| Shadowrun (2007 Video Game) |
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''Shadowrun'' was developed by FASA for Windows Vista and the Xbox 360 . It is not set in the Shadowrun Universe but an alternate continuity invented by FASA Studios. It is the first game to utilize 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 of 1999, Microsoft purchased FASA Interactive ,1 acquiring the electronic rights to ''Shadowrun'' in the process. Microsoft then filed a trademark for the ''Shadowrun'' title in November, 2004.2 Initial gameplay prototyping was done using the '''' engine while FASA worked on creating their own engine.3 At E3 in May of 2006, Microsoft officially revealed ''Shadowrun'' for Windows Vista and the Xbox 360 .4 STORYLINE 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 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. Players can purchase magic, tech, and weapons at the beginning of each round of play. Magic includes:
Tech includes:
Weapons include a sniper rifle, SMG, a shotgun, a minigun, a semi-automatic battle rifle, a rocket launcher, and a katana for close-range combat. The game lacks a traditional campaign mode. Instead, various match modes are available - solo play againstbots, 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 (One flag CTF), and Raid mode (Attack/Defend CTF). Any certain 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 some 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.56 PC players, who have a more sensitive control scheme, are able to turn significantly faster than their controller brethren and would have gained an unfair advantage. Many believe this defeats the purpose of having a separate version for the PC platform and that it is forcing PC players to play it like a console game. Although originally believed to be one of the first games that makes use of Windows Vista's unique features along with DirectX10, it has been discovered by the Warez group, Razor 1911 , that the game merely checks the operating system at install, making it possible to run the game in Windows XP with a hack. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} RECEPTION ''Shadowrun'' was released on May 29 , 2007 for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The media reviews for the game were largely negative7, with most reviews citing a dire lack of content for a multiplayer only game (9 maps, 7 weapons, 3 game modes) and the high price as the main criticisms. There were also many complaints about online performance and stability, graphics, combat, and art design. Some user reviews from various sources also portray the game in a more positive light. Many of the reviews are still mixed, but the average rating for Shadowrun based on user's scores is around the same [http://uk.gamespot.com/PC/action/shadowrun/players.html On June 7 , 2007 , Rooster Teeth Productions created a Machinima series named '' 1-800-Magic '' using Shadowrun. On s: Kotaku - Shadowrun Producer Say Shadowrun Reviews Suck Ass REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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