Let it be known that Shadowrun for the Xbox 360 is one of my most favorite games of all time. It's the only game I've played on a serious competitive level and done well at. If I were a fool, I'd give this game 10's across the board and say it's one of the best ever. But fear not, I will give you reasonable guidance as this is one of the most polarizing games on the system.
Shadowrun is a 1st-person shooter with no real story or campaign system. It is primarily online-only and has a huge learning curve. If you're not a fan of competitive, online-only shooters, it's probably best to ignore this game and move on.
Also be aware that I'm not going to attack Shadowrun for features it is supposedly missing, as most reviews did, and I'm also not in any way going to relate it to the Shadowrun RPGs from the Super Nintendo. I feel as though this review will do it justice by ranting about how great it is, but handicapping that by saying "it only appeals to a small portion of gamers".
Gameplay: 10.0
Unique gameplay concepts - What drives the game, and what is it similar to?
Shadowrun is probably the best FPS I've ever played. Not because the gunfighting is good, but because it takes a concept that's been done time and time again on the Xbox and innovates.
Shadowrun is most similar to Counter Strike, in the sense that the game is played in rounds and you earn money throughout the round for doing a number of things that help your team. The game is played in a best-of-11 format, or the first team to win 6 rounds.
But, instead of just shooting each other, Shadowrun takes it to the next level with different races, magic and tech that you can apply to your character to make them better in battle.
Each race has a different amount of essence, and essence is required to use tech or cast magic. It's a fine balance to determine which races are good at using a lot of magic, which ones are good at tech, which ones are tanks and should rely on gun skill, and many gray areas in between depending on game situations.
The different races are Troll (slow and strong), Elf (fast and weak), Human (good balance), and Dwarf (bizarre mixture). At the beginning of the game you can select your race, and you stick with that race and build them up based on their traits to use magic/tech/weapon combinations that optimize your race's traits and your role on your team. And yes, this game is a rare game where you have an in-game role based upon what you build your class to be, very much unlike games like Halo or Call of Duty, frequently dictating what you need to be buying at what time in order to help your team the most.
Shadowrun's most recognizable and unique feature is the ability to resurrect dead teammates, which is relevant since a round usually ends by one team being dead. The kinds of combinations of resurrecting and suffering the ill effects from your resurrector dying can make for really epic gameplay.
Unlike many popular FPS games today, Shadowrun doesn't have a "wait until you don't get shot to heal" system. You have to make an effort to heal by buying a tree of life, or playing as an Elf, that heals automatically.
And by far, the feature that changes the game the most is the ability to teleport through walls, people, ceilings, floors, etc. It makes the game chaotic but also increases the level of skill required to play the game competently. The top-tier players in the game have actually discovered unique juke moves to use in combination with teleport that are mind-blowing, even to somebody that is very experienced in the game. Getting good at teleporting and surprising the crap out of people with it is so satisfying.
I could go on to list all of the cool abilities you can use in Shadowrun, but that would take up far too much time. Let's just say the other abilities in the game are Gust (pushing people/grenades away), Summon (a minion that helps you fight), Glider, Wired Reflexes (block bullets with a katana), and many more. The ability to control how you play the game is huge.
Not only are all of the abilities cool, but the guns are so much fun to use. The starting weapon is a Pistol and it's probably the most fun Pistol to use in any game I've ever played. The guns are somewhat limited and fairly standard, but they all have their own unique niche in the game and all get used throughout the course of a game (even in competitive play). They knew what weaponry was needed, how to classify them all and how to balance them all. Wonderful job.
And finally, Shadowrun is the BEST competitive RPG I've ever seen, and most competitive gamers recognize that. It was built for top-tier players to fight one another, while still having tremendous balance. This game was play-tested for several years before it came out, and even since then the game's competitive level has risen and risen as the concept grew and more people understood it. I've never played a FPS competitively besides Shadowrun, and playing competitively is intense and more fun than playing "for fun". Strange, but this game pulls it off.
Presentation: 7.0
Graphical and audio presentation (animation, texturing, overall look & artistic style)
Shadowrun's presentation is pretty lacking. The character modeling is okay, their animations can often look very stiff from a 3rd-person perspective, and the overall texturing and whatnot just isn't overly impressive.
From a 1st-person standpoint it's pretty good. The game is blazing fast and the presentation of the game actually helps in giving you important cues or just making the game flow well.
Theatrics: 0.0
Story, Dialogue, Cut-Scenes and Artistic Use of Camera
There is literally no story in Shadowrun and not even an attempt to make one. It gets a 0 for theatrics, but theatrics aren't the reason this game exists. Getting mad about this would make about as much sense as ragging on Tetris for not having a story.
Controls: 9.5
Ease of Use and Smoothness of Controls
Since Shadowrun is sometimes incomprehensibly fast, the controls needed to do a good job of accommodating this, and they actually do.
Their ability mapping system is very unique and works very well. The right trigger is reserved for shooting, while the other 3 shoulder buttons can be mapped to use whatever ability you've purchased. In addition, they have a good scroll-wheel system to their ability menu so casting within that menu is often very easy and seamless.
The only complaint I have is there are several glitches in the controls where you can get stuck casting something, which should have been hammered out in development.
Replay Value: 10.0
Total Gameplay Time versus Expected
I've probably played about 3,000 games of Shadowrun, each around 30 minutes. It's addicting, and one of the most fun games I've ever played. I'll often draw spectators around the house that are mesmerized by the game's unique gameplay and the speed in which you can execute some awesome plays.
Fun: 10.0
How much fun was the game?
One of the most fun FPS ever made. It has a small community, still, despite low sales numbers, and the community will live on for as long as the game's servers are up. The people that play are the type that will play it several days a week, or every day. It's easily the most underrated (but understandably underrated) game on the Xbox.
My Overall Rating: 9.8
Suggested Gaming Experience Level: High
What kind of experience playing video games do you need to really appreciate this game?
As I have said many times, and if you ignored it now, here it is. This game is online-only, very advanced and only appeals to a small niche of gamers that I happen to fall in. But, if you're a fan of competitive, advanced online shooters, and you haven't played this game, you are missing out.
I will also make one last note that I listed myself available as a teacher to this game on several Shadowrun fan sites. If anybody has the game (it's probably like $5 used by now) and wants to know how to play, send me a friend request and I'll be happy to walk you through it. Gamertag: unlucky17.
Shadowrun is a 1st-person shooter with no real story or campaign system. It is primarily online-only and has a huge learning curve. If you're not a fan of competitive, online-only shooters, it's probably best to ignore this game and move on.
Also be aware that I'm not going to attack Shadowrun for features it is supposedly missing, as most reviews did, and I'm also not in any way going to relate it to the Shadowrun RPGs from the Super Nintendo. I feel as though this review will do it justice by ranting about how great it is, but handicapping that by saying "it only appeals to a small portion of gamers".
Gameplay: 10.0
Unique gameplay concepts - What drives the game, and what is it similar to?
Shadowrun is probably the best FPS I've ever played. Not because the gunfighting is good, but because it takes a concept that's been done time and time again on the Xbox and innovates.
Shadowrun is most similar to Counter Strike, in the sense that the game is played in rounds and you earn money throughout the round for doing a number of things that help your team. The game is played in a best-of-11 format, or the first team to win 6 rounds.
But, instead of just shooting each other, Shadowrun takes it to the next level with different races, magic and tech that you can apply to your character to make them better in battle.
Each race has a different amount of essence, and essence is required to use tech or cast magic. It's a fine balance to determine which races are good at using a lot of magic, which ones are good at tech, which ones are tanks and should rely on gun skill, and many gray areas in between depending on game situations.
The different races are Troll (slow and strong), Elf (fast and weak), Human (good balance), and Dwarf (bizarre mixture). At the beginning of the game you can select your race, and you stick with that race and build them up based on their traits to use magic/tech/weapon combinations that optimize your race's traits and your role on your team. And yes, this game is a rare game where you have an in-game role based upon what you build your class to be, very much unlike games like Halo or Call of Duty, frequently dictating what you need to be buying at what time in order to help your team the most.
Shadowrun's most recognizable and unique feature is the ability to resurrect dead teammates, which is relevant since a round usually ends by one team being dead. The kinds of combinations of resurrecting and suffering the ill effects from your resurrector dying can make for really epic gameplay.
Unlike many popular FPS games today, Shadowrun doesn't have a "wait until you don't get shot to heal" system. You have to make an effort to heal by buying a tree of life, or playing as an Elf, that heals automatically.
And by far, the feature that changes the game the most is the ability to teleport through walls, people, ceilings, floors, etc. It makes the game chaotic but also increases the level of skill required to play the game competently. The top-tier players in the game have actually discovered unique juke moves to use in combination with teleport that are mind-blowing, even to somebody that is very experienced in the game. Getting good at teleporting and surprising the crap out of people with it is so satisfying.
I could go on to list all of the cool abilities you can use in Shadowrun, but that would take up far too much time. Let's just say the other abilities in the game are Gust (pushing people/grenades away), Summon (a minion that helps you fight), Glider, Wired Reflexes (block bullets with a katana), and many more. The ability to control how you play the game is huge.
Not only are all of the abilities cool, but the guns are so much fun to use. The starting weapon is a Pistol and it's probably the most fun Pistol to use in any game I've ever played. The guns are somewhat limited and fairly standard, but they all have their own unique niche in the game and all get used throughout the course of a game (even in competitive play). They knew what weaponry was needed, how to classify them all and how to balance them all. Wonderful job.
And finally, Shadowrun is the BEST competitive RPG I've ever seen, and most competitive gamers recognize that. It was built for top-tier players to fight one another, while still having tremendous balance. This game was play-tested for several years before it came out, and even since then the game's competitive level has risen and risen as the concept grew and more people understood it. I've never played a FPS competitively besides Shadowrun, and playing competitively is intense and more fun than playing "for fun". Strange, but this game pulls it off.
Presentation: 7.0
Graphical and audio presentation (animation, texturing, overall look & artistic style)
Shadowrun's presentation is pretty lacking. The character modeling is okay, their animations can often look very stiff from a 3rd-person perspective, and the overall texturing and whatnot just isn't overly impressive.
From a 1st-person standpoint it's pretty good. The game is blazing fast and the presentation of the game actually helps in giving you important cues or just making the game flow well.
Theatrics: 0.0
Story, Dialogue, Cut-Scenes and Artistic Use of Camera
There is literally no story in Shadowrun and not even an attempt to make one. It gets a 0 for theatrics, but theatrics aren't the reason this game exists. Getting mad about this would make about as much sense as ragging on Tetris for not having a story.
Controls: 9.5
Ease of Use and Smoothness of Controls
Since Shadowrun is sometimes incomprehensibly fast, the controls needed to do a good job of accommodating this, and they actually do.
Their ability mapping system is very unique and works very well. The right trigger is reserved for shooting, while the other 3 shoulder buttons can be mapped to use whatever ability you've purchased. In addition, they have a good scroll-wheel system to their ability menu so casting within that menu is often very easy and seamless.
The only complaint I have is there are several glitches in the controls where you can get stuck casting something, which should have been hammered out in development.
Replay Value: 10.0
Total Gameplay Time versus Expected
I've probably played about 3,000 games of Shadowrun, each around 30 minutes. It's addicting, and one of the most fun games I've ever played. I'll often draw spectators around the house that are mesmerized by the game's unique gameplay and the speed in which you can execute some awesome plays.
Fun: 10.0
How much fun was the game?
One of the most fun FPS ever made. It has a small community, still, despite low sales numbers, and the community will live on for as long as the game's servers are up. The people that play are the type that will play it several days a week, or every day. It's easily the most underrated (but understandably underrated) game on the Xbox.
My Overall Rating: 9.8
Suggested Gaming Experience Level: High
What kind of experience playing video games do you need to really appreciate this game?
As I have said many times, and if you ignored it now, here it is. This game is online-only, very advanced and only appeals to a small niche of gamers that I happen to fall in. But, if you're a fan of competitive, advanced online shooters, and you haven't played this game, you are missing out.
I will also make one last note that I listed myself available as a teacher to this game on several Shadowrun fan sites. If anybody has the game (it's probably like $5 used by now) and wants to know how to play, send me a friend request and I'll be happy to walk you through it. Gamertag: unlucky17.
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