Remember the PC/Xbox 360 cross-platform first-person shooter Shadowrun? No? Good. It was a trainwreck. Some solid ideas were marred by an overwhelmingly lackluster execution. Cliffhanger Productions, the developer behind the upcoming Jagged Alliance Online, hopes to redeem FASA Corporation's cyberpunk universe with Shadowrun Online.
The series' roots extend back to a pen-and-paper role-playing game created by FASA and released in 1989. The RPG's grim near-future setting immediately struck a chord with sci-fi fans, especially with the way it mixed fantasy elements like magic and elves with more recognizably cyberpunk themes like megacorporations and a Matrix-like online space (actually called The Matrix).
Cliffhanger revealed in its newly posted first newsletter for Shadowrun Online that the game will be a browser-based RPG-style affair viewed from an isometric perspective. The above screenshot, an early, incomplete work-up, is certainly eye-catching and immediately reminds me of Housemarque's excellent 2010 twin-stick zombie shooter from, Dead Nation.
Very few actual game details are revealed in the initial announcement, but the developer does lay out the basic structure. Shadowrun Online features two major gameplay "modes." Action-oriented missions are where you'll spend the bulk of your time, either alone or with friends. Goals could involve anything from stealing a corporation's secrets to a frontal assault on a well-defended outpost. Hacking will be as important to the game as gunplay and magic, and Cliffhanger notes that these bits will all play out simultaneously.
Between missions, players will explore a "city overview map" as they prep for whatever the coming task is. "This will be closer to rolling the dice on an action and getting a short, narrated outcome," Cliffhanger's Primetide writes. The amount of prep work you can do is governed by your supply of action points.
The studio is also apparently working with some series veterans, including "writers and artists and Shadowrun alumni who have worked on the pen and paper game or had their hands in Shadowrun Mods or community work." It's at this point that I'll try to forget that the PC/360 game was also worked on by the folks from FASA, the RPG's creator.
Cyberpunk looks like it's coming back into vogue, what with the recent success of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the generally warm reception Electronic Arts' Syndicate has received in previews. I've always been a fan of the Shadowrun lore and wish Cliffhanger the best in giving the series a much-needed kick. We probably won't see the game until after Jagged Alliance Online is completed, but hopefully we'll get some more details soon.
Source: Cliffhanger Productions
Comments are Closed
Comments
Displaying 1–10 of 10
lorxInquisitor
Would a good Shadowrun FPS be too much to ask for? I mean im a big fan of the table top and i own the xbox game and they are completly different. It was a fun game but it was nothing like real SR. I think a good story driven FPS/RPG would be the best path for SR. What could be more fun than taking on an entire mega corp with a group of friend?
AdamRosenberg
To those who are defending the Shadowrun 360/PC game: I fully respect where you're coming from. That game had some fantastic ideas. I was a day one purchaser due to my love for the original RPG, and it did some really cool things in very great ways.
That said, it was also one of the most content-light $60 game releases I've ever encountered. That immediately killed any potential it had for building up a large enough base of players to sustain itself. It's really too bad FASA Studio wasn't able to just delay the thing and put the necessary amount of time in to deliver on the inherent potential.
BobbyDole
A train (SPACE) wreck is something like Brink. Shadowrun was actually EXTREMELY fun to play.. there really wasn't even that much wrong with it to be honest... just a different style of gameplay that many people couldn't adjust to.
jdizzle1234
I actually loved the shadowrun FPS. I know it was rushed but it was a great game. What other game lets you teleport through walls and kill your friends? Also, it was extremely well balanced and the different abilities worked well together. People who say it sucks didn't play it enough. Pick it up... you can find it for like 5 bucks
V_Translanka
Looks (sounds) kinda like the SNES/Genesis Shadowrun games...makes sense that the series would try to be as closely linked to the computer as possible. :P
I still hope the series can somehow just clone Fallout's success in any way.
bolo73
Does everyone game that used to be a PC hit need an free to play model now? I mean come on I love JA but A stand alone game would be nice. Same with Shodowrun. I am not a fan of the online free to play but ding my credit card for things.
macross2012
Would love to play this, however Star Wars is about here and this is just bad timing for another MMO.
KingGainerXan
I played shadowrun back in my tabletop rpg days. I always thought it would make a great video game, if done right.
mirvagor
Well there are a bunch of fans working on a free shadowrun mmo of their own. It's called Shadowrun:Awakened. Do a google search for their website.
Makinso
4 words for both these seemingly spontaneous online titles; Don't mess it up.
Displaying 1–10 of 10