|
Shadowrun
Shadowrun for the XBox 360 and PC is the latest first person shooter to
be based in the popular Shadowrun universe that was originally a science
fiction RPG by FASA Studios. This universe featured a cyberpunk theme
which has transformed men into elves, dwarves, trolls and other mythical
creates. To compound the situation of man, magic has also returned to
the universe and those attempting to keep a balance have ventured into
the territory of cybernetics
In its essence,
Shadowrun is a first person shooter that is extremely reminiscent of
Unreal Championship where the gamer must be engage in either bots or
other players and even XBox 360 live. Microsoft have also set a
precedent allowing both PC and XBox 360 players to engage in online
battles which is definitely a first in cross-platform gaming.
As the Shadowrun
universe is quite diverse, the developers have created a variety of
tutorials that teaches the gamer how to use weapons, learn about
different races, use cybernetics and how to use magic successfully
against opponents. These tutorials are quite entertaining and once you
have finished the tutorial, you have the option of competing against
bots and using the skills that you have leant against other opponents.
Each of the races also have their own pros and cons such as the Elves
being unnaturally fast, have the ability to regenerate but their overall
health is weaker than humans. Dwarves on the other hand can siphone
magic from their foes and have a higher health level than Elves and are
must slower on their feet. Needless to say that each race was a treat to
play, however gamers will select their favourites.
It should also be noted
that after winning a game, your team is awarded cash that can then be
purchased to buy upgrades such as cybernetics, magic, equipment and
weaponry. The title contains a variety of spells such teleportation or
strangle which allows you to strange your opponents through a fortress
of crystals. Of course as with magic and cybernetics, these can only be
used for a certain amount before your powers need to regenerate.
However in order to truly master Shadowrun, a good gamer will need to
combine all these elements successfully into their team to ensure that
you have a varied crew of healers and gun-ho soldiers such as the
powerful Trolls or Dwarves. Although some races regenerate their health,
magic can also resurrect fallen comrades, however if the person who
resurrected your character dies, then your character will also follow
suit. The player can also create life trees that will also regenerate
your health, however it will also regenerate your enemies health,
provided they are close enough.
Graphically, Shadowrun
is a strange game that sometimes features extraordinary graphics and
other times, it is a little Spartan. The background environments are
also quite detailed as are some of the characters, however there are a
few nuisances in the game such as characters climbing ladders but rather
than climb, they seem to float up the ladder. Fortunately the special
effects such as the weapon fire and magic is rather decent. The musical
score of Shadowrun suits the genre perfectly as does the voice acting
and sound effects which go hand-in-hand with the gameplay. Although
there is this nagging sensation that the title was upgraded from the
original XBox to play on the XBox 360.
In conclusion, Shadowrun is definitely an entertaining title if you are
playing this on XBox Live, however for the average user that may not
have internet access, the title may become a little repetitive and
uninspiring as they battle bot match after bot match. It would have been
nice if the developers created a single-player mode because the
Shadowrun universe is extremely interesting, rather than a title like
Unreal Tournament. |
