Last Update: 3/8/07
Shadowrun
The player takes on the role of Jake Armitage, a courier who is shot and nearly killed in the streets of Seattle in the year 2050 by a hit squad. He wakes up in a morgue with significant amnesia as to what he was doing that resulted in his near-death --- in fact, he was thought to be literally brain-burnt, which he himself felt as if he was when awakened.
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Beam Software
Release Date: Nov 1, 1993
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Beam Software
Release Date: Nov 1, 1993
Publisher: Commercial
More About Shadowrun
from wikipedia.com:
As an action RPG video game, Shadowrun combines both the statistical factor in the tabletop game with real-time gameplay. For example, the player controls Jake, moves him around using the controller, and when attacked, must use guns or magic commands to respond. Some battles within the game require sharp reflexes. This is further complicated by the fact that the Seattle in the game is a rather tough city - practically every screen contains at least one hidden assassin who, from random locations, opens fire on Jake; the player must immediately find the source of the attack and respond or risk getting killed.
At the same time, Jake builds up "karma" from killing enemies - on a steady basis from killing regular enemies, and in large chunks from beating bosses. This karma can then be allocated by the player into different attributes, skills, and magical powers. Physical attributes include basic factors as how many hit points Jake has. Jake also has the ability to learn new skills, such as "negotiation" and "leadership," which allows him to haggle prices and to retain the loyalty of henchmen.
As the title of the game implies, Jake is described as a "shadowrunner," a mercenary character common within the Shadowrun RPG. Moreover, in the game, Jake is able to hire other shadowrunners as henchmen. It is possible for the player to win the game without hiring a single shadowrunner.
In interacting with non-player characters, Shadowrun uses an unusual system. Whenever Jake hears a new and unusual term, this word is highlighted, then added to a sort of database of terms he can use. From that point on, when speaking with NPCs, Jake is able to ask them about this new word; only in this manner can a player progress with the game.
The game also includes an unusual way of entering into cyberspace. After a certain point in the game, Jake, using a cyberdeck, is able to hack into computers to retrieve information, as well as gain more money, which in the game is nuyen (which is pronounced "new yen"). During such scenes, the gameplay becomes two-dimensional while an icon of Jake moves through cyberspace, fights intrusion programs, and retrieves data. As in the original RPG (and cyberpunk literature in general), if the player dies in cyberspace, he dies in real life as well.
As an action RPG video game, Shadowrun combines both the statistical factor in the tabletop game with real-time gameplay. For example, the player controls Jake, moves him around using the controller, and when attacked, must use guns or magic commands to respond. Some battles within the game require sharp reflexes. This is further complicated by the fact that the Seattle in the game is a rather tough city - practically every screen contains at least one hidden assassin who, from random locations, opens fire on Jake; the player must immediately find the source of the attack and respond or risk getting killed.
At the same time, Jake builds up "karma" from killing enemies - on a steady basis from killing regular enemies, and in large chunks from beating bosses. This karma can then be allocated by the player into different attributes, skills, and magical powers. Physical attributes include basic factors as how many hit points Jake has. Jake also has the ability to learn new skills, such as "negotiation" and "leadership," which allows him to haggle prices and to retain the loyalty of henchmen.
As the title of the game implies, Jake is described as a "shadowrunner," a mercenary character common within the Shadowrun RPG. Moreover, in the game, Jake is able to hire other shadowrunners as henchmen. It is possible for the player to win the game without hiring a single shadowrunner.
In interacting with non-player characters, Shadowrun uses an unusual system. Whenever Jake hears a new and unusual term, this word is highlighted, then added to a sort of database of terms he can use. From that point on, when speaking with NPCs, Jake is able to ask them about this new word; only in this manner can a player progress with the game.
The game also includes an unusual way of entering into cyberspace. After a certain point in the game, Jake, using a cyberdeck, is able to hack into computers to retrieve information, as well as gain more money, which in the game is nuyen (which is pronounced "new yen"). During such scenes, the gameplay becomes two-dimensional while an icon of Jake moves through cyberspace, fights intrusion programs, and retrieves data. As in the original RPG (and cyberpunk literature in general), if the player dies in cyberspace, he dies in real life as well.
