Shadowrun (2007 video game)

Infobox VG
title = Shadowrun


developer = FASA Interactive
publisher = Microsoft Game Studios
designer = John Howard, Bill Fulton, Christopher Blohm, Sage Merrill, Derek Carroll
engine = Badger
version =
released = flagicon|USA May 29, 2007
flagicon|Europe June 1, 2007
flagicon|Japan June 21, 2007
genre = First-person Shooter
modes = Multiplayer
ratings = ESRB: Mature (M)
PEGI: 16+
CERO: D (17+)
platforms = Windows Vista, Xbox 360
media = DVD
requirements = Nvidia Geforce 7800 or ATI Radeon X1800, Dual-core Processor or 3.2 GHz Single-core, 4.5 GB of Free space, 2 GB RAM, Windows Vista
input = Gamepad (Xbox 360), Keyboard and Mouse/Gamepad (PC)
preceded by =
followed by =

"Shadowrun" was developed by FASA Interactive for Windows Vista and the Xbox 360. It was later cracked to work on Windows XP [cite news
first=Eugene
last=Huang
title=Vista-only games cracked for XP
publisher=GamePro.com
date=2007-06-26
url=http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=118628
accessdate=2007-07-09] , confirming speculation that it was intentionally limited to Windows Vista. The game features a buying system which is greatly inspired by the game Counter-Strike. The game is also inspired by the role-playing game of the same name. It is not set in the official Shadowrun timeline, but an alternate continuity invented by FASA Interactive. It is the first game to use Games for Windows - LIVE that allows for Vista users to play with Xbox 360 users.

History

Three video games based on the Shadowrun universe were created throughout the 1990s: one for the SNES, one for the Sega Genesis, and one other for the Mega CD (released only in Japan).

In January 1999, Microsoft purchased FASA Interactive, [cite web| title = Microsoft Acquires FASA Interactive | publisher = Microsoft | date = 1999-01-07 | url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/jan99/fasapr.mspx ] acquiring the electronic rights to "Shadowrun" in the process. Microsoft then filed a trademark for the "Shadowrun" title in November, 2004. [cite web| last = Berardini | first = Cesar | title = Microsoft Applies for Shadowrun Trademark | publisher = TeamXbox | date = 2004-11-22 | url = http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7257/Microsoft-Applies-for-Shadowrun-Trademark | accessdate = 2007-02-22 ]

Initial gameplay prototyping was done using the "" engine while FASA Interactive worked on creating their own engine. [cite web| last = O'Connor | first = Frank | title = Shadowrun Shenanigans | publisher = Bungie.net | date = 2007-05-01 | url = http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=shadowruninterview | accessdate = 2007-05-01 ]

At E3 in May 2006, Microsoft officially revealed "Shadowrun" for Windows Vista and the Xbox 360. [cite web| last = Cole | first = Vladimir | title = Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event | publisher = Joystiq | date = 2006-05-09 | url = http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/09/engadget-and-joystiqs-live-coverage-of-microsofts-xbox-360-e3-ev/ | accessdate = 2006-05-09 ]

toryline

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, magic is cyclical, leaving the world and returning every 5000 years. Magic enters the world, grows, peaks, and eventually retreats. When magic was last at its peak, a powerful Ziggurat was constructed near what would be modern day Santos, Brazil. The purpose of this construct is shrouded in the mists of history. Even the Chancela family, who secretly maintained the ziggurat for thousands of years, did not know its purpose. Nor did they know the purpose of the strange artifact somehow connected to the ziggurat. In the millennia since its construction the ziggurat was eventually buried, hidden in the side of a mountain.

Then, on December 24, 2011, magic began returning to the world, leaving change and confusion in its wake.

The years after magic’s return wrought change on a global scale. RNA Global, a powerful multinational corporation, sent a research team to Santos, Brazil. Their job was to explore and research the strange energies coming from a mountainside along one edge of Santos. Armed with an artifact from ancient times, the research team sought to channel and control the magical energies they were exploring. Instead they caused a magical accident that destroyed half the city and brought down the mountainside, revealing the ziggurat to all. Deflecting blame for the incident to an Ork paramilitary organization, RNA retreated from the city while rethinking its strategy.

After a time, RNA Global returned to Santos, this time armed with a government contract that provided them control over the city. Vowing to keep the peace and clean up Santos, RNA’s first actions were to enact martial law and declare a curfew for all citizens. The locals, still upset over the initial accident and trying to rebuild on their own, began resisting RNA’s efforts. The resistance was helped greatly by the leadership of the Chancela family who were dedicated to defending the ziggurat and recovering the artifact. Resistance turned to conflict, conflict turned to skirmish and skirmish eventually plunged the city into all-out war. Eventually, forces began to organize themselves under the Chancela family, and became known as "The Lineage".

The battle between these two sides has grown to great proportions as of 2031, as the struggle for the artifact continues between RNA Global forces and The Lineage.

Gameplay

"Shadowrun" is a first-person shooter (3rd person with katana or smoke activated) introducing mild cyberpunk elements to the gameplay. The game takes place in Brazil in the year 2031: before the events that shaped the "Shadowrun" universe.

The player is assigned one of two factions to play as: The megacorp RNA Global, or the resistance group known as The Lineage. Playable races are Human, Elf, Troll, and Dwarf. Each race has their own unique racial traits.

* Elves are the fastest race, but also the weakest. They are slowed substantially by heavy weapons and will quickly be killed from sustained fire. However, their speed makes up for this, as well as their special ability which allows them to heal when not taking damage if they have essence available. Elves have the second greatest amount of essence. They are best suited for hit and run tactics. Elves require essence if they are to heal.

* Trolls on the other hand, are the slowest race, but the strongest. No weapon, no matter how heavy, will slow them down, and they can take an incredible amount of damage, especially with their special ability. When taking sustained fire, a troll will use its essence to harden his skin. This slows it down but allows it to take enormous damage. Trolls have the least amount of essence of all the races. They are basically the team slayer and "tank". When a troll is using a katana a single blow deals a significant amount of damage to an enemy. Techs also take up fewer slots than normal.

* Dwarves are closer to the troll end of the perspective. They are slightly faster than trolls (still slow however) and fairly strong, not being hampered much by heavier weapons. Dwarves can take a good deal of damage and as a bonus they can withstand a direct headshot from a sniper rifle, which is fatal for any other race. Their special ability is that they can steal essence from other players (friend or foe) and from magical objects like strangle and minions. To balance this out, dwarves regenerate essence very slowly, but have lots of essence at their disposal. In addition, dwarves are able to withstand a surprise attack from a katana and not bleed out.

* Humans are the middle ground of the races. They are the second fastest after elves and second most resilient after trolls. They are also the third strongest when it comes to carrying weapons. Humans have several small advantages that give them a unique play style. First, their essence isn't locked by tech, as it is with all other races. Second, they start the first round with an extra 500 dollars. Players can purchase magic, tech, and weapons at the beginning of each round of play. At the beginning of the first round they have $2000, except humans who have $2500. Each new round adds $1400 for each player, plus money the player earns by helping his or her team during each match. money can also be reduced by team killing or damaging during the round.

Magic includes:
* Teleport, enables users to instantly warp 8-10 meters in the direction of their movement, even through solid objects $2250
* Resurrect, allows a player to bind a fallen teammate to their own life energy in order to bring them back to life as well as stop teammates from "bleeding out" $2000
* Strangle, produces a field of crystals which restricts the movement and drains the essence of any player caught amongst them $2000
* Summon, produces a creature that relentlessly attacks hostile entities on sight $3000
* Gust, is a burst of powerful wind that can push enemies and objects away, and if timed carefully, can break a player's fall $2000
* Smoke, allows a player to turn their body to smoke, causing bullets, explosions, and falls to cause no damage, though being hit with Gust will cause significant harm $2000
* Tree of life, creates a tree that heals anyone nearby, as well as providing a physical barrier that can be used for cover $2000

Tech includes:

* Grenade, allows the player to throw grenades. The player may have two stocked at any given time. start with and can be picked up off dead enemies or team mates
* Enhanced vision, allows the player to detect nearby enemies, as well as teammates, through walls $2000
* Glider, enables short-distance flight and enhanced leaping height $2000
* Wired reflexes that enhance the player's running speed and allow the deflection of bullets when wielding a katana $2000
* Anti-magic generators, drain essence of any player or magical object caught in its field $1500
* Smartlink, assists players by increasing enemy tracking abilities and automatically preventing firearms from firing when a teammate is in the cross hair. $2000

Weapons Include:

* Katana, this is a point blank range weapon often found in use by elfs and humans who like to play fast assaulters, the amount of damage it does depends on the strength of the user, but whilst the trolls do the most damage they are the slowest and can struggle to get close. It is capable of killing in one hit by causing a "Mortal wound" which deals a high amount of damage and makes the enemy lose health over a period of time, dwarves are immune to bleed outs caused by a katana. $1000
*SMG, the SMG is a cheap, low damage weapon that reloads quickly and fires very fast. It's not very heavy, making it usable by all races and battle types. it has a high amount of recoil and is best fired in bursts. $500
* Pistol, this is your standard, cost-free weapon. It is the first weapon that every player starts off with. The pistol causes low-damage but its speed and maneuvering abilities make up for it.
* Rifle, good damage with little recoil makes the rifle a good weapon its price makes it a necessary purchase. It is highly useful for damaging enemies under a tree of life. Its damage is also highly useful for taking down trolls. It has more damage and more accuracy but lower firing rate than the SMG .$500
* Rocket Launcher, the most powerful weapon in the game and the most expensive purchase at $5000 and each rocket costing $1000. Whilst it is the most powerful weapon in the game since it can kill anything in one shot the rockets are slow when fired and can be dodged and because of its power its easy for a player to kill themselves accidentally. $5000
* Shotgun, a powerful and cost effective weapon can easily stop a charging enemy. It has the 2nd highest damage after the rocket launcher. It is not a very fast firing weapon and has a slow reload time but its power makes up for it. $750
* Minigun, the weapon with the highest firing rate in the game and also the heaviest is ideal in the hands of a troll. Individual rounds have low stopping power but it has a high fire rate and a very large ammo count. $1250
* Sniper Rifle, 4 shots to a magazine and rather expensive, however, this gun is great in the hands of a skilled marksman. A single shot to the head will kill all but the dwarf. Very useful for elves or humans to use, but can only be fired if scoped in and taking damage will lower your scope. $2500

The game lacks a traditional campaign mode. Instead, various match modes are available - solo play against bots, private matches with friends and associates (only through LAN), and live matches which match up players from around the world. The three play modes available are Attrition (Team Deathmatch variant), Extraction (Neutral Flag), and Raid mode (One flag, attack/defend CTF). Each map has two of these three game modes, usually Raid or Extraction and Attrition. Raid being the most common.

Differences between PC and Xbox 360 versions

"Shadowrun" is the flagship title for the Games for Windows - LIVE service that allows Windows Vista PC users to be fully integrated into Xbox Live. Due to this integration, FASA has decided to make several changes to try and create a more balanced competition between the Xbox 360 and PC versions.

*Because of the lack of 'pixel-accuracy' with the Xbox 360 analog thumbstick, the designers have included an aim-assisting technology, which basically interpolates the player's movement and causes the reticle to stay over an enemy player like a weak magnet. In addition, FASA has implemented a feature which causes the crosshair to expand during quick movements, thus lowering the player's accuracy, making it impossible to quickly turn and maintain accuracy, reducing the potential advantage of playing with a mouse. [cite web | title = Shadowrun - X06 Live Multiplayer Demonstration HD | publisher = GameTrailers | url = http://www.gametrailers.com/downloadnew.php?id=13858 ] [cite web| last = Merrill | first = Sage | title = Shadowrun - Controller Balancing | publisher = FASA | url = http://shadowrun.com/backstage/controller_balancing.htm ] PC players, who have a more sensitive control scheme, are able to turn significantly faster than their controller-using counterparts and would have gained an unfair advantage.

*The PC version requires a Games for Windows - LIVE account to play online against other PC players. . [cite press release
title = Microsoft Unites Xbox and PC Gamers With Debut of Games for Windows — LIVE
publisher = Microsoft
date = March 14, 2007
url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/mar07/03-14G4WandXboxLIVEPR.mspx
accessdate = 2008-01-19]

*The PC version requires mandatory online or telephone product activation before allowing play. [ cite web | title = Frequently asked questions about how to activate and how to troubleshoot activation issues for Games for Windows and home product titles | publisher = Microsoft | url = http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927007 ]

*According to a license shown after installation of version 1.0.0.0 of the software, the PC version of the game is only licensed for use on one computer, although it may be uninstalled and reinstalled an unlimited number of times, and the license may be transferred at least once by using telephone activation for the convenience of the user.

*The Xbox 360 version of Shadowrun does not require activation, and the license to play can be transferred by switching the game disc into another console. However, once activation is complete the PC version of Shadowrun does not require a disc to play. The Xbox 360 version requires the software disc to be in the console's optical drive at all times while gaming.

Reception

"Shadowrun" was released on May 29, 2007 for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The media reviews for the game were mixed [cite web | title = Review Score Percentile Average | publisher = GameRankings | url = http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/929196.asp ] , with most reviews citing a dire lack of content for a multiplayer only game (9 maps, 7 weapons, 7 spells, 6 techs, 3 game modes) and the high price as the main criticisms despite the large chance of a myriad of download content.

Some user reviews from various sources portray the game in a more positive light.On June 7, 2007, Rooster Teeth Productions created a machinima series named "1-800-Magic" using Shadowrun.

Many people who were longtime fans of the Shadowrun P&P game were disheartened by the fact that the game had little to do with the actual Shadowrun universe or game, other than a name and some archetypes.Fact|date=July 2008

On June 22, 2007, FASA Studio head Mitch Gitelman provided an in-depth (40 minute) interview, on the podcast KOXM, regarding the game and its critical reviews. [ [http://www.oxmpodcast.com/?p=86] >] He defended the pricing over the long term value of gameplay compared to other first-person shooters: [ [http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/shadowrun-producer-says-shadowrun-reviews-suck-ass-271991.php Kotaku - Shadowrun Producer Say Shadowrun Reviews Suck Ass] ] cquote|The most important thing is the value of what you're getting, I think there is value there at the $60 price point. If you play just about any first person, next-generation shooter that's come out recently, you're looking at the single player game being about 10 hours. I've been playing Shadowrun for three years... You can see this game truly has legs. So, ten hours of gameplay for sixty bucks, plus some probably lame multiplayer they tacked on, versus Shadowrun that you can play, lets [sic] say, for years.

On September 12, 2007, FASA Studio announced its closure. [cite web|url=http://forums.shadowrun.com/forums/thread/126659.aspx|title=FASA Studio has closed its doors|author=Gitelman, Mitch|publisher=FASA Studio|date=2007-09-12|accessdate|2008-02-12]

On January 7, 2008, it was announced that the dedicated servers hosted by Microsoft for PC users would be available until at least the beginning of February 2008, at which time plans for their future support would be evaluated. [cite web|url=http://forums.shadowrun.com/forums/thread/130478.aspx|title=Announcement: Dedicated Server Support|author=Kimona|date=2008-01-07|accessdate=2008-02-12]

The official Shadowrun forums were closed on January 31, 2008 [cite web|url=http://forums.shadowrun.com/forums/thread/130825.aspx|author=Kimona|date=2008-01-31|accessdate=2008-02-12|title=Forums Now Closed] and the announcement also stated the Shadowrun.com domain name would soon be transferred to Smith & Tinker, the company which licensed the electronic entertainment rights for Shadowrun from Microsoft.

References

ee also

*"Shadowrun"
*"1-800-Magic" - a machinima series from Rooster Teeth Productions created using the "Shadowrun" engine.
*List of Games for Windows titles

External links

* [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/shadowrun/ "Shadowrun" Official Site]