Shadowrun Adds A New Dimension To First-Person Shooters

Remember when we first mentioned that FASA and Microsoft were teaming up to bring Shadowrun to the Xbox 360? Well, it’s a year later and we have some more news for you.

The original Shadowrun RPG, a pen-and-paper RPG released by the FASA Corporation in 1989, fused magic and mythical races with a gritty cyberpunk setting – kinda like Lord of the Blade Runner –  so it’s no surprise that the developers are trying to stick close to the idea of combining two gaming genres into a cohesive whole. The game itself will be a combination of the fast-paced action of a first-person shooter and the magical mayhem of a traditional RPG. Players can mow down enemies with automatic weapons fire and melee weapons while their support troops can hang back and cast devastating spells to help them crush the opposition.

Shadowrun will support up to 16 players on Xbox Live, but when you factor in summoned allies and other AI-controlled units, the number of characters battling it out on-screen can reach up to 40 characters at once. Mayhem’s too tame a word for it. Players will really need enhanced vision and reflexes to recognize their character in the midst of that kind of battle royale.

Shadowrun is also going to be one of the first games that can be played cross-platform – Xbox 360 versus PC. This game could end up being the arena where Xbox 360 fans can finally have a face-to-face showdown with PC fanatics and decide once and for all who the real masters of the FPS genre are.

Being an online-only title, Shadowrun will have to rely on superb gameplay and a wide range of Xbox Live modes and features to become successful. It also has no Campaign Mode – the game is dedicated purely to face-to-face brawling and bashing over broadband. This may put off some gamers who prefer games that have a lot of secrets and take a while to finish, and the developers’ approach to the game may not sit well with hardcore Shadowrun fans, but it sure sounds like one hell of a way to relieve stress. Jaded FPS players will also find the game’s many nifty new tricks a refreshing change from the glut of FPS games saturating today’s market.

If you’re in the mood for a few screenshots, check out this past article.

Via Computer and Video Games

Remember when we first mentioned that FASA and Microsoft were teaming up to bring Shadowrun to the Xbox 360? Well, it’s a year later and we have some more news for you.

The original Shadowrun RPG, a pen-and-paper RPG released by the FASA Corporation in 1989, fused magic and mythical races with a gritty cyberpunk setting – kinda like Lord of the Blade Runner –  so it’s no surprise that the developers are trying to stick close to the idea of combining two gaming genres into a cohesive whole. The game itself will be a combination of the fast-paced action of a first-person shooter and the magical mayhem of a traditional RPG. Players can mow down enemies with automatic weapons fire and melee weapons while their support troops can hang back and cast devastating spells to help them crush the opposition.

Shadowrun will support up to 16 players on Xbox Live, but when you factor in summoned allies and other AI-controlled units, the number of characters battling it out on-screen can reach up to 40 characters at once. Mayhem’s too tame a word for it. Players will really need enhanced vision and reflexes to recognize their character in the midst of that kind of battle royale.

Shadowrun is also going to be one of the first games that can be played cross-platform – Xbox 360 versus PC. This game could end up being the arena where Xbox 360 fans can finally have a face-to-face showdown with PC fanatics and decide once and for all who the real masters of the FPS genre are.

Being an online-only title, Shadowrun will have to rely on superb gameplay and a wide range of Xbox Live modes and features to become successful. It also has no Campaign Mode – the game is dedicated purely to face-to-face brawling and bashing over broadband. This may put off some gamers who prefer games that have a lot of secrets and take a while to finish, and the developers’ approach to the game may not sit well with hardcore Shadowrun fans, but it sure sounds like one hell of a way to relieve stress. Jaded FPS players will also find the game’s many nifty new tricks a refreshing change from the glut of FPS games saturating today’s market.

If you’re in the mood for a few screenshots, check out this past article.

Via Computer and Video Games