Shadowrun

Review by IanBear

Running in the Shadows

No, this game is not a remake of the slightly obscure SNES RPG, nor is it even an RPG. Nor is it a stealth action game, as the name might also suggest. Instead, what you get is a Counterstrike style online-only shooter, with no single player as such (bar some training missions- these can be done in about half an hour) and very little way in a story. So considering such PC shooters are normally very cheap or even free, can a nearly full-price title succeed?

Competition

Well, Shadowrun has some nice gimmicks to make it more worth the price of admission. Firstly, 360 players can play against Vista players, although there aren’t many of them around. Secondly, there are races instead of classes, and magic and tech upgrades available to buy in addition to weapons. This brings in Team Fortress style gameplay as well as Counterstrike. At the start of the game, you choose a race, such as the strong trolls, there are 3 game modes available, which is a paltry amount, and they are all variations. Extraction is CTF, Raid is the same, except one team defends whilst the other attacks, and Attrition is deathmatch, but the flag is still used. There are also only 9 maps, again, rubbish considering there is no single player. They are quite a nice mix however, and they are quite varied, but some of them seem to never, ever come up, which means that you will grow sick and tired of some. Some don’t seem very balanced, however, as there is one temple level, where one team starts from an elevated position. It’s really easy to spam grenades from the top, and whichever team starts there gains a huge advantage.

Problem-tastic

You might think that that’s the end of the problems, but no. The game can suffer from crippling lag, rendering the game unplayable. In frequent instances, you can also get booted from the game, even when there is no lag. Whilst its good players can join mid-game, this often causes lag spikes, or huge delays synchronising the game, which is frustrating for those already in the game. What is worse, is that the game doesn’t even record your stats if you get booted, meaning anything that would have gone towards achievements is ruined. Not that you can tell how close you are, considering there are no leaderboards, which is pretty criminal for an Xbox live game.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!

But wait, Shadowrun rushes in at the last minute, to do the unthinkable and save itself from mediocrity or even worse. When the game actually works, you leave with such a smile on your face that you forgive the game for all the laggy, broken games you encounter. It really is that fun. Think Counterstrike and Team Fortress combined, then add in some cool technology and magic into the mix, and a futuristic/fantasy setting, and you’re ready to rumble. The spells are great, as you can summon huge minions, resurrect allies, and heal others. They make the game far deeper and tactical than even the two fabled PC shooters that the game is based upon. As a result, teamwork is utterly essential, as choosing the right weapons, skills and spells is vital to the success of your team, and close teamwork really pays off, and can deliver a crushing victory when everything goes to plan. As a result, the game is hugely satisfying, as winning relies on teamplay as well as skill, so any player, regardless of skills, can have a good time and contribute towards a win. The spells are varied enough that few players play alike, and this makes each battle very individual; the maps also have plenty of choke points, so this, again increases the variety, and means that the scarcity of maps and modes never really feels like a problem.

Conclusion

When it works, Shadowrun is more fun than Counterstrike, the game it is based on. This says A LOT about the game. However, it works maybe 50-60% of the time, so perhaps you should hold off until the problems are fixed. The problem is, that when it works, the game is lag-free, awesome fun, and you won’t regret a moment. The game would be an easy 5/5 if it weren’t for the rampant problems, and even then they can be so bad you might wonder if a 4 is a reasonable score. Well, its worth a 4 because it will get fixed soon, FASA is already working on a series of patches and fixes, so as the game has so much potential the score is justified.