SHADOWRUN
Release Date: 1994
Available: NTSC Sega Genesis cartridge via import, or by emulation.
So, a caveat with this review – every other game I’ve reviewed I own. However, with this title, I did own it, in a way, but not anymore, simply because it’s all-but impossible to.
In the 1990s, something wayyyy ahead of its time was available through Telewest cable called the SEGA Channel. It allowed you to stream Mega Drive games through the internet, with games refreshing each month. It was an incredible feat of technology for the time and it was a massive shame when it finally ended after just a year or so.
During that time, Shadowrun was a title that you could play – and I sunk a good 100 hours into it. To the best of my knowledge, it was never physically released in the United Kingdom, so I was exceptionally fortunate to come across it via the SEGA Channel.
Now, this isn’t the same game as the horror that was the FPS released several years back for the Xbox 360 and the PC. That game was atrocious and had nothing to do whatsoever with what Shadowrun is all about. Neither is this game the Super Nintendo version released at roughly the same time, which was an isometric RPG action game with a completely different playstyle. It was good, but not great in my opinion, although many favour that version. And, furthermore, this isn’t Shadowrun Returns, a remake that was made via Kickstarter in 2013 – I own that game, it’s ace, but it’s nothing like the Mega Drive version of the game.
And the Mega Drive version of Shadowrun is mind-blowingly brilliant.
Most games in this list remain recommendable in 2014 because they hold up graphically. Shadowrun is the exception to that rule. It looks horrible on first sight – a dark, messy top down view of barely discernable pixels. However, get beyond the first impression and play for five minutes and you’ll see that the graphic style is actually an important part of the game. And, furthermore, it is the perfect Sega title for PC emulation.
The game is a futuristic action RPG set in a cyberpunk alter-reality of Seattle, were street gangs and cyber-deckers mingle with elves and trolls in a fully fleshed out fantasy universe. You play the part of Joshua, a brother seeking answers about his brother’s mysterious death whilst performing a ‘Shadowrun’ – an illicit, criminal underworld job that acts as the occupation system in the game. The atmosphere oozes cyberpunk, and the techno sound track does a fantastic job of drawing you wonderfully into the games environment and keeping you there.
As a Shadowrunner, you can choose to be a gun-toting samurai, a magic wielding shaman or a matrix hacking decker. Oh yes, there’s a matrix in this game, long before Keanu Reeves made it popular. You partake in assassinations, you run mega-corporations to retrieve data or rescue people, you disable alarm systems, hack into computers and use a variety of programs to steal sensitive documents, which you can sell on for cash. You can upgrade your computer systems, your guns, your magic – you can even upgrade yourself through a system called cyberware, which allows you to have razor sharp claws embedded into your hands for melee combat, or a smart gun system a la Terminator. You can buy from legitimate shops or visit the black market and buy illegal items. You can join the mafia or the yakuza, you’ll get involved in random scuffles with gangs on the streets, you’ll hunt down sub-human species in cellars scattered around the open world sandbox of Seattle.
Yes, open world. This is a game that, after the first 10 minutes or so of play, you can basically go anywhere. You can complete missions in separate order, approach problems in a variety of ways, make various allegiances and hire other shadowrunners to aid your cause.
And the last two paragraphs have only touched the surface. Shadowrun was a revolutionary game for its time, being open world before GTA had even been conceptualised. It’s a game with faults – sure, some weapons are cumbersome and impractical, and most of the matrix programs are all but useless and the main story is on the short side if you rush through – but these are very minor complaints. Best of all, as stated above, this is the perfect game for PC emulation, as it’s a top down RPG that makes best use of a keyboard interface, arguably better than the original did with a game pad. This is now effectively abandonware, so don’t feel bad emulating it – if this game came on the market in the UK legitimately, I’d but it in a heartbeat.
If you are looking for something completely different, utterly addictive and with incredible depth, this is the game for you.
VERDICT: 92% - A game that slipped under the radar that deserves recognition, Shadowrun is an astonishing title full of character, stunning gameplay and incredible depth.
Release Date: 1994
Available: NTSC Sega Genesis cartridge via import, or by emulation.
So, a caveat with this review – every other game I’ve reviewed I own. However, with this title, I did own it, in a way, but not anymore, simply because it’s all-but impossible to.
In the 1990s, something wayyyy ahead of its time was available through Telewest cable called the SEGA Channel. It allowed you to stream Mega Drive games through the internet, with games refreshing each month. It was an incredible feat of technology for the time and it was a massive shame when it finally ended after just a year or so.
During that time, Shadowrun was a title that you could play – and I sunk a good 100 hours into it. To the best of my knowledge, it was never physically released in the United Kingdom, so I was exceptionally fortunate to come across it via the SEGA Channel.
Now, this isn’t the same game as the horror that was the FPS released several years back for the Xbox 360 and the PC. That game was atrocious and had nothing to do whatsoever with what Shadowrun is all about. Neither is this game the Super Nintendo version released at roughly the same time, which was an isometric RPG action game with a completely different playstyle. It was good, but not great in my opinion, although many favour that version. And, furthermore, this isn’t Shadowrun Returns, a remake that was made via Kickstarter in 2013 – I own that game, it’s ace, but it’s nothing like the Mega Drive version of the game.
And the Mega Drive version of Shadowrun is mind-blowingly brilliant.
Most games in this list remain recommendable in 2014 because they hold up graphically. Shadowrun is the exception to that rule. It looks horrible on first sight – a dark, messy top down view of barely discernable pixels. However, get beyond the first impression and play for five minutes and you’ll see that the graphic style is actually an important part of the game. And, furthermore, it is the perfect Sega title for PC emulation.
The game is a futuristic action RPG set in a cyberpunk alter-reality of Seattle, were street gangs and cyber-deckers mingle with elves and trolls in a fully fleshed out fantasy universe. You play the part of Joshua, a brother seeking answers about his brother’s mysterious death whilst performing a ‘Shadowrun’ – an illicit, criminal underworld job that acts as the occupation system in the game. The atmosphere oozes cyberpunk, and the techno sound track does a fantastic job of drawing you wonderfully into the games environment and keeping you there.
As a Shadowrunner, you can choose to be a gun-toting samurai, a magic wielding shaman or a matrix hacking decker. Oh yes, there’s a matrix in this game, long before Keanu Reeves made it popular. You partake in assassinations, you run mega-corporations to retrieve data or rescue people, you disable alarm systems, hack into computers and use a variety of programs to steal sensitive documents, which you can sell on for cash. You can upgrade your computer systems, your guns, your magic – you can even upgrade yourself through a system called cyberware, which allows you to have razor sharp claws embedded into your hands for melee combat, or a smart gun system a la Terminator. You can buy from legitimate shops or visit the black market and buy illegal items. You can join the mafia or the yakuza, you’ll get involved in random scuffles with gangs on the streets, you’ll hunt down sub-human species in cellars scattered around the open world sandbox of Seattle.
Yes, open world. This is a game that, after the first 10 minutes or so of play, you can basically go anywhere. You can complete missions in separate order, approach problems in a variety of ways, make various allegiances and hire other shadowrunners to aid your cause.
And the last two paragraphs have only touched the surface. Shadowrun was a revolutionary game for its time, being open world before GTA had even been conceptualised. It’s a game with faults – sure, some weapons are cumbersome and impractical, and most of the matrix programs are all but useless and the main story is on the short side if you rush through – but these are very minor complaints. Best of all, as stated above, this is the perfect game for PC emulation, as it’s a top down RPG that makes best use of a keyboard interface, arguably better than the original did with a game pad. This is now effectively abandonware, so don’t feel bad emulating it – if this game came on the market in the UK legitimately, I’d but it in a heartbeat.
If you are looking for something completely different, utterly addictive and with incredible depth, this is the game for you.
VERDICT: 92% - A game that slipped under the radar that deserves recognition, Shadowrun is an astonishing title full of character, stunning gameplay and incredible depth.
