Shadowrun (Retro)
User Review
Product Information:
- Publisher: Data East; Laser Beam Entertainment
- Genres: Cyberpunk Role Playing Game
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
Review Approach:
Remembering all these times I've played the game, looking at screenshots and videos, listening to the music.
This is a review of, and a look back at Shadowrun for the SNES. Remembering the joys of past.
We've all had this game we've stumbled upon. A game we never thought of, didn't know about or just didn't look good. By a freak chance we just happen to get that game, find it somewhere, borrowed it from a friend or flipped a coin when choosing between games.
This is my story. I had a game for the SNES which I never got to work, and now in hindsight I know why. I didn't understand the technology behind it. It was the Nintendo Super Scope which I didn't enjoy, so I went to the local used games shop to trade it in. I said I liked role playing games, and he gave me two suggestions; one which I had played with a friend earlier called "Secret of Mana", boxed. I was tempted, and this was before it had it's ridiculous value, but since I've played it before I went with the other game. It was an American copy so I would need an adapter, that wasn't a problem since I had several other American and Japanese games. I came home, was really interested in this new game I never heard of before, but looked really cool. I opened the box, saw a European cartridge, popped it in without an adapter and saw the intro to Shadowrun. In Swedish. This is one of the two SNES games that were ever translated into Swedish, the other being a beta game.
So...
The setting is Seattle, Washington in 2050, where semi-automatic guns, cyberpunk and cyborgs meet elves, orks, dragons and magic. You wake up at a morgue, everyone thought you were dead, and you scare the two employees half to death. Your memory has been wiped out during an attack, and you set out to find out what happened to you. A somewhat classic plot, but it gets more and more interesting the further you dive into the story. Jacking into computers, going into the Matrix, talking with dog spirits, investigating arms dealers. I won't get into the details of the story, but it's unlike anything I had played so far, and still is a unique experience.
The controls takes a while to get used to. You run around the streets of Seattle in an isometric perspective and with a press of a button, you get a cursor on the screen while you stand still. This is used to talk to people, investigate, look at things, pick up money, open doors etc. This is done with small menu boxes popping up, but the most common action is quickly accessible with the R-button, skipping through all the boxes. This speeds the game up a lot, when you walk through doors or pick up the money some ork dropped.
The combat is done in a similar fashion, press a button and a crosshair comes up, which you move towards your target to shoot. This takes time getting used to and can be quite tricky at first, but soon enough it will feel as smooth as anything. Magic works the exact same way. One interesting function is that the crosshair locks onto the target, so you won't have to follow the enemy if it moves. This doesn't always work, if the enemy is too quick for example, which might be annoying at first, but makes sense. Now, since this is a role playing game, you need to gain experience and level up, right? Well, when you kill enemies, whether it's zombies, vampires, snipers or assassins, you will eventually get Karma which you use to level up certain skills when you sleep. This is health, firearms, magic, hacking skills, etc. (kill innocent people and you'll lose Karma).
The dialogue is full of slang, and while I've played the Swedish translation, the English is somewhat less "spoken language". It really fits the mood of the game when the street kids and hacker junkies uses this lazy grammar and throw around slang words. Much like recent games in the genre, you will unlock new topics to talk about when you speak to different characters, making you run back to old characters to see if they can give you any new information now that you've learned about some specific subject. This is a double edged sword, on one hand it involves you more into the dialogue, making it more interesting. On the other hand, it can be tedious to go through all the dialogue options just in case there is something new to learn from it, most topics replied to with a "Huh?".
Except for killing enemies, another way to get money is to hack computers, you jack up to the Matrix, and navigate through a 2D grid in something similar to a Mine Sweeper technique avoiding security programs which may kill your character. After successfully hacking a computer you retrieve information and Nuyen, the currency in Shadowrun.
If you are too low leveled to hack something specific, or is overwhelmed by a group of enemies, you can always hire a Shadowrunner. These guys are either Mercenaries (guns), Deckers (hacking) or Mages (magic). How much these will cost you to hire and how long they will stay with you all depend on your charisma, negotiation and leadership skills, and that they aren't killed of course. I think they are supposed to be a big part of the game, but I have never been a fan of NPC companions, and rather grind a few extra hours to take on the game's challenges solo.
What do I think of this all? I find it superb. Easily one of the system's best games and a unique one at that. The story, the setting, the gameplay. Everything felt ahead of its time. Back when I got this game I was blown away by it all. I had never played anything like it. Today, looking back, I am still blown away. The music really fits the mood and is perfect for this game, although it sounds a little flat at times.
Do I regret not getting a boxed copy of Secret of Mana? Nope. I would never have gotten to play this gem in that case!
Do I recommend it? Yes. Hands down. Might be hard to get into the first 30 minutes or so, but after that it's a ride you won't forget!
This is my story. I had a game for the SNES which I never got to work, and now in hindsight I know why. I didn't understand the technology behind it. It was the Nintendo Super Scope which I didn't enjoy, so I went to the local used games shop to trade it in. I said I liked role playing games, and he gave me two suggestions; one which I had played with a friend earlier called "Secret of Mana", boxed. I was tempted, and this was before it had it's ridiculous value, but since I've played it before I went with the other game. It was an American copy so I would need an adapter, that wasn't a problem since I had several other American and Japanese games. I came home, was really interested in this new game I never heard of before, but looked really cool. I opened the box, saw a European cartridge, popped it in without an adapter and saw the intro to Shadowrun. In Swedish. This is one of the two SNES games that were ever translated into Swedish, the other being a beta game.
So...
The setting is Seattle, Washington in 2050, where semi-automatic guns, cyberpunk and cyborgs meet elves, orks, dragons and magic. You wake up at a morgue, everyone thought you were dead, and you scare the two employees half to death. Your memory has been wiped out during an attack, and you set out to find out what happened to you. A somewhat classic plot, but it gets more and more interesting the further you dive into the story. Jacking into computers, going into the Matrix, talking with dog spirits, investigating arms dealers. I won't get into the details of the story, but it's unlike anything I had played so far, and still is a unique experience.
The controls takes a while to get used to. You run around the streets of Seattle in an isometric perspective and with a press of a button, you get a cursor on the screen while you stand still. This is used to talk to people, investigate, look at things, pick up money, open doors etc. This is done with small menu boxes popping up, but the most common action is quickly accessible with the R-button, skipping through all the boxes. This speeds the game up a lot, when you walk through doors or pick up the money some ork dropped.
The combat is done in a similar fashion, press a button and a crosshair comes up, which you move towards your target to shoot. This takes time getting used to and can be quite tricky at first, but soon enough it will feel as smooth as anything. Magic works the exact same way. One interesting function is that the crosshair locks onto the target, so you won't have to follow the enemy if it moves. This doesn't always work, if the enemy is too quick for example, which might be annoying at first, but makes sense. Now, since this is a role playing game, you need to gain experience and level up, right? Well, when you kill enemies, whether it's zombies, vampires, snipers or assassins, you will eventually get Karma which you use to level up certain skills when you sleep. This is health, firearms, magic, hacking skills, etc. (kill innocent people and you'll lose Karma).
The dialogue is full of slang, and while I've played the Swedish translation, the English is somewhat less "spoken language". It really fits the mood of the game when the street kids and hacker junkies uses this lazy grammar and throw around slang words. Much like recent games in the genre, you will unlock new topics to talk about when you speak to different characters, making you run back to old characters to see if they can give you any new information now that you've learned about some specific subject. This is a double edged sword, on one hand it involves you more into the dialogue, making it more interesting. On the other hand, it can be tedious to go through all the dialogue options just in case there is something new to learn from it, most topics replied to with a "Huh?".
Except for killing enemies, another way to get money is to hack computers, you jack up to the Matrix, and navigate through a 2D grid in something similar to a Mine Sweeper technique avoiding security programs which may kill your character. After successfully hacking a computer you retrieve information and Nuyen, the currency in Shadowrun.
If you are too low leveled to hack something specific, or is overwhelmed by a group of enemies, you can always hire a Shadowrunner. These guys are either Mercenaries (guns), Deckers (hacking) or Mages (magic). How much these will cost you to hire and how long they will stay with you all depend on your charisma, negotiation and leadership skills, and that they aren't killed of course. I think they are supposed to be a big part of the game, but I have never been a fan of NPC companions, and rather grind a few extra hours to take on the game's challenges solo.
What do I think of this all? I find it superb. Easily one of the system's best games and a unique one at that. The story, the setting, the gameplay. Everything felt ahead of its time. Back when I got this game I was blown away by it all. I had never played anything like it. Today, looking back, I am still blown away. The music really fits the mood and is perfect for this game, although it sounds a little flat at times.
Do I regret not getting a boxed copy of Secret of Mana? Nope. I would never have gotten to play this gem in that case!
Do I recommend it? Yes. Hands down. Might be hard to get into the first 30 minutes or so, but after that it's a ride you won't forget!
Verdict
What I Liked ...
- The story.
- The setting.
- Pretty much everything.
What I Didn't Like ...
- It takes a while to get used to the controls.
- Going through the dialogue choices can become tedious.
8
Gameplay
Sometimes the dialogue becomes tedious, sometimes it feels a little bit slow. Grinding can take a while. Apart from that, I think everything is made in the best way possible. It is fun, you learn how the system works, earning money, making calls, speaking with people. It's just plain fun!
10
Presentation
It looks stunning for a 1993 game, and you can almost smell the smog, feel the dirt on the streets. The atmosphere is there, and the dialogue fits the theme. The graphics are very clear, and it's easy to see what's going on. The music, although a little flat at times, really fits and is exciting.
9
Lasting Appeal
The story and setting makes you never wanting to leave Seattle. You want to finish this game, to find every little secret and upgrade yourself to the max.
9.5
out of 10
