Shadowrun Retrospective

1Up has taken a look back at FASA Studio’s recent Shadowrun FPS in an attempt to figure out why the game failed so bad and why the developers didn’t pursue a different route with the franchise. Their suggestions for what it could have been:

FPS/RPG – The above elements would be even more cohesive with some role-playing standards thrown into the mix. Shadowrun’s mechanics offer several avenues of advancement along the lines of those in games like System Shock. Combat characters could upgrade genetic and bionic enhancements, replacing flesh with steel. Or, magical characters could focus their powers inward to become what is known as an “Adept.” These mystical gunslingers and kung fu experts can match their technologically driven counterparts blow for blow, but carry a very different vibe. Magical abilities outright are common among Shadowrun characters, with spells of all variety. Fireball and Manabolt are probably self-explanatory, but imagine how many physics-based puzzles you could throw at a player armed with “Polymorph: Rat” or “Magic Fingers.” Hacking, finally, opens up the intriguing possibility of including the 3D simulation of the Matrix into the game. Though the pipes-like gameplay of BioShock was enjoyable, wouldn’t it be more satisfying to tease out information from a computer by engaging it in a virtual duel?

Puzzle — That’s not to say that a Shadowrun puzzle game would be a bad idea. A new focus on the Matrix experience could lead to some intriguing possibilities. Given a storyline based on a hacker’s trials in sussing out data from some corporate database, the game could offer a variety of puzzle types to represent different challenges. Interweaving those gameplay elements with a tale of the dystopian future would allow for some light, but potentially compelling gameplay.

Adventure — It worked in Japan, so why not here? With the likes of Sam & Max or Hotel Dusk visibly reviving the point-and-click adventure genre, a Shadowrun title in the same vein seems a far more viable option than ever before. Perhaps a murder mystery in the streets of Hong Kong or London would be the best way to go, combining noir elements of games like Déjà Vu with the slick futurism of The Longest Journey. Alternatively, an exploration of the internecine world of corporate life could be portrayed as a stark puzzle-solving experience, not unlike some of the most successful modern text adventures.

RPG — The obvious choice for a Shadowrun game, but still one with many possible variations. What style of RPG would work best with the combination of magic and technology? Perhaps it would be an Oblivion/Fallout 3-style game, with forests of skyscrapers replacing the brickwork of Anvil, and magic-mad beasts of the forests replacing the radiation-mutated creatures of the wastes. A JRPG-style title would be very unique, a fusion of two very different mindsets to create a new gameplay style; picture the combat system of Final Fantasy XIII meets urban street brawls, with a smattering of luscious cut-scenes set in corporate boardrooms and atop blood-soaked Mexican ziggurats. What would seem like the perfect fit, though, is the party-friendly gameplay of BioWare games, in which customizable protagonist works through the story-heavy elements of a familiar-but-alien world with a rotating band of uniquely skilled cohorts. Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic have more in common with Shadowrun than not.

Had it been an RPG or FPS/RPG and not Vista-only, I guarantee it would have done a lot better.