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Screens & Info Updated: 4/12/2007

I don't stand a chance; two humans and a troll are chasing me, my life essence is almost completely depleted, and my health is approaching zero. I've resurrected another player on my team too, so if I die he's as good as dead. I should have bought a glider first... at least then I could've tried jumping away. If I had a little more life essence I could turn into smoke, or plant a tree of life to increase my health faster. Instead all I can do is request for back up via commands assigned to the d-pad (or yelling feverishly into my headset) and hope that a few of my teammates show up sooner, rather than later.

In the meantime I'll continue backpedaling, strafing left and right, and trying to fire in short, controlled, bursts, all the while waiting for my life essence to replenish. I manage to take down one of the humans, but fighting a troll alone with no magic is pointless and I'm quickly perforated with chain-gun fire. With my death the person I resurrected earlier has begun bleeding out. And yet just when I think I'm going to have to respawn the Calvary arrives -- only two of them, but two will be enough. One quickly tosses a tree of life in front of me (in order to shield my corpse from oncoming enemy fire) and the other teleports behind the troll, pushes the other human adversary with gust magic, and performs his best Kill Bill impression on the troll's back. The Tree tosser resurrects me just as the troll is brought down and the recently pushed enemy human rushes back to the fight without realizing it is now three on one.

That's how fast the tables can turn in the Shadowrun Beta – one second you and two of your team members could be chasing down a single, magicless opponent who's barely alive and the next second you're getting lit up by him and two of his buddies. It's not random or fluke either. Like a lot of team-based shooters success boils down to two important aspects: good communication and effective use of all the tools at your disposal. In the case of Shadowrun tools include both magic and tech, along with an assortment of traditional weapons (guns, RPGs, and, yes, a katana.)

The strategy comes from the magic and tech you choose, as well as race selection. Each form of magic or technological gizmo is balanced in a "paper-rock-scissor" fashion, having "counterpart(s)" that can diminish, if not cancel out, the effects of another kind of attack. For instance, you may choose to run away quickly as a cloud of smoke that bullets can't harm, but opponents can still use gust magic to inflict quite a bit of damage. Or an adversary may set up a decent strangle barricade, but with a glider equipped you can float right over it. It's this type of balance that makes communication and player wit a very important role to the outcome of a match (it is in the Beta, anyway.) With healing and resurrection, the game gives you plenty of chances per life, but again, these additional opportunities are best utilized by working together with your teammates.

I can tell you that battles get mighty intense almost immediately in the Shadowrun Beta and this, to me, will probably be a bane rather than a blessing. Even if FASA have some incredibly awesome matchmaking system in place (and there is nothing to say that they won't) I foresee a huge divide between good players and GREAT players. In a lot of cases, this will potentially turn the "good" players off of the game, while already established teams/clans/highly-competitive players will be attracted to it in droves.

Essentially, as it stands, I get the feeling that Shadowrun will have a very niche, but very hardcore fanbase that is (for obvious reasons) entirely separate from the original game's fanbase. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just different. The game is very much like Counter-Strike with magic/tech that adds another layer of strategy (and freedom) to the tried and true gameplay, as well as obvious differences to the offensive and defensive game. With that said, in the beta anyway, it will undoubtedly make the $60 price tag a hard sell (especially to the PC crowd.)

If you haven't checked out the official Shadowrun site, you should. It's filled to the brim with back-story, race bios, tech and magic info… essentially everything to flesh out the already robust Shadowrun Universe. It would be very easy for those interested in the game to become immersed in this Shadowrun lore. In fact, the game as it's shown in the beta relies on this pre-established history to flesh out any kind of narrative. At its heart, Shadowrun for 360 (and I'll assume PC) is exactly what FASA want it would to be: "[...] an intense [team-based] FPS experience that rewards cleverness and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology."

New screens of the much improved looking RPG turned FPS.

Features:

• Rich legacy brought to life. After a 5,000-year absence, magic has returned to the world of 2021, and global corporate might battles a relentless ancient order to harness this reawakened power. Be a part of the RNA, a global megacorporation, and bring order (and profit) to a world of chaos. Or join the Lineage to keep magic wild and free at all costs. Choose a side and wage war for the future of magic in the new world of "Shadowrun."
• Bending reality and changing the rules of combat. Dive into a universe where ancient magic co-exists with deadly weaponry, and experience a revolution in multiplayer FPS gaming. Purchase advanced technology and magic for each round in an extraordinary arms race to improve your abilities and open new tactics for your team. Use your cybernetic eye to spot your enemy through walls, teleport behind your opponents in the blink of an eye, trigger a hologram as a distraction, and cut them down with a burst from your rifle to clear the room before they even know you are there.
• Intense cross-platform multiplayer action. For the first time ever, Xbox 360 and Windows Vista gamers can compete as a team or as foes. Experience a quantum leap in interactivity as console and Windows Vista-based PC gamers battle for supremacy online via Windows Vista and the Xbox Live® service. While "Shadowrun" gamers will battle endlessly for the right to be crowned the last man standing, they will also struggle to answer the question of which is the more-efficient killer: a Windows-based PC or Xbox 360. Through the unprecedented cross-platform functionality, up to 16 gamers using both a Windows-based PC and the Xbox 360 console will participate together in the ultimate multiplayer frag-fest. Don't be sidelined onto one platform: Control your own destiny and play on the console or the PC.
• The Windows Vista experience. Windows gamers can participate in their own next generation of gaming as "Shadowrun" ushers in the era of Windows Vista. Through the power of the Windows Vista platform, "Shadowrun" promises a visually stunning, over-the-top action experience.
• Classic races reinterpreted for a new world. Experience the thrill of combat as magic reawakens creatures of legend. Humans are joined by elves, dwarves and trolls in a battle for supremacy among soaring corporate towers and an ancient ziggurat of power. Strike a balance on your team with races possessing unique abilities that complement your weapons and tactics.
• The ultimate online (and offline) battlefield. Fight against or alongside AI teammates or join up with friends against all comers via System Link, Split-screen, LAN and Xbox Live. Fill out your team with incredible AI characters that respond to each tactical situation and provide an unparalleled team experience. Train offline with the robust AI, or play through a host of minigames cooperatively online with your friends as you master the magic and technology of "Shadowrun."