[BabeSlayer]

Shadowrun Review.
by Atillia



Hey guys, I recently purchased Shadowrun, not thinking much of it. One of my friends was very interested in the game, so I bought it to play with him. I was expecting something good, as he hyped it to no end. I wasn't super interested in the game, but that changed when I played it.

For starters, I highly advise going through the training sessions before you deploy yourself into the Xbox Live portion of the game...its intense out there. The training sessions are explained very well, and will help you greatly when you get into the field.

Right when I started the first training session, I realized that the graphics were very nice. They have a very smooth look, and the lighting effects look awesome.



In the first session, you learn the basics. Gliding is the first thing you learn. In multiplayer, you can buy a glider (The game uses a buy system similar to Counter Strike and Perfect Dark). The glider is like a set of wings, and when you use it, you lift high into the air and slowly glide back down. Its a pretty neat tool. You also learn how to teleport in this section, which is a crucial tool when avoiding or tricking enemies. You can teleport through walls, ceilings, or floors...and even through the air.

As you move along in the training sessions, you learn such things as resurrect and The Tree of Life. These really change the way people play online. Resurrect works exactly how you would think...it resurrects a teammate who was killed. The Tree of Life is basically a giant magical tree, where if close by, will heal you. Without resurrect, your team could be doomed, as games go quickly. Other powers like Gust(A burst of wind that blows enemies away), Strangle(Enemy deterring spikes that can be deployed), Summon(Summons a large beast), Anti-magic (self-explanatory?) Smoke(Like an over shield in Halo), Smartlink(Improved accuracy, aim, and scopes on all guns), and Wired Reflexes (Insane speed and agility)are described and explained in the training sessions. You use your magic based on your Essence level. Your Essence goes down a certain amount every time you use magic. Don't worry though, it regenerates on the spot, the speed depending on which race you are.

In this game there are four races to choose from. Each having their advantages and disadvantages.

Elf: They are fast, and self heal, but they have less health, and move slower with heavy weapons.
Troll: These big beasts are strong, and can wield a minigun. Their skin also hardens while they get shot to prevent damage. You may think this is great, but they are slow, and are huge targets.
Human: Just like you and me. An average fighter.
Dwarf: These guys are pretty cool. They can survive a head shot, and they also have the most Essence, yet it recharges very slow.

There is a small amount of weapons in this game, but don't be angry, magic plays a huge role in defeating your opponent. There is an SMG, Rifle, Katana, Minigun, Sniper rife, pistol, shotgun, and rocket launcher.

There are two teams when playing online. Lineage and RNA. There is a story behind this game, but I regret to inform you, that I dont know it. The RNA are cop-like people, who in one game mode, defend an artifact. The Lineage are the enemies of the RNA, or terrorist-like individuals.



Ah, now onto the gameplay. I played a few matches on Live, and let me tell you...its crazy. The game is very fast paced. One wrong move, and you are gone(Unless you have teleport that is). The maps are pretty balanced from what I've seen. The game is very team oriented. You have to use your magic to help yourself, and your team(ie. Tree of Life and Resurrect). Using all of that magic, in coordination with weapons is good fun. Slashing with a katana while invincible to gunfire (limited time) is awesome. There are so many possibilities with the different kinds of magic, and thats what really makes the game fun.



No Xbox Live? No problem. You can still play against bots, and do everything you can do in multiplayer, just not play against other people.

It was also stated that people playing Shadowrun on the PC with Windows Vista can play against people on Xbox. Seems like a cool feature, we will see soon how that works out.



Well, from what I have played so far, this game is pretty damn fun. Its got great potential to be an awesome online game. I would highly recommend buying it in the near future. By the way, there are alot of maps on multiplayer as well. Enjoy.

Im off to play more Shadowrun. See ya.

Review by: Atillia.

i can't get the pictures to copy over