Microsoft
Shadowrun
By Matthew Williamson
Sep 7, 2007, 7 :28 am

Nerd-rage hit a fevered pitch during E3 2006 when Microsoft and FASA Studio announced that the next videogame based on the Shadowrun license would be a first-person shooter. The game was previously being developed as a role-playing game in line with its tabletop roots, and the announcement turned many fans against the upcoming next-gen iteration. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that the game’s focus is on multiplayer. So, honestly, whom is this game going to be marketed to?

By the time Shadowrun was released one of their largest target audiences was knee deep in Master Chief beta testing. Luckily, MS was smart enough to put up a demo on Marketplace. After everyone had wiped the haze of Halo 3 out of their eyes, some of them noticed that the demo wasn’t too bad and decided to give the full version a whirl. After all, they had to use that credit from trading in Crackdown on something. Let's not lump me up in that group; that group is designated to the person who convinced me to give Shadowrun the time it deserves. That was well over a month ago now, and I haven't looked back since. I spend most nights a week playing at least one match, sometimes I dedicate full evenings to it. I can't help myself. Generally I'm not a fan of competitive FPS games, nor am I a fan of online gaming. Sure, I've had some fun with friends online from time to time, but dealing with the more unsavory Live population is something that always keeps me sticking to single player.

So what is it then that makes Shadowrun different? It's mainly the team-based mechanics, but it’s also the nigh perfect balance and non-standard attack and defend methods. Shadowrun is basically a sport. I'm not even a big fan of sports, but I do enjoy working in teams and a challenge, and the balanced  mechanicsallows me to do just that, regardless of my opponent’s skill level .

Those who are unfamiliar with the Shadowrun universe won’t be at too great of a disadvantage. Players choose from one of four races, with each racing having their own advantages and disadvantages. Elves are fast and weak; trolls are slow and tough; humans don't access to a lot of magic but can use technology for free; and dwarfs have a lot of magic, but it regenerates slowly. Magic essence is used to either cast spells or reserved for technology. At the beginning of every round all players are given the opportunity to buy weapons, magic, or technology. The more shots you make, people you resurrect, or time you have with the artifact all add up to more money for the next round. Magic and tech are good early purchase options because you can't lose them, whereas weapons can be taken from your body when you die. To win a round you either need to kill the opposite team, defend the drop point of the artifact, or exit with the artifact at the drop zone. Simple enough, right?

It's deceptively simple. The game uses a sort of extremely advanced rock-paper-scissors attack and defend model. For example, if a human buys the tech upgrade ‘enhanced vision,’ they can see enemy locations through all the walls, unless someone bought the magic spell ‘smoke,’ which cloaks the user until they are close. If someone uses ‘smoke’ they are impervious to weapons while in smoke form, until an opponent uses gust to dispel the effects of ‘smoke.’ The game is balanced well enough so that any advantage an enemy gains can either be dealt with.

However, all of these elements can be trumped by excellent teamwork. I could go on about different team and individual player tactics and why or how they work, but in an attempt to restrain myself I'll just state that it's a good idea to learn your place in a team and train adapt to circumstances accordingly. Sure a troll can buy smartlink and a minigun to fire hundreds of bullets into a crowd of friend and foe alike - without hurting anyone on his team, of course - but the troll will straggle behind because he's too slow, creating the perfect opportunity for a single elf to run up behind him and cut his throat, causing him to bleed-out and die. Place that same troll up at the front of a human and a dwarf as a meat-shield and he can weaken the enemy so that the other two can pop out and safely finish them off. Every race has a few different hats they can wear for their team, experimenting with all the different ways of building a character is only a small part of what makes this game great.

Teamwork is paramount, and it’s also a large hurdle to get over in a random public match over Xbox Live, which is why I highly recommend playing with a friend whenever possible. Spells like resurrect and tree of life are very important elements for a team to have. Having healers and resuscitators are crucial for staying alive, and often what gives a less skilled team the advantage needed to win. Strategies for winning with the artifact rather than killing everyone can also keep your team in the lead. Knowing where to go, what shortcuts to take, and staying close enough together will always give you an edge. When all else fails, be creative. In a game where my team was losing 5-0 (6 wins ends the match) because of snipers, we decided to grab the artifact and hide with it, defending the room we were in when needed. Being able to think quickly saved us from a shameful defeat and turned the tables in our favor.

Shadowrun brilliantly rewards players for logical strategies and tactical thinking. It's unfortunate that the game is not so perfect outside of the online multiplayer. Well, ok, there isn't really a game outside the multiplayer, which is the real problem. Beyond the 6 tutorial missions there's not much of a stand-alone experience. When not connected to Xbox Live, the only thing you can do is play a customized match against the computer. The AI works well as a team and can pull out some interesting strategies, but it gets old fast.

The different maps - besides being exceptionally well designed - would have been perfect for a single-player campaign. The story, as it's explained, involves the RNA (a mega-corporation) excavating an ancient artifact from a ziggurat under a mountain. The Lineage wants to keep this artifact and magic out of the corporation’s hands. The levels start at a great blue column of magic that has been released, and slowly progresses further into the city. Little elements of the maps support the story: one of the drop points for the artifact when playing as Lineage is a broken window with a zip-line attached to it out of an RNA skyscraper. These brilliant little touches make me yearn for a single-player campaign, but due to the length of a match (10-20 minutes on average) and the relatively small amount of them (only 9) any campaign mode would have probably made the game even more disappointing for those who were already put off to begin with.