Very fun RPG from the Genesis era. Of all the Genesis games I played back in the old days this was my favorite. Not just because I was familar with the source material of the same name (Shadowrun is a table top role playing game), but the way they incorperated the material into a pretty impressive console game.
The Shadowrun setting is essentially a mix between Blade Runner and Lord of the Rings. You have major corporations controlling a dystopic metropolis (Seattle) while at the same time elves, ghouls, trolls, dragons and other fantasy creatures are seen in everyday life. With you get magic spells along with guns and cybernetic implants. In this game you are an operative for hire. A shadowrunner. This entails you getting assignments ranging from being a bodyguard, courier, corporate thief and more. Along the way you also have a personal mission to take care of. The way this all is put together makes for some great gameplay.
First off Shadowrun is completely open ended. You pick what kind of runner you want to be (cybered up mercenary called a street samurai, mage for fire, or futuristic computer hacker) and you decide what jobs you will do. You're not even that limited by the character you pick. You can give your mage some cybernetic implants or build up your samurai's computer skills. I think you can even get both to start casting spells. The trick is as you gain experience in the game you only have so much resources to use in increasing your skills so technically it's best to pick one and roll with it. Personally I recommend being a Decker (futuristic hacker) as it gives you more levels of gameplay.
Not only is character generation open ended, but the game world is as well. You can travel all over Seattle and the outskirts without being stuck in some linear path. It's funny how people go nuts about Grand Theft Auto and how you can go anywhere and do anything. Well this was doing that long before. As you explore the world around you meet various different characters. Some will just talk to you or sell you stuff. Others will hire you for shadowruns. There are also other shadowrunners out there for you to meet and even hire to help you with your missions.
The gameplay is pretty straight forward. When not in combat you walk around and talk to people, collect items. Pretty standard fare. When in combat things are a bit different. It essentially becomes a move around and shoot as much as you can sort of deal. It's all done with auto aiming so this part really isn't like scrolling shooter. Also be warned you can miss your target... a lot. But as long as you continue to increase your shooting skills in the RPG aspects it works out. A high enough skill level and you won't ever miss.
Another form of gameplay you get to do as a decker is jacking into the matrix. What that basically means is a virtual reality type Internet. The world looks like something from Tron and you go around with a silver persona of yourself zapping or sneaking past intrusion countermeasures as you steal data from computer systems. Gameplay is about the same as other combat modes in that you press a lot of buttons with the exception of a little more tactical planning in picking your programs to fight with.
Okay enough about game mechanics. Essentially the gameplay can get repetitive what with the combat mode and walking about, but that's what's to expect from an RPG. What makes the game jibe so well is the story behind it. All that non-linear gameplay sets up the feeling of being in a living, breathing environment. At least as good as you can get from the Sega Genesis (keep in mind boys and girls this is the 16 bit era). The personal mission you have is more linear, but since you can get on and off track of that anytime you feel it still feels more fluid. The climax of the game feels big and gets you pumped. Definitely worth the effort for 16 bit console fans.
The Sega Genesis is known for being better at music and sound than the Super Nintendo. However the SNES version of Shadowrun (totally different kind of game by the way) I feel actually had better music. Sounds effects, on the other hand, are better on this one. If you want an overal game comparison ultimately the story and gameplay on the Genesis version beat out the SNES (however the songs are cooler on the SNES version).
I loved playing this game and it's the only reason I still have my Genesis. If you are a fan of RPG games from this era, or a Shadowrun, or a fan of cyberpunk styled games I highly this one to you.
great game this was a great game i played it when i was about 11 i am 15 now and i have not been able to find it otherwise i would be playing it again i never understood the cyberware part though
Adventures in Okayness First of all, I do have to say that I did somewhat enjoy playing through Shadowrun, but in retrospect, it wasn't very good. The experience was slightly better because the Shadowrun was a classic Sega-channel game. I recently acquired and played through it out of nostalgia.
The main problem is that Shadowrun is incredibly repetitive, and at times even downright boring. You spend almost the entire game delivering packages to get that next gun or point of computer skills. Getting to Cyberspace was a temporary thrill, although soon enough that degraded into pressing one button over and over until the ICE was defeated. In Cyberspace, you are either way too bad or way too good. Either way, there is no challenge.
The real-time combat and Karma system were probably the best part of the game, but were used way too sparingly. You do almost no fighting beyond random gang members (who you can totally trash up soon into the game).
The plot and storyline were nice, but extremely thin and bare-boned. There is some good story at first, but then it drains down into only doing pointless runs for about 20 hours, interspersed with interesting little tidbits (By the way, the cutscenes were cool), until the very end, where within half an hour you've gone from doing generic runs to having beaten the game. The end fight itself was anti-climactic.
All in all, this was a fun game for a while, and a good novelty item for RPG fans and Genesis owners, but after finishing it, I was a little let down.
A very good adventure RPG! This game is based on the pen and pencil game of the same name. It keeps more to the game play as the pen and pencil game more than the SNES version, which has a totally differnt story line. This is a very fun game to play. I just love the cyberpunk genre. You start out as a dead beat, spending your last cash to go to Seatle to find out why your brother was killed outside a shrine. Well, with back rent due at the motel your brother stayed at, you gotta make some fast cash. How do you do that? Dive into the shadows and become a runner! You will encounter magical creatures and beasts, as well as gang bangers and cops alike. Surf the net to download info, or run the streets. Your choice, most likely you'll do both. I pity the person who misses out on this truly great game.
The Best Game Ever! I'm now coming on 14. When I was 10 my brother borrowed SHWRNsnes from a friend of his. The game wass increadible and emencly enthraling. I JUST WISH I COULD GET HOLD OF A COPY, AND A SNES/ GENESIS. if you own one and would like to sell me 'em then email: jaybz@thomasjerome.co.uk i will pay quite a bit!
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