Shadowrun, the upcoming FPS for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, has gone gold. From the gameplay videos and trailers I saw on Gametrailers.com it really does look like an awesome game. You can choose between what looks like a human, elf, troll, and dwarf and take these characters into a fragfest of exotic weapons and magical spells. From their official site: “Shadowrun is an intense multi-player focussed FPS experience that rewards cleverness and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.” So there you have it – the fixings for what could be an extremely fun game.
However there’s one nasty little hiccup in all of this. Have you guessed it? Vista. Apparently to play Shadowrun you must have Windows Vista Games for Windows Live running and apparently that’s a “Vista only thing”. Can Microsoft be serious? How many gamers have actually upgraded or plan to upgrade in the near future? I certainly do not plan to upgrade until I am forced into it by the software developers. I’m considering this one of many stunts to increase Vista revenue.
So it looks like if Keen and Graev do end up buying Shadowrun it will be for the Xbox360 and we won’t be playing together. I hope when Microsoft sees that they have all of maybe 10 Vista users playing they change their minds for future productions.