building? Awww, cant? hack that nearby terminal to gain access, now fight your way through security and hack termials to stop elevators, kill cameras, turn on sentry guns, get passwords, steal info.

THAT was the appeal right there.

This isnt shadowrun they are pushing. This is Halo Multiplayer with Magic, and thats a DAMN shame because the shadowrun world is a lot deeper than this.

Ho well. What a waste.

=

Franky Digital @ Sep 28th 2006 9:11PM

An interview with OXM revealed the developers wanted to use a more effective online genre to birth the IP to the general public before sinking their teeth into an RPG. They haven't outright confirmed it, but the interviewee definately hinted. Most likey an MMO on the way.

Relax guys. Don't get your D20s in a twist.

otakucode @ Sep 28th 2006 9:22PM

The stories behind Shadowrun were always stellar... I read several of the books way back when and enjoyed them immensely. It's sad to see them waste such good IP with such utter crap.

acceptablerisk @ Sep 28th 2006 10:11PM

Why would they do this? I'm going to echo what I've said in the past about this game:

This game could have been so good. Shadowrun just asks to be a gritty, atmosphere-rich, narrative-driven, action-RPG hybrid. When considering a videogame adaptation of Shadowrun, the mind should immediately conjur memories of System Shock and Deus Ex. Hell, even Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines managed to do pretty well following that formula.

What they need to do is can this shit, sell it off to be finished under some other property and get Warren Spector in there to do things properly.

Geist @ Sep 28th 2006 10:52PM

Someone mentioned Final Fantasy Deathmatch:
Dirge of Cerberus.

Hunterprime @ Sep 29th 2006 12:11AM

Franky Digital the problem with your statement is that they have decided to rewrite the storyline completely. Basicly nothing of the rich back story exists. In a Blog post on there website http://shadowrun.com/behindthescenes/teamblog/gitelman_5-8-06_blog.htm
Mitch gilelman says this gem:
Now take a look at where we started with Shadowrun.

1. there are magic spells
2. and shamanic spirit magic
3. and cybertech
4. and metahumans like elves, and dwarves and such
5. and astral space
6. and the Matrix
7. and megacorporations with the powers of sovereign nations
8. and a dystopian future where America has fractured into around a dozen countries
9. oh, and a Native American uprising
10. and 15+ years of sourcebooks
11. and there’s the individual storylines in the novels
12. and the console games

So what should we do? Satisfy fans of the paper and pencil game? The novels? The SNES and Genesis games? It wasn’t a long debate, really. We decided to restart the Shadowrun timeline and grow the fiction over a series of games, allowing the world we loved to unfold over time.

Most importantly, we decided that whatever we did with the fiction, the gameplay had to kick major ass. It had to be our best work ever. We figured that if people got addicted to the game, they would forgive our trespasses and stay with us while we developed the world step-by-step.

Restarting the entire timeline is a simple choice and not a long debate?

PhantomVI @ Sep 29th 2006 12:27AM

Wow, a potentially great return to the franchise is now a steaming pile of mediocrity. Way to go!

Amos @ Sep 29th 2006 12:54AM

Wtf? Why is everyone freaking out about this? It's an 'effing FPS. Get over it. And why is everyone screaming about it being absolute shit? I'd call this impression post positive, not negative. I'm looking forward to it to see what it's like. It sounds interesing. No one said it sucked, and no one said your precious franchise might never see an rpg. The creative heads behind this title wanted to make an FPS, and they did. Chill out.

Paul Avers @ Sep 29th 2006 1:55AM

"No one said it sucked, and no one said your precious franchise might never see an rpg. The creative heads behind this title wanted to make an FPS, and they did. Chill out."

But, it's very much possible to make a Shadowrun FPS without turning it into a pale shadow of it's formal self. destroying any of the basic magical tenants of the setting is just... gah.

Hunterprime @ Sep 29th 2006 5:56AM

Did you not read what i had posted earlier? I do not want to play a FPS or RPG in their hair brained idea of the shadowrun world.

The best example I could give you is if the made a forgotten realms game and then decide to rewrite the story simply so it would it easier to do a story for the game.

The entire way FASA studios treats the IP's they own or do dev for is appaling. They have no respect for the IP or the people that follow it. Throwing everything out just so you can make a yet another retarded team based FPS still will never make any sense and comments from the studio saying they are a action game studio, why would make any other type of game is a fairly lame excuse.

This game is also coming from the same people that declared that the hard Mech sim games like Mechwarrior 2 and 3 are dead and that no wants to play them. Too bad Chromehounds, a extremly popular xbox live title, is proving them wrong.