Shadowrun is going to be a judgement call by the gamer
Graphics: Above Average 6/10
The graphics are well… there. Looks like an original up converted XBOX game.
Sound: Above Average – 6.5/10
You can tell that there is gun fire, and there is battle noises, but after other 360 games such as GRAW 2 or the BETA, the sound is just lacking.
Gameplay: Great – 8.5/10
The game itself can get boring, even for a huge FPS fan. The magic system though, is a nice addition and is fun to use. It is a great multiplayer game.
Replay Value – Above Average 6/10
After you finish the tutorial, the two game modes, and play online for about three-six hours, this game starts to wear thin.
Overall – 6.5/10
This game is the first to make the big jump of gaming between PC and consoles, and it does just that. I wanted to like this game, I really did, but the cost versus the benefit is not here. The problem is however, the game is thin – and I mean real thin. The real problem is that this game is retailed at $59.99, and would be better received if it were only $29.99, because you are only getting half of a game here. Looking out for your dollar, this is going to be a judgment call on the buyer.
REVIEW:
When playing this game, I have to emphasize there is no real single-player game in Shadowrun. There are six short tutorials that offer a semblance of plot, some step-by-step training with every weapon, magic and tech before you’re dropped into a bot match to try it all out. It takes approximately an hour and 10 minutes to complete, but that’s it for going at it alone. This game is in severe need of a single-player component, if only to let you get used to the multiple methods of playing it. Each mission starts, like Counterstrike, with you buying a selection of weapons, magic and tech from a menu. The better your team does and the better you do individually, the more money you get each round.
The powers are definitely the best thing about the game, making you feel liberated in a way that’s superior even to Crackdown. The technology of the powers and magic are equally good. The weapons themselves are mostly unsatisfying, unlike the magic which is fun. There’s no real mid-range weapon and the standard rifle needs replacing completely, it’s so bad. In fact, only the katana, shotgun and mini-gun actually feel worth using.
The game, though sharing the art and design of the original Shadowrun role-playing games, is not that great to look at. It features roughly-rendered textures and lots of jagged flat surfaces, leaving it looking like an up-scaled Xbox game. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the lack of in game objectives. There’s not a massive amount of variety in the game. The options for multiplayer are slim - two, and the levels, well – there are two of them. You know that there is going to be XBL Marketplace content soon for this game.
Shadowrun’s ambition to make players from Xbox 360 and PC play together has worked. It can be enjoyable to work out good combinations of magic and tech, and see them succeed. We can foresee a hardcore of gamers carrying on playing it and developing new, unique ways of playing, turning this into a real working game that is not forgiving of new people. However, in terms of graphics, in terms of variety, in terms of accessibility, it’s a failure on both 360 and PC. Overall, we’re coming down on the side of a missed opportunity over awesome new content – let’s hope they learn from this endeavor.Read full review
