Shadow Run
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Shadowrun Demo coming June 6th
FASA has given word on when we can expect the Shadowrun demo to hit Xbox Live Marketplace. As a means to give gamers with Halo 3 Beta withdrawal a quick fix, it will go live on June 6th. It will feature Power Station, and the gametype Raid, with Humans and Elves. It also won't have a time restriction for play, so you may frag to your heart's content, and it doesn't have an announced expiration at the moment. Full breakdown of what's in the demo after the break.
Shane Kim on Shadowrun's $10 PC to 360 price difference
Some men should be given a reward for giving eloquent and elongated responses to questions without ever really answering them. Take Shane Kim, for example. When asked by Newsweek's N'Gai Croal why Shadowrun on the Xbox 360 cost $10 more than the identical PC version, Microsoft Games Studios' corporate vice president could have simply said "because we can." (Remember, folks, before Gears of War, Microsoft was selling their first-party titles for the old standard of $49.99.)Nay, this wordsmith saw a canvas on which he could be poetic! "[These] price points are our standard pricing for each platform ... This pricing structure is not uncommon in the multiplayer-only first-person shooter genre, as numerous titles have seen success at this price point and gaming model." Do we have an answer as to how Microsoft can justify screwing console owners out of ten dollars? No. Have we witnessed a moment of linguistic triumph? Yes. Brilliant!
Forza 2 gone gold with May 29th release date
With the demo having been available on Xbox Live Marketplace for the last 5 hours, we've got even more good news for you. Forza 2 has gone gold and will also be hitting store shelves on May 29th for $59.99. Finally, the flagship title for the Racing Wheel accessory will be available for gamers champing at the bit. But, that leaves the obvious question, which will you be picking up, Forza Motorsport 2, or Shadowrun? After all they've got the same date and price point.
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 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]
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.
FASA sheds light on Shadowrun's offline experience
Eurogamer sat down with Mitch Gitelman and went over some Shadowrun details. First off, Mitch clarifies that in terms of the solitary experience, there are six training sessions that players can play, after each of which there is a skirmish match against bots for you to test out the related game mechanics from that lesson. On top of that, you can play matches against bots on any gametype in any arena to practice strategy and learn the maps. So while there may not be any split screen, you still can play offline against bots who are perfectly capable of using the tech and magic effectively. They'll resurrect you if you die, teleport to flank enemies, and call out enemy positions using Enhanced Vision and Situational Awareness. The interview also has details about the online experience, confirming that there won't be ranked matches. Although, we now know they are using the TrueSkill equation for matchmaking purposes, but not showing players what that ranking is. Expect a hands-on report from Richard down at GDC soon.
Shadowrun lacking campaign and split screen [update 1]
Over on the official Shadowrun online forums a question was posed to whether or not you could play local multiplayer split screen online or offline after hearing a rumor that there wouldn't be the option. In came Kimona, lead program manager of FASA Studios, to confirm that there indeed would be no local (LAN style) multiplayer or split screen for that matter. According to Kimona, the reasoning behind the choice was to "focus on making what we have even more polished and clean". And with information we learned earlier we now know that Shadowrun will not have any campaign mode or local multiplayer split screen as it is strictly an online multiplayer game. So Shadowrun enthusiasts, we think that not including split screen kinda sucks, but what's your opinion on the way things are shaping up?Update 1: We've made a mistake guys and read the forum's question wrong. What Kimona was talking about was having no online or offline split screen and says nothing about system link or local multiplayer. So, there will be system link goodness, but simply no split screen ... sorry for the confusion.[Via IGN]
Shadowrun PC cross-platform requires Live Gold
In the latest Shadowrun trailer, there is a little snippet that you Games for Windows users may want to pay attention to. We all know that to play Shadowrun's Xbox 360 version online, you're going to need an Xbox Live Gold account. Likewise, to play Shadowrun cross-platform on Vista, you're going to need a Gold Live account for Windows. At this point, there hasn't been any pricing announced with regards to Gold Live accounts on Vista, so there's no telling what may be the better deal. Also, given that they explicitly state "cross platform", that may mean that PC only servers may be playable with Silver Live accounts and will be free of charge. Interesting food for thought. Do any of you plan on playing Shadowrun on your PC?[Via Joystiq]
Shadowrun cross-play requires Games for Windows Live Gold account
When we spoke with PR Manager Michael Wolf about Games for Windows Live, he was sparse in details regarding a Games for Windows Live Gold account. "All I can say now is that we're working to make a Gold membership worthwhile even if you're only connecting to Live from Windows Vista," he said. It seems Microsoft has revealed one of those incentives in the form of cross-platform multiplayer. Text shown at the end of the latest Shadowrun trailer notes that "cross platform play requires Xbox LIVE Gold ... or Games for Windows -- LIVE Gold account (on Windows)." We're betting that PC vs. PC multiplayer will still be free, as it has been historically. However, we're hoping that Microsoft has some more ingenious plans for GFW Live Gold. Paying a monthly premium just to settle the keyboard vs. gamepad debate does not sit well. How about a GDC announcement to soothe our nerves?Trailer embedded after the break.%Gallery-1774%
Shadowrun preview at FASA
Over at Method Director they received some special treatment from FASA studios and got some hands on time with Shadowrun. I honestly haven't been too much in the loop with this game, but after watching the YouTube video (embedded after the break) and the description of the game ... it has some potential. Blending technology with magic is like peanut butter and chocolate (word to Cliff). Given that it takes a LOT of work to make a FPS new and fresh, Shadowrun has peaked my interest. Can anyone out in fanboy land shed some more light on this game and whether or not your interest too has been peaked by this blog post?
