Shadowrun [360][Vista]

Microsoft's first foray into cross-platform online play comes in the form of an adaptation of the 90's tabletop role-playing game, combining the technologies of Cyberpunk fiction with more traditional RPG fare such as Elves and Trolls while adding ancient Mayan magic to the mix. While you may be curious what kind of storyline could come from such a combination, this title is strictly multiplayer in the style of a First Person Shooter, except for a practice mode against CPU-controlled bots.

At the start of each round, players are given cash to purchase weapons, technical skills, and magic, earning more by killing enemies or healing teammates. Weapons include various guns such as rifles and miniguns and magic attacks including strangling an opponent or summoning a minion. There are also various technical abilities available that allow players to see through walls or glide in the air. This raises the possibility of a clan of sword-wielding Elves with transportation skills going up against a group of minigun-toting Dwarves, and this open-ended gameplay is what offers the most interest. You never really know what skills and weapons your opponents have until they attack. This is also the game's biggest weakness though, as the game is only as interesting and unpredictable as the players make it.

As mentioned, the game is the first to enable Games for Windows Live and crossplay with the Xbox 360. The two versions are identical, and when playing online, it's impossible to know who's on which platform. Windows gamers who prefer a keyboard and mouse may find themselves at a disadvantage though, since there are so many buttons used during gameplay; As a sidenote, the user interface and tutorial mode even assume you are using an Xbox-style controller on your PC. While it's great to see a developer take a genre like this in a somewhat new direction, the lack of a single-player game outside of the training mode and the heavy onus on finding quality players definitely weigh against it.

6/10