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Shadowrun goes gold for 360 and Vista, coming 29th
Shadowrun, the absolutely inspired first person shooter that combines contemporary weapons, magic and advanced technology has gone gold. The first cross platform PC-360 FPS will be hitting retailers on May 29th, just in time for a blogger's 22nd birthday two days prior. We can't wait to get our hands on title and play against the best keyboard and mouse has to offer. Or at least play the demo first. If you want to know what all the fuss is about, check out our above linked coverage on the game, or our most recent Fancast. Finally, should you make the right decision and pick up this game, take a look at the credits, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Halo 2 Vista ship date moved to the 22nd
Seeing as today is the 8th, and Halo 2 Vista isn't on store shelves, Microsoft gave us the heads up one the current sitrep. For the sake of quality end-user experience and a few technical issues, Halo 2 Vista's ship date has been moved back to May 22nd, a mere fortnight after the initial release schedule. Better late than never, we always say. Speaking of the 22nd, a reliable source gave word to expect Shadowrun to also drop on the 22nd, perhaps beefing up the Live Anywhere launch. But you didn't hear it from us.
Shadowrun so wants to be Halo
Over at FASA Studios' IGN blog they posted a few screenshots of Shadowrun from back in the good ole days, way back when they were prototyping the game IN Halo's engine. As you see above, in the earliest stages they simple broke open the Halo code, popped some Elf and Troll heads on a few character models, colored up the HUD a little bit, and there you have it ... instant Shadowrun prototype! But thank god the screens are from the prototype and not the final build, otherwise someone would have some serious explaining to do. Head on over to FASA's IGN blog and read about what goes into creating great maps, it'll make you have one of those cool "ah ha" moments.[Via Shadowrun the blog]
Shadowrun Achievements pinged by Enhanced Vision
Matt Webster, better known as "fall" in the Shadowrun community, played the retail version of the game, revealing the Achievements to the world. Overall, they seem pretty balanced, actually encouraging players to give various magic, races and weapons their due play time. The cool thing is because of the lack of ranked matches, unless specified, you'll be able to get Achievements in private games with your friends. We all know how difficult the alternative can be. On top of that we've got 6 Secret Achievements, including the lone one worth 100 Gamerscore. So, Training Levels aside, what do you plan on trying to unlock first?
Reminder: FASA IRC chat and final day of Shadowrun beta today
We just wanted to remind everyone that FASA's holding an IRC Chat today at 2:00 PM PDT to 6:00 PDT to celebrate the end of the Shadowrun beta. There prizes given out, as well as the opportunity to ask the developers any questions you might have about the June bound FPS. The chat will be on the #Shadowrun.FASA chat channel, on the Gamesurge server. Will you fellow testers out there be playing to night and shooting the breeze with the devs?
WRUP: beta late than neva edition
So, the weekend is officially upon us, and at least in the Great White North, the forecast is wet and gloomy, which pretty much means sitting back in a Sumo lounge chair and gaming away. We'll probably try to get some final matches of Shadowrun in before the beta ends Monday night, rock out to Guitar Hero II, or go back to old favorites like Oblivion and Gears of War. But that's us. What of you, fellow fanboy, what are you going to be playing?Leaderboards:Xbox 360 Fanboy LeaderboardXbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. IIX360F Gamertags:Richard Mitchell -- SenseiRAMDustin Burg -- SuperDunnersDavid Dreger -- Knuckles Dawson
Shadowrun Devs to have IRC chat with fans
Matt Webster, aka fall over at the Shadowrun Forums, has announced that since the beta is ending on the 30th (We know, it sucks), the devs at FASA Studio will be having an IRC chat that Monday, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM PDT. There are going to be prizes available, so if the fact it's Shadowrun didn't sway you, free swag should definitely do the trick. It will take place in the #Shadowrun.FASA chat channel, on the Gamesurge server. Will you join in on the fun on IRC, or the beta itself on its last day?[Via HushedCasket]
FASA talks Shadowrun's take on teamwork
Bill Fulton, a Game Designer at FASA, put up a blog entry at IGN discussing the implementation of teamwork in Shadowrun. He goes on to discuss the interdependent dynamic of the races and how a team requires a proper balance of Elves, Trolls, Humans and Dwarves to perform well. He then touches on the communication aspect, and the measures at which FASA went in order to help keep your teammates informed on what's going on. The Situational Awareness system is really handy for those who can't verbalize that tactical information efficiently, or better yet, help those out who aren't using a headset. Finally, he touches on the money aspect of the game, going into detail about how players are rewarded and penalized for their team based actions. For his full entry, click the "Read" link below.
Want in the Shadowrun beta?
Xbox 360 Achievements is giving away two beta invites to Shadowrun. So, if you want a chance to play in the beta and either didn't sign up, or feel your chances of getting in with the weekly lump of newcomers is too slim, then this is your shot. The contest is pretty easy, shamelessly plug x360a somewhere on the interwebs before 11:59 (GMT) on Wednesday, March 28th. Sure, the free publicity is a little cheesy, but Shadowrun is Shadowrun, and the more people who get a taste of how awesome and deep this unique FPS is, the better. Full rules are available at the accompanying thread.
Shadowrun boxart, release in early June?
Com Raven, over at the Shadowrun forums came across the boxart for Shadowrun at EBgames, albeit for the PC version. It looks pretty nice and has some cool action in the foreground and background. The RNA teleporting Human weilds a Katana with a Troll with Glider in tow (commonly referred to as a "floating tank"). The Lineage Troll and Human return fire with a minigun and rifle, respectively. Also worth noting is that the Pre-Release is listed as shipping on the 29th of May, so perhaps Shadowrun is due in early June? Full resolution boxart also available for your scrutiny.[Thanks, Com Raven]
Shane Kim vs. Shadowrun haters: Fight!
In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Shane Kim spoke at length about Microsoft's decision to turn Shadowrun -- a classic pen and paper RPG franchise -- into a first-person shooter. Gamasutra notes that many Shadowrun fans were (understandably) miffed when they discovered that the new Shadowrun title would be an FPS. In response, Kim states that Microsoft has been battling that reception and trying to convince players that the game is worthy on its own merits. Kim notes that while Shadowrun may not be an RPG, fans will be pleased to see that FASA has been faithful to the Shadowrun universe while adapting it to an FPS. Kim goes on to say that many skeptical Shadowrun fans have come away impressed after actually playing the game. Kim believes word of mouth is what's needed to convince the rest.With the NDA on the Shadowrun beta lifted, you can rest assured that you'll be getting plenty "word of mouth" from us in the near future.Any Shadowrun fans out there also on the beta? What do you think, is Shadowrun for the 360 faithful to its roots?
Shadowrun Beta NDA lifted
Over the past 4 months, beta testers for Shadowrun have had to acknowledge the NDA and keep tight lipped about the goings on in the game. Today, FASA officially lifted the NDA, and testers are allowed to speak freely about their experiences in the game. FASA reminds us that the beta does not use final art, and to consult their screenshots to get an idea of how the game will look. Also, the gameplay is constantly being tweaked and balanced, including feedback from the testers themselves having a prominent effect. For example, before the patch when it was just Elves and Humans with a portion of the Tech and Magic, the shotgun was not that effective. After the patch added all the remaining tech, magic and races, FASA also changed the balance of the weapons, giving the shotgun a significant boost in power. Some think it's been given too much power and that it's effectiveness at range should be reduced. When running into FASA devs online, as they do play the beta frequently, they've said that the shotgun's current stats aren't final, though they are closer than in the initial build. Another example would be that in the beta, Humans take a smaller penalty to their available essence than any other race for the tech they equip. It's been confirmed that there will be no penalty to their essence for any tech equipped, which will drastically change the balance of the game between now and June. In any case, should any extraordinary occurrences take place in the beta, our blogging testers will definitely keep you up to date.
Is FASA closing its doors?
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Shadowrun_studio_closing_its_doors'; With all the hype Microsoft is trying to generate around Shadowrun, you'd think team morale at FASA would be riding high. A thread on the official Shadowrun forums would seem to indicate otherwise. A poster by the name of Boomstick, claiming to be an employee of FASA, has declared that FASA is shutting its doors. Boomstick notes that FASA has serious human resource problems and poor management, mentioning several names in the process. He adds that Shadowrun brings nothing new to the FPS genre and is graphically subpar. While we (almost) see his point about the game's graphics, we know from personal experience that Shadowrun has plenty to offer hardcore FPS fans.Naturally, we questioned Boomstick's identity as an employee, but a post by FASA's lead program manager gives him validity. The lead program manager, whose user name is Kimona, stated that many of FASA's workers may choose to leave at the end of the Shadowrun project, noting that this kind of turnover is normal and even healthy. Furthermore, Kimona states that FASA's contingent staff is required to take a mandatory "break" after working for a certain amount of time. Kimona closes the statement saying that Boomstick's personal attacks (in a public space no less) are inappropriate.Is there a real problem at FASA, or are these simply the ramblings of one disgruntled employee?[Thanks, Lorul2]
No custom game types in Shadowrun
In an interview with GameSpot, FASA's Bill Fulton revealed that Shadowrun will not support custom game types for multiplayer. In other words, players will only be able to play the three specific game types that ship with Shadowrun when it launches this June. Fulton told GameSpot that FASA decided not to have custom game types because it caused player confusion. In his words: "we don't support playing public multiplayer games with custom modes. It often just leads to awkward situations where you join a game playing something weird that you don't want to play." We're not really sure we follow Fulton's reasoning, as custom games are typically limited to friends only. At any rate, Fulton goes on to say that there is nothing that prevents players from agreeing to certain "house rules," but Shadowrun contains no hard code to support them.So, if you want to play nothing but snipers and katanas, you'll have to rely on the honor system. Does this development affect your anticipation of Shadowrun?[Via Shadowrun the Blog]
Shadowrun beta invites sent out
It's time for Shadowrun fans to get pumped up, because a new batch of beta invites have been sent out! Yesterday, Microsoft notified lucky Xbox Live members that they were in the beta by sending out invite codes via email. So, if you haven't received one yet then Microsoft didn't think you were cool enough. For those of you lucky enough to get in the Shadowrun beta all you have to do is download the 888MBs and start playing. And a big thank you goes out to all the fanboys who flooded our inbox with this tip. It's awesome to see such eloquent use of the tips form and excitement for the beta ... you guys rock! Quit reading already, check your email, and get online to play some Shadowrun![Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Shadowrun in June, PC Live features revealed
Tucked away inside Microsoft's latest Windows Live press release is the official release month for Shadowrun. EGM speculated that the game would see release in April, but the press release reveals that the official month is June. We would have preferred to rock some Shadowrun a little earlier, but at least this gives us something to play over the summer.The press release also reveals that the Windows Vista release of Halo 2 will be May 8th. In addition, the press release outlines what PC users can expect from Windows Live. Silver members can utilize Gamertags, voice chat, gamerscore, single player achievements, friends lists, and PC only multiplayer. Gold membership grants access to matchmaking, TrueSkill matchmaking, multiplayer achievements, and cross-platform gameplay. Full press release after the break.
Games for Windows Live and Halo 2 hit Vista May 8th
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Games_for_Windows_Live_and_Halo_2_hit_Vista_May_8th'; While the editors of Games for Windows' official magazine may not be ready to drink the Vista-flavored Kool-Aid just yet, Microsoft is ready to give Vista early adopters a handful of reasons to pick up the latest OS upgrade ... err, at least they're ready to announce a date when you may want to plan on doing the picking up: May 8th. Yup, in eight weeks, Microsoft's Games for Windows Live service (doesn't roll of the tongue as easily as Xbox Live, eh?) and its inaugural title, Halo 2, will be available for Vista users.Don't care much for Halo 2? In "June" Shadowrun -- the first Live Anywhere title enabling cross-platform multiplayer -- hits the Xbox 360 and Vista with full Live integration. The final title they're eager to talk about is UNO, which will be released on Vista "later in 2007." We're not sure why a seemingly simple title like UNO isn't making the launch of the service (or even getting a date) but Microsoft assures us there will be more news around this decision later and that it will be apparent why we're not getting a release date now. They also said cross-platform licensing decisions for titles like UNO have not been worked out yet; we're betting this is gonna get tricky.%Gallery-2105%
FASA wants you for Shadowrun LAN test
Microsoft and FASA Studios want you to test Shadowrun at their Redmond campus, that is if you are a l33t gamer. FASA is testing out some Shadowrun LAN style this Saturday, March 17th and needs some testers. The requirements for this four hour LAN session are that you need to be 18 years of age or older, live near the Redmond area, and either ranked in a major PC/console tournament or have a rank of 32+ in Halo 2. If you feel you are more than qualified then head over to the official forums for details on how to sign up. How freakin' cool is that? Being invited to the Redmond campus to play some Shadowrun with other competitive gamers in a LAN setting ... can you say sweetness? We only hope the few lucky gamers will be treated like royalty and showered with finest sodas and munchies Microsoft can buy.[Thanks, Eric]
EGM: Shadowrun releases in April
The never sleeping spies at EGM report that Shadowrun will release next month. This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering that FASA would only say "spring" when we inquired about a release date last week at GDC. Of course, if the latest EGM is right, we certainly aren't going to complain. We enjoyed our time with the game at GDC and are looking forward to taking on the real thing. Anyone planning on picking Shadowrun up if it launches next month?
Microsoft's GDC information blowout!
For those of you looking to find information on some of your favorite upcoming Microsoft Game Studios or XBLA games, just take a look at what Xbox.com has to offer. Over on the GDC section of Xbox.com you'll find a bunch of downloads for games like Forza 2, Blue Dragon, Mass Effect and Shadowrun. You can download fact sheets, press releases, and screenshots for those games including XBLA games like Schizoid, Eets Chowdown, and Jetpac Refuelled. So much information, so little time ... but get downloading because everyone knows you care.
