Microsoft Game Studios today announced that the eagerly awaited and innovative first-person shooter (FPS) Shadowrun has gone gold and will begin hitting retailers throughout North America on May 29. From renowned developer FASA Studio, the team that brought you the Xbox LIVE launch title MechAssault., and the lead designer behind the original Halo, Shadowrun incorporates ancient magic and advanced technology into strategic and clever teambased gameplay for an unparalled combat experience.
Utilizing both the Xbox LIVE and Games For Windows LIVE network, Shadowrun tears down the walls between friends and gamer communities on the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista-based PC by letting as many as 16 gamers play together, regardless of platform*. Not only does Shadowrun bring these communities together, it also extends the features gamers love on Xbox LIVE, such as gamertags, achievements, friends lists and integrated voice communication, onto the PC through Games for Windows LIVE. Shadowrun is optimized for a multiplayer online experience which requires an Xbox LIVE Gold account on Xbox 360 or Silver account on Games for Windows LIVE.
Shadowrun will ship with nine unique maps and an additional three map variations, showcasing dynamic environments set in a futuristic Santos, Brazil, and its neighboring, ancient Ziggurat. Shadowrun includes six training chapters, allowing gamers the opportunity to fine-tune their strategy and lethal combinations against the intuitively smart and talented A.I. bots. Gamers can also play with bots at four levels of difficulty on every map and with every game type.
After a 5,000-year absence, magic has returned to the world of Shadowrun. It is 2031 and global corporations battle a relentless ancient order to harness this reawakened power. Be a part of the RNA, a global mega-corporation, 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. Players vie for supremacy in an intense FPS experience, in the Shadowrun universe, that rewards cleverness, cunning and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.
Humans, elves, dwarves and trolls, can pick up Shadowrun for the estimated retail price of $59.99 for Xbox 360 and $49.99 for Windows Vista. Shadowrun is rated M for Mature, for gamers 17 years old and above.
*Note - My European friends, you will have to wait until June 1st before you can get your hands on Shadowrun.