Shadowrun

Platform: Xbox 360, also PC.
Verdict: A shadow of its potential.
Rating: 3½/5
To brave the fervour of fans is something every developer and filmmaker must deal with when adapting a franchise with cult status. Many ignore set-in-stone rules (hello Judge Dredd the movie), others embrace every nuance with great love (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic). Shadowrun is a game that manages to sit between the two – taking a much loved RPG and turning it into a squad based shooter was never going to sit well with fans yet at its heart lies much of the series' stylistic trademarks.
Unfortunately launched during Halo 3's ever-so-slightly-popular multiplayer beta, Shadowrun is an FPS with many similarities, specifically designed as an online multiplayer game. Based loosely round the framework of Counter Strike and mimicking Halo's party system, Shadowrun adds different race types, ancient magic and futuristic technology to the mix.
Impacting the traditional gun based gameplay of the genre, magic and technology expand the players strategic options and combat repertoire. No longer limited to guns n' grenades, the player can teleport through objects, summon demons, glide from rooftops, see through walls and even bring the dead back to life. As the tag line states, the rules of combat have indeed changed and every ability has a role to play, creating a varied and balanced playing field ripe for quick witted improvisation and tactics.
While the core game is a solid and occasionally inspired shooter, where it falls down is its lack of content. Sold at full price, Shadowrun is offering what many games include as an added extra. Combined with having only two game types on offer and a relatively limited number of maps, Shadowrun lacks the variety and customisability an online only title should include by default. To shun a splitscreen mode is the final nail in the coffin for many and a bizarre omission from a game that shines so much in certain areas.
A logical continuation of the franchise's roots would have been something more akin to the original Deus Ex – a deep and innovative RPG shooter (with added multiplayer), not this fun but frugal title, which is why the fans are baying for blood.