CES 2007: Shadowrun Hands-on


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CES 2007: Shadowrun Hands-on

To say that Microsoft has been high hopes for their Live Anywhere initiative is a bit of an understatement. The company has grand plans to give Xbox 360 and PC gamers the ability to play games with and against each other, and it's obvious that they're hoping to make it the future of online multiplayer action. Of course, like any major technological movement, it's got to start somewhere, and they've handpicked FASA Studio's Shadowrun to be Live Anywhere guinea pig, if you will. We had a chance to visit with the FASA team back in September, and it looked like development was coming along swimmingly. Earlier today, on the floor of the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, we got to take both the PC and the Xbox 360 versions of the game for a spin, beating down the poor souls who were playing the game for the first time (well, them and some unfortunate bots).

Shadowrun is a multiplayer-heavy action game that can be played from the first- or third-person perspective, depending on the weapon you've got equipped. You'll be able to choose from four races, each with its own unique skills and abilities, as well as strengths and weaknesses. The Humans are well-rounded, with average speed and damage ratings, as well as Essence, which is basically the game's magic currency. Elves, on the other hand, possess the ability to cast more spells thanks to their higher Essence levels and move faster, but don't do as much damage. The game also features Trolls and Dwarves, but they unfortunately weren't playable on the show floor. It's a shame, too, since those are the two most interesting classes.

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Ready for action.

We actually got to play a new level this time out, one that we had only seen during our visit to FASA last year. Set in a futuristic office building, the stage featured a large lobby that was the perfect spot to battle for the artifact that each team was tasked with grabbing. We were playing the Extraction gametype, which is basically like Capture-the-Flag with a single flag. Of course, the big difference here is that you can use the artifact as a melee weapon, swinging it at any enemies that happen to get too close.

The action in Shadowrun is very fast-paced, especially once the magic powers and tech get thrown in the mix. These are largely defensive and supportive in nature, so you'll still be relying on good old fashioned firepower to take out your foes. Best of all, you can map up to three to your controller at any time, meaning you can find your favorites and string them together. Our personal favorite combo was the glider tech and the teleport magic, which allows you to alternately glide from high areas and teleport through walls to get to your objective. The smoke power is cool, too, letting you turn into a puff of mist to avoid your enemy's attacks, then pop back into solid form to fell him.

What might be most impressive, however, is the Live Anywhere balancing act that the team appears to have pulled off. PC and Xbox 360 gamers appear to be evenly matched, so much so that we had no idea which players were playing on which platform. We always hear that PC gamers have an advantage thanks to the keyboard and mouse setup, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Granted, we'll need to spend a lot more time with the game before passing our final judgment, but things are definitely looking promising. We'll be bringing you more info on Shadowrun very soon!

Source: TeamXbox

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