Shadowrun Retrospective

Hardcore Gaming 101 has published a new article that takes a retrospective look back at all five Shadowrun-based video games that have either been released or been in development – the SNES title, the Sega Genesis title, the Mega CD title, a cancelled PC installment called Shadowrun: Assassin, and the recently released Counter-Strike clone. A snip from the SNES portion of the article:

There are also these cybernetic parts called Cyberware, which you can install on your body for boosts in certain aspects and stats, like the Wired Reflexes, which allows you to pull the trigger of your gun faster, and the Dermal Armor, which allows you to always have a bit of extra protection. Likewise, you can also learn magical spells to aid you in battle. You earn Karma by defeating enemies, which is Shadowrun’s equivalent of experience points. Whenever you sleep, you have the option of using Karma points to raise various abilities and skills, ranging from extending your life meter to gaining computer skills. Gaining Karma is tedious (especially at points where you NEED to), but you can lose it as well. If you really want to, just shoot at an innocent guy and you’ll see that someone is telling you to stop hurting the innocent. If you continue your transgressions, one Karma point will be deducted from your total. Compared to other RPGs on the SNES (and Japanese RPGs in general) there’s a lot more freedom and interaction given to your character, even though the plot itself is still pretty linear.