Shadowrun (computer game, 2007)

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Shadowrun
Studio FASA Studio
Publisher Microsoft
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 2007
platform Xbox 360 , Windows
genre First person shooter
Subject Shadowrun
Game mode Multiplayer
medium Download
language English German
Age rating
USK from 18

Shadowrun from 2007 is the fourth computer game with this name that is based on the role-playing world of the same name . Unlike its predecessors, it is a first-person shooter for online multiplayer battles, which was developed by FASA Studio on behalf of Microsoft , largely ignoring the license template for Windows and Xbox 360 . The game should promote the sales launch of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system and therefore support the new exclusive functions Games for Windows and especially Live Anywhere , through which an interaction between owners of an Xbox 360 console and players on Windows PCs should be possible. The game was a commercial failure and FASA Studio closed in the year of its release.

Gameplay

For the game, the developers created an alternative timeline to the rules. Two groups - the multinational RNA Global and the resistance group The Lineage - are fighting for supremacy in the Brazilian city of Santos . Because according to the Mayan calendar, magic returned to the world on December 24, 2012 and Santos is the site of ancient magical artifacts that RNA would like to use for its business goals. A rescue attempt resulted in a catastrophe that caused numerous deaths among the population and sparked armed resistance against RNA Global. The result was The Lineage, which wants to keep access to magic open for all people and fights the troops of RNA Global with all means.

The game is primarily designed for the team online aspect, offline and alone you can only play a few tutorials and battles against bots . The main game mode corresponds to Capture-the-flag , in two variants, whereby instead of flags the magical artifact in the form of a carved staff with a skull is to be captured. In the variant "attack", the members of RNA guard the artifact and the lineage team has to steal it. In the "rescue" variant, the skull stick is in the middle and must be brought to their own camp by the teams. There is also deathmatch .

The player starts with a simple pistol at the beginning. For kills and rounds won, he receives money that he can invest in new equipment and skills. In order to compensate for the differences in precision of the input devices between the console and the PC, the precision of aiming on the PC decreases the faster the camera is aligned with the mouse.

development

At the beginning of development, FASA tests the game elements on prototypes that were initially set up in the Halo engine. According to the game designer Derek Carroll, functions were quickly set up and tested according to the Quick & Dirty principle in order to assess the potential and, if not satisfied, to quickly delete it again. Originally, a single player campaign was also planned, but was given up in favor of the multiplayer mode for resource reasons.

Before Shadowrun , Microsoft had no experience with the function of the cross-platform multiplayer mode. Therefore, a lot of development work went into balancing the different input methods (mouse / keyboard on the PC versus the Xbox 360 gamepad). Experienced players from both hardware camps were involved, especially fans of Counter-Strike (PC) and Halo (Xbox 360). The results of this work were summarized in a whitepaper that was enclosed with the development tools provided by Microsoft to certified development studios. In order to be able to use the online multiplayer mode at all, Microsoft required the possession of a paid gold account from Games for Windows , which was already viewed critically in the run-up to the publication. In May 2006, the game was presented at a Microsoft event at the E3 game fair . In May 2007, it achieved gold status.

As post-release cracking attempts suggested, the exclusive limitation of the game to Windows Vista was enforced by Microsoft. The cracker group Razor 1911 announced at the end of June 2007 that they had succeeded in getting the game to run on Windows XP with DirectX 9. In fact, Shadowrun did not use any DirectX 10 functions and only checked the operating system version when the program started. This query was bypassed by the crack. However, since the online multiplayer system Windows Live was also required for the multiplayer mode, only the local game mode could be used under XP.

reception

reviews
publication Rating
Windows Xbox 360
1UP Grade B + Grade B +
Eurogamer (UK) 6/10 6/10
GamePro 4.25 / 5 3.25 / 5
GameSpot 6.9 / 10 6.9 / 10
IGN 6.8 / 10 6.8 / 10
PC Games 80%
Meta-ratings
Metacritic 67% 66%

Shadowrun received mixed, often negative reviews ( Metacritic : 67% (Windows) / 66% (Xbox 360)).

“At the beginning, Shadowrun didn't convince me. The levels were dreary, the game mechanics slow. Only after getting used to it and with a functioning team did the title unfold. Then the matches are captivating. Because it is important to always be a little more insidious than your opponent and to pair the right spell with the right weapon. Anyone who only likes shooting is wrong in this game. The only annoying thing at the moment is that there are too few servers with too few players, but that will hopefully change soon. "

- Sebastian Weber : PC Games

"This multiplayer-only shooter does absolutely nothing with the Shadowrun name, and its unique strengths are offset by a lack of variety."

"This pure multiplayer shooter doesn't do anything to the Shadowrun name, and its unique strengths are negated by a lack of diversity."

- Jeff Gerstmann : Gamespot

In North America, sales as of July 31, 2007 were around 162,000 copies, including 150,000 on the Xbox 360 and the remaining 12,000 on the PC , according to the NPD Group .

Shadowrun was the last title released by FASA Studio. In March 2007, before the game was even finished, rumors were circulating about the upcoming closure. The closure was officially announced in September 2007. In December 2007 Microsoft licensed the rights to develop Shadowrun computer games to Smith & Tinker , a newly founded company of Shadowrun inventor Jordan Weisman . In January 2008, the game's official forums were closed and the official website domain was given to Smith & Tinker.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Nick Suttner: Reviews: Shadowrun. In: 1Up. June 6, 2007, archived from the original on July 15, 2007 ; accessed on January 5, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Shadowrun - developer blog: From prototype to finished game. In: GameStar. May 3, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Derek Carroll: Quick and Dirty "Shadowrun". In: IGN. May 2, 2007, archived from the original on May 19, 2007 ; accessed on January 6, 2019 .
  4. ^ Robert Cram: Exclusive: Shadowrun Interview with Bill Fulton of FASA Studios. In: MSXbox World. July 20, 2007, archived from the original on July 14, 2011 ; accessed on January 6, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Matt Peckham: Answered: Did Microsoft Kill Cross-Platform Xbox 360 and Windows Play? . In: PC World . August 28, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  6. ↑ Shadowrun - Battles against Xbox 360 players for a fee. In: GameStar. March 6, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Players are asked to checkout at Shadowrun. In: PC Games. March 6, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Tim Surette: E3 06: 360 gets second wave of games. In: GameSpot. May 11, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2019 (American English).
  9. ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/Shadowrun-Spiel-32544/News/Shadowrun-erhaelt-Gold-Status-601070/
  10. ^ Eugene Huang: Vista-only games cracked for XP , GamePro.com. June 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2007. 
  11. ↑ Play Vista games on Windows XP. In: heise online. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b Metacritic (Windows)
  13. ↑ a b Metacritic (Xbox 360)
  14. ^ Nick Suttner: Reviews: Shadowrun. In: 1Up. June 6, 2007, archived from the original on October 12, 2012 ; accessed on January 5, 2019 .
  15. ↑ a b Kieron Gillen: Shadowrun. In: Eurogamer. June 1, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  16. ^ Brian Newton: Review: Shadowrun. In: Gamepro (US). June 5, 2007, archived from the original on June 7, 2007 ; accessed on January 5, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Vicious Sid: Review: Shadowrun. In: Gamepro (US). June 5, 2007, archived from the original on June 11, 2007 ; accessed on January 5, 2019 .
  18. ↑ a b Jeff Gerstmann: Shadowrun. In: Gamespot. June 1, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Jeff Gerstmann: Shadowrun. In: Gamespot. June 1, 2007, archived from the original on June 5, 2007 ; accessed on January 6, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Thierry Nguyen: Shadowrun. In: GameSpy. June 7, 2007, archived from the original on June 11, 2007 ; accessed on January 6, 2019 .
  21. ↑ a b Charles Onyett: Shadowrun Review. In: IGN. June 4, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2019 (American English).
  22. ↑ a b Test PC Games
  23. ↑ Tor Thorsen: FASA Studio KIA . GameSpot . September 13, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  24. ↑ Rumors about the closure of the development studio. In: PC Games. March 22, 2007, accessed January 6, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Microsoft's FASA Studio closed. In: Golem.de. Accessed January 6, 2019 (German).
  26. ↑ Simon Carless: Weisman Licenses MechWarrior, Shadowrun, Crimson Skies Rights From Microsoft. In: Gamasutra. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  27. ^ Shadowrun - New games in development. In: GameStar. January 4, 2008, accessed January 6, 2019 .