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."

Comments

Sounds familiar

[neonprimetime]

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.

SNES Version

[commonchaos]

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...

Re:SNES Version

[Pantero Blanco]

It WAS a Matrix game. Gibson used the term to refer to the "Internet" in his novels, which Shadowrun is based on. If I recall correctly, both the SNES and the Genesis games used the term as well and included "hacking" missions. The movie was named after it, and many characters in the movie were based on popular cyberpunk characters. It couldn't be much more obvious unless they'd called Trinity "Molly". ;)

very excellent game

[eamonman]

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.

Re:very excellent game

[MrSquirrel]

Shadowrun was amazing. You could play the game however you wanted with so many aspects -- street tough fist-fighter, gunman, magic user, sneaky spy, charismatic talker... combine the endless customizability with the party system (3 characters in your party at a time), the story, and the great gameplay and you end up with an amazing game.

Take the piece of crap Microsoft is making and you have... a big, smelly, piece of crap.

Xbox: The Elephant Graveyard

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Genesis Shadowrun

[Pantero Blanco]

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!"

Rip

[Belgand]

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?

Dystopia

[wuie]

At this point in time, I'd trust the Dystopia mod for HL2 to give me a better interpretation of Shadowrun than Microsoft will.

Karma will get them

[oddman]

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.

Re:Karma will get them

[BDZ]

Same here. Been GMing the game since the first edition came out.

Initially when I heard that there was going to be a 360 Shadowrun game coming out I had figured it was an RPG and fully intended to purchase one of the consoles solely to play this game.

Then I find out it's to be a first person shooter...and then I hear that they are ripping out the entire history and starting from scratch in a rather warped way...then I see the movie promo for the game and see that it's a deathmatch game with pointy eared avatars, some magic (rocket launchers by any other name...), and what looks to be a rez spell...What the heck? I also seem to recall reading something about magic being a finite resource controlled by possession of a handful of artifacts which seem to be the "prizes/flags" you fight for in the game?!?

Honestly, Microsoft, why did you bother getting the license if you are going to completely gut the entire game world? All you do is annoy those of us who love it...and for people who don't know it, well why would they care about the Shadowrun name being on the game in the first place?

Rockstar/Take2 should have taken this over..

[Wingfat]

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.)