Last September, I visited FASA Studio to get some hands on time with the upcoming team-based shooter Shadowrun. This week, I had the chance to check out a much more recent build, once again with FASA studio manager Mitch Gitelman on hand, and examine some aspects of the game at greater length. As FASA deliberately worked on nailing down gameplay and balacing before putting on the polish, the main differences to the game since I last played it were cosmetic; from a gameplay perspective it was essentially the same. Thus, for a full rundown of the game as well as how it is being framed within the Shadowrun universe, I will humbly redirect you to that original piece. In a very small nutshell, a game of Shadowrun consists of two opposing teams, each made up of players across four character types with the ability to purchase spells and tech granting abilities such as teleportation, resurrection, penetrating vision, and more. Beyond that summary, here I will mainly deal with filling in gaps and providing more in-depth information on certain features previously mentioned.

Controller versus mouse & keyboard

One of the most hotly discussed aspects of Shadowrun--along with its very genre--is its cross-platform multiplayer, which will pit controller-wielding Xbox 360 users connecting through Xbox Live up against mouse & keyboard-equipped (or controller-equipped, if they so desire) Windows Vista users connecting through the upcoming Live Anywhere service. When creating or joining online games, there is no way to tell whether other gamers are playing on PC or Xbox 360, meaning you won't constantly be kicked by opposing platform partisans.

With such a setup, gameplay balance between platforms is of course of crucial importance. Shadowrun played with an Xbox 360 controller uses essentially the same aiming system used in Bungie's Halo games, with the same programmers handling the task on both franchises. Contrary to frequent casual internet remarks, Halo (and by extension Shadowrun) does not feature "auto-aim," per se; rather, its reticle has slight traction applied as it passes over a target, causing it to slow very slightly and make precise movements more manageable. Hitboxes are also slightly exaggerated.

FASA maintains that the system allows for an equal playing field, and indeed during both of my extensive play sessions I failed to perceive any particular imbalance. Gitelman recounted a recent event during which staffers from Official Xbox Magazine went up in Shadowrun against staffers from PC Gamer, with each side using its magazine's respective platform. Editors from both publications grudgingly admitted that the system works. To ensure the game is tweaked as best as possible, FASA enlisted among its testers equal numbers of Counter-Strike league players and Halo 2 league players.

Despite putting a great deal of effort into creating a balanced game, FASA seems intent on keeping Shadowrun from becoming unduly competitive. Money, used to buy tech, magic, and weapons, is awarded based on damage caused, not numbers of kills. "There's no kill stealing. We hate that stuff," said Gitelman. "We learned that back with MechAssault 1." Unusually for an Xbox Live game, though performance statistics are kept from round to round within a given game, there is no persistent stat tracking and no leaderboards ranking the world's best Shadowrun players. FASA hopes that this will discourage some of the exploitative techniques that frequently accompany Live games in which players strive to continually improve their ranking.

Live Anywhere

Shadowrun is a Live Anywhere launch title for Windows Vista, meaning it will help inaugurate Microsoft's first major step in taking the seamless Xbox Live experience to PC. Though the machines on which I played Shadowrun this week were not hooked up to the internet, I was still able to bring up the Live Anywhere menu and get a sense of its basic functionality. It is styled much like the Guide menu on Xbox 360, and features a gamer profile similar to those seen on Xbox 360 or Xbox.com. The profile lists the gamer's screen name, number of games owned (presumably referring to Live-enabled games), total Gamerscore, and number of Achievements earned. It seems likely that Microsoft will encourage Games for Windows developers to take a similar approach with Live integration to that required on the part of Xbox 360 developers.

There are various menu options, including Messages, Friends, Players, Private Chat, and Personal Settings. Only the last of these was accessible without internet connectivity, though the first four are fairly self-explanatory. Personal Settings allows the player to adjust settings for in-game voice chat.

Turn the page for details on training mode and closing thoughts.