Earlier this weekend we downloaded the Shadowrun demo (available on the XBox Live MarketPlace) in order to give Microsoft and FasaStudio's new FPS a go. Based on the popular pen and paper RPG Shadowrun, Microsoft's version isn't quite what fans of the franchise were expecting. Rather than being a true RPG the XBox version of the title was made as an FPS.

While Shadowrun does offer a pretty entertaining FPS experience it fails at producing anything really akin to an RPG. Dwarves, Elves and Trolls are present as is some simple magic ... that's about it.

Spellcasting in Shadowrun

There is no class system in Shadowrun. While players can choose between four different races (Dwarves, Elves, Humans and Trolls) it doesn't really affect their ability use any of the available magical abilities. Each race has strengths and weaknesses but the arsenal of seven magical abilities is available to anyone. Even choosing between the two available sides (RNA or Lineage) doesn't change what spells can be cast by whom.

In essence there are only two controls placed on the use of magical abilities. Each player has access to "essence" which is essentially mana that regenerates over time. Players also can't use spells until they've been purchased using the "Buy Menu" available at the start of each match. Spells, tech and weapons are all purchased using the same cash from the same menu so it's basically just a question of how a player wants to deck out their character.

Weapons and Tech

Weapons and Tech are distributed in the same manner as Magical Abilities. Depending on their performance in previous matches players are awarded cash to spend at the beginning of each match. While there is some decent variety among the weapons they're generally familiar and have obvious roles. There's really nothing unique or special with the exception of the Glider - a piece of tech that works a lot like the parachute in Just Cause. Turn it on and you shoot up into the air ... if you're in the air you can use it to drift down safely.

Gameplay

While Shadowrun lacks a really unique gameplay experience it still manages to deliver a certain amount of fun. If you enjoy playing Halo 2 or CounterStrike online you'll get a kick out of Shadowrun it just may be short-lived. Despite having several maps Shadowrun only offers two types of gameplay. "Attrition" is basically a team death-match while "Raid" is basically capture the flag. Because there are only two factions, only four classes and only two gametypes things can get familiar pretty quick.

There is, however, something immensely fun about jumping on a team and battling it out for supremacy on any given map.

The demo was certainly intriguing enough to warrant getting my hands on the full game but after seeing that it retailed for $60 I went the rental route. Because it lacks any type of true singleplayer game (aside from bot matches) and because it lacks any type of story at all it stands as a rental right now. If it had sold for $40 I could have given it the nod as a purchase but right now the pricetag is too steep.

The final verdict on Shadowrun right now is that it's ideal as a rental but that's about it. Because it relies so heavily on multiplayer gameplay by the time the price drops it'll probably be hard to get any decent matchmaking games setup. Unless you've got several friends with copies you'll probably end up out in the cold. If you're not interested in playing multiplayer you could easily download the demo and get the full game experience as well.