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Shadowrun vs. Shadowrun
eToyChest's regular 'I roll 20s' column today looks at the different faces of Shadowrun in the world of Videogames. Before the most recent, ill-conceived, 360 title there were several other attempts to bring the rich cyberpunk-meets-Tolkien world to gamers with controllers. Some met with more success than others. From the article: "In the Genesis Shadowrun, you played an actual Shadowrunner, the sort of guy a corporation would pay to do their dirty work, and then deny the existence of after the fact should things manage to find a fan and hit it. Moreover, you were given the ability to create a character designed after whichever abilities and archetypes you found to be most savory, and as a result, a huge array of hybrid character styles were available, creating a game with a good deal more replay value than most Sega Genesis action RPGs."
Microsoft rewrote the timeline and setting for this game, so it is not in continuity with the tabletop RPG. It may be more accurately described as a game loosely based on Shadowrun.
Hmmm, take a product that somebody else produced. Modify it slightly, slap your name tag on it, and sell. Sounds familiar.
I recently played the SNES version. While playing it, I kept thinking that they could have renamed a few people, changed a few graphics, and resold the game as a "Matrix" game...
My favorite games for the Genesis were SFII, Phantasy Star 3&4, all of the Shining series, and Shadowrun. I still remember when you interfaced with what was like their version of an internet; you'd try and break their security to disable cameras, open doors, get data, etc. That was pretty novel at the time.
0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
The Xbox is looking more and more like the video game equivalent of an elephant graveyard.
It has become the platform where old video game companies and titles get lame and go to die on.
I played that game (Genesis version) until I was around the final boss. Somehow I left the room after the boss fight started; now the door is permanently locked... Anyone have any ideas
I used to read Caltizzle. I was a lot cooler than you.
I've been trying to find the Genesis version at flea markets and used game stores around here for a while, without much success. The only person that had it wanted as much as the game probably cost when it was new.
I felt it was a lot better than the SNES version, which was incredibly linear. The Genesis version let you free-roam for the most part, in both "the Matrix" and the streets of Seattle, and complete the missions when you wanted. I figure that I looked at it the same way kids look at San Andreas today.
It also made the first Gibson novel I read (when I was thirteen or so) all the more entertaining. "Wait a second, Black ICE, Chiba City, Runs...I know this!"
You all know when you first saw the Matrix movie trailer, and saw people in trench coats, with lots of guns, and hackers that seemed to be also experiencing almost magical phenomena, was set in the very close future, etc... that you thought a Shadowrun movie was coming out. And you went to www.whatisthematrix.com and were incredibly let down when it was an original IP, but you couldn't help thinking they still ripped a whole bunch off of Shadowrun.
Now why would I want a Shadowrun game that will, in essence, replicate that feeling I had after watching the Matrix movie trailer? It will probably look like Shadowrun in that it will be futuristic and dark, and have similar ideas or themes. But it still won't be Shadowrun, dammit!
Having played both the SNES and Genesis versions, they were at least far more passible approaches at translating the pen-and-paper game to video gaming than the crap that's showing up on 360.
The SNES version was okay, but the Genesis version was always my favorite in that it allowed more customization. Both games allowed you to hire other runners, and I'm not quite sure which one had more to select from, but Genesis gave you the options of either hiring them for a single run or hiring them as permanent companions. In relation, Genesis used a more complete stat set than SNES so that only increased the control you had in developing your characters.
Matrix combat in Genesis was more challenging than SNES, but more rewarding as well. Of course, almost nothing else gave more satisifaction than masking pass a strong IC. I would have liked to see the ability to choose your race, though, since that would bring out many more options.
The stories in both games were okay, though not as complex as some of the Shadowrun novels from the same era.
While it wasn't the first time this has been covered The Gamer's Quarter had a longer, more in-depth article about the previously released Shadowrun games back in issue #5. Sure it didn't include anything about the crappy-sounding Microsoft title, but then again... who really cares about it?
At this point in time, I'd trust the Dystopia mod for HL2 to give me a better interpretation of Shadowrun than Microsoft will.
"Before the most recent, ill-conceived, 360 title there were several other attempts to bring the rich cyberpunk-meets-Tolkien world to gamers with controllers."
Well, it's nice to see you've got an open mind at least... I take it you've actually played the game even though it's nowhere near finished? I mean otherwise a statement like that would just make you a pompus ass, right?
On eBay I see genesis shadowrun for about 20 USD incl. shipping.
I've played the pen and paper RPG through all four editions. I love the old Genesis game. When I first heard about this new game, I was so excited that I couldn't wait to get more info.
Now, I will bad mouth this game every single chance that I get. I hope that they choke on the costs and release the brand to someone who can give us a good game that actually hase something to do with Shadowrun.
My memory on this is a little fuzzy on this and I can't find the old web pages, but before the original Matrix came out I seem to remember the Corona Coming Attractions website lising it as being based on a Shadowrun novel. Anyone else remember this or am I just delusional?
Forget Teh Matrix, if you want Shadowrun in a movie, rent "Johnny Mnemonic." It is everything I would expect a great SR campaign to be (with out the magic).
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
I think that if they really wanted a true to RPG table top game for the PS3 or what ever they should have made a shadowrun game like how the newer GTA's are set up. That way people can pick what type of char. they want to be. be it Rigger / Decker / Mage / Body Mods / or combo, but you would be able to grow your char. like if on one mission your arm gets blown of you can go to a hosiptal and get a new one put on be it cyber or cloned. i think making Shadowrun a FPS is the worst idea i have ever heard! (well i hate ALL FPS so it is hard for me to say anything else.)
Way back in the day, there were talks of making a Shadowrun movie, but they fell through when the producers didn't want to include metahumans and other core elements of the Shadowrun setting. To the best of my knowledge (though I can find nothing to corroborate this), they went their own way and that seed went on to become the Matrix.
When the holder of the license goes "Well, we sold them rights to use the name & backstory, and we didn't demand creative control, or even a veto right... So when they showed us some of the working code, and we were like "That's not our game", they said, "Tough shit." " a fan of the original story doesn't have to see it to know it's not going to be what they hoped for.
It's less like Peter Jackson deleting a few chapters & consolidating a few characters, and more like if he made Frodo kill Sauron with a Ring-powered toothpick.
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
+5 geek bonus for you. i'd be careful stepping outside, you will have to work up to that much UV exposure. remember, little steps.
No sig for you!!
Definitely worth reading.
Incidentally, I was re-reading (and reading anew some of) the Gibson books I own a copy of during my summer vacations this year.
:-). I remember that I didn't find "Virtual Light" to be much good either, but it's at least ten years since I read it. I haven't read "Idoru" - I don't own a copy.
:-)
As far as "The Sprawl" trilogy goes I'd say "Mona Lisa Overdrive" gives about as much reading pleasure as "Neuromancer" did ("Neuromancer" still having the definite advantage of creating the genre), "Count Zero" is somewhat weaker but still worth it.
"Mona Lisa Overdrive"'s got some of the funniest dialogue lines I ever came across in a Gibson book, mostly by Sally/Molly, including but not limited to "No, fuck, I'm abducting you."
As for the "Virtual Light"/"Idoru"/"All Tomorrow's Parties": "All Tomorrow's Parties" turned out not to be page-turner to me, and frankly, I felt a bit disappointed when it ended, I kept waiting for the story to get good all the time I was reading it, and then it suddenly ended
Oh, there's "Pattern Recognition" too, which to me personally was a struggle to read through (even if my sig is a paraphrase of a sentence from it). Similar to "All Tomorrow's Parties" I felt it's not as much a story, but rather a portrait of a society Gibson sees/imagines, with characters and story just serving a supporting role.
At the moment, I'm reading The Difference Engine, but it'd be too early to draw a conclusion on it. Its premise is quite weird, admittedly.
There's also a collection of short stories, "Burning Chrome" - now that one does have some real gems in it and is definitely worth a read.
Looking back at this inventory, it looks like I gave more bad grades than good grades - and there I thought I'm a Gibson fan
Sig erased via substitution of an identical one.
Since when is PKD an obscure author?
I guess that makes Asimov an obscure author as well, eh?
To be honest, I did not originally find Asimov at first, I found others such as PKD and then was led into sci-fi and then got into the "mainstream" authors.
Just curious how PKD was an obscure author
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