Why SRR is a 10/10 cRPG

[PoohPus]

My Background:
I've never played Shadowrun before, neither on pnp nor pc. I'm a great fan of dystopian cyberpunk, but I loathe the idea of elves and other fantasy races in sci-fi. Still, I was hyped and had fairly high hopes for this game because there is a severe lack of good cRPGs these days. Every HBS game I've played before SRR have been pure and utter ♥♥♥♥♥, so while hope where high expectations where low.

Game Mechanics:
Skills and abilities are somewhat minimalistic for a cRPG, both in number and stated function. They are however to the point and without a huge number of redundant and useless abilities. They are also numerous and deep enough to allow for strategy through character building in a meaningful way. Maybe more meaningful than many games with a more numerous and complex skill-set. This is an achievement from a game-design perspective.

Furthermore they make full use of the skills through dialogue options like Fallout 1 and 2, and planescape: torment. This works really well, even better than in those original titles!

The class-less system works perfectly, unlike many other popular cRPGs.

At a glance the skill-system looks a bit like in the mass effect franchise, while the class-less feature can be compared to the Elder scrolls franchise. Both of them works a lot better in SRR than they do in the two blockbusters!

Gameplay is real-time except for turn-based combat (like in xcom) and dialogue, just like in the original two fallout games. This works well. 2D Graphics put limitations on destruction of scenery, but compared to the gains of using 2D this matters little. There is plenty of object interaction such as looking for clues and analyzing them, hacking computers and security-networks, hacking the internet-like Matrix, finding hidden items and more.

Character Concepts work way better than I could ever imagine. I felt bad chills going down my spine as I realized that my character concept probably worked best as an Elf(!), but decided to try it out regardless. Would I have to endure glittering nail-polish, pouty lips and pink ribbons in my hair? When I found a portrait that looked more like a Necron than an Elf my grin went from one metallic ear to the other. Who would have known that the concept of elf could actually add to the feel of the fiction?!.. I'm amazed!

The Stock Campaign:
HBS have made a very stylised «Sin City meets Blade Runner -ish» detective/agent story. They have just the right amount and type of clichés to make it work, and every element in the game contributes to this sci-fi noir feel.

Both the characters and dialogue are mature and intelligently made.

Fantastic story with no redundancy. Not once did I ask myself “why the heck am I doing this?!” Not once did I have to run errands to earn xp, or be left with the choice of being either an utter ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ or a charity-running do-gooder. Not once was I forced into a random combat that felt out of place or redundant. It's incredibly liberating to once again play a cRPG that doesn't feel like a slaughterhouse grind. SRR do this better in its stock campaign than even Planescape: Torment did. It's not that you can avoid every combat, but rather that every darnedest one feels will-timed, proper and meaningful.

Graphics:
2D background is beautiful and well done. Drawback - no scenery destruction.
Character sprites are undefined and ugly, but I find myself not caring much about this.
Character-Profile pics are maybe the best I've seen in any game.

Champaign Editor:
Haven't tried it yet, but I'm gonna assume it's at least able to create the stock campaign, in which case it's brilliant compared to anything out there. Can't wait to try out user-created campaigns.

State-of-the-Game:
The game is quite stable and appears polished aside from its sprites.

Bad Drawbacks:
Checkpoint based saving – This is such a weak and unintelligent solution that really hurts game-play. The drawbacks are multiple. 1. You will sooner or later have a very frustrating game-crash or design-mistake encounter that will loose you 10-45 minutes of game-play. Checkpoints are at every new location. 2. Limitations on challenges ensues, as to high a difficulty will create very frustrating and non-fun play-areas. With checkpoints you must err on the clear side of caution when designing challenges, or the game will work very poorly. This undermines the whole strategy-part of the game. 3. The Checkpoint system will most likely put severe restraints on the users creativity-process when making new campaigns. I withdraw 30% of the total game-score for this mistake – it's that bad. Re-doing the save-system should be first on the priority list of what to do with this games development next.

Pixel-clicking – The activation area of sprites in the game is very glitchy.

Matters of Taste:
The game is very linear in the sense that you don't have a choice in where to go next. The areas you move through is in essence a track. However, I've found that in this game this is a strength, not a weakness. As an example of comparison the open world aspect of Dragon Age Origins was quite redundant. It didn't really add anything besides being a method of incorporating a lot of semi-unrelated stories into the campaign. In DAO two of the really bad drawbacks of the open world design was the endless stream of random combat encounters and droves of really cheap Hollywood quips and clichés. With the linear world design of SRR they are able to focus on making a really good story, while meaningful dialogue-choices makes up the diversity of the game. The drawback is that if a campaign-creator does not manage to make a really good story, the linearity of the game will make the campaign fail utterly. There is nothing to hide lack of quality behind. Another comparison is the true open world of the Elder Scrolls franchise. While they don't have the problem of endless random encounters, they also suffer from being dependant of mass-producing content in a spray pattern. Both style and other features of quality story elements suffer badly as a result, whereas they are superb in SRR.

Short Campaign:
In my opinion a game should not drone on for the sake of adding game-hours. The campaign is compact 12 hours of constant fun. There is more fun baked into SSRs 12 hours than there is spread out amongst DAOs 60 hours or Skyrims 360 hours. Quality is equal to fun divided by time imho.

Lack of Multiplayer:
While multiplayer could be fun, the stock single-player campaign would not work in co-op at all. Great dialogue does not make for great co-op. Mission design would have to be reinvented entirely for this to work. So while it may add great fun in the future, I'm very happy they prioritized single-player gameplay for the release.

100% - 10/10 - A Conclution of Paradox:
The package of SRR as a whole is so powerful that even with the minus 30% from checkpoint-saves, it deserves the very highest score possible. Doesn't mean that it cannot be better, just that even with this glaring flaw it's the very best of it's genre so far.

[PoohPus]

Also, bumping with a gratz to HBS for a brilliant release! :D

[Beef]

Giving anything a 10 is kinda crazy as nothing's perfect, but i agree that this is a great game.

As for a short campaign, there's already some new stories on the workshop.

[Harry Mason]

Well said, topic creator. WELL SAID.

You have very good taste, and write a very reasonable post.

[r3bs]

Nice read, while i do not agree to full extent (you are probably too excited, no offense), i still give this game 8 or 8.5. I just only hope that they will release several long DLC's, and of course i really want the community to make some masterpieces as well. I haven't finished my first playthrough yet, but i am planning to play on very hard after this one - hopefully the checkpoint system will not screw up me hard.

[SFCShadow]

+1 to OP, I think you summarized this game fairly and spot on! Great job enumerating it's pro's and con's with honesty and intelligence. This game is definately destined to be one of the great ones (can't wait to see what some other's will come up with, with the game editor, and what I will tinker with myself!) Kudos to Harebrained Schemes for doing such an incredible job with both the game and the launch, they got it right mostly!

[Harry Mason]

Originally posted by your best is my worst:

(you are probably too excited, no offense)

My opinion is vastly different on this. Which is understandable, since they're opinions.

I don't think you can be "too excited" to give an accurate game review. To many people, getting you that excited is the mark of ultimate quality. For me, and presumably the OP, this game just hits all the right spots to make that happen. Not every review agrees, of course.

There are MANY, many things that, if this game had done differently, it would have been gripe-worthy. One-by-one though, at least for me, it met those expectations with flying colors. To the point where it reached a very special Shadowrun place, that I never thought we'd see again.

I do think your 8.5 is a very reasonable score. For me, this game is a 10 though, even with imperfections. Sometimes, it's OK to measure score in enjoyment, rather than perfection.

[Toroic]

10/10 is absolutely too high for this game in it's current state. There are pretty obvious problems that detract from the experience, that for a modern game just should not be happening.

[Grimm Turd]

Yes, kudos on OP. Also not really giving it a 10, but the nostalgia factor definitely adds +2 or more to whatever number I could come up with. I'm glad there isn't "loot" like games nowadays seem to revolve around. The dialogue and story are very solid, everything seems as I remember from the snes/genesis versions and that old player guide I have stashed somewhere. Games like Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, and (more recently for me) Torchlight 2, have been unfulfilling guilty pleasures, like some temporary drug that leaves me wanting. A linear story with only a handful of separate options is great, the flexibility in all features is comforting without being constricting. They say that too many choices for us humans ends up making us feel less happy about the choice we end up with. A great balance this game is. Really just makes me want to find others who play the tabletop. Also still patiently waiting for Shadowrun Online. :D

[katarack21]

Originally posted by Toros:

10/10 is absolutely too high for this game in it's current state. There are pretty obvious problems that detract from the experience, that for a modern game just should not be happening.

10 is to high. Apparently 8 is to high. What number would you assign it?

[Exwin]

I love this game. I'm up 4 hours early to play it before work. 10/10 is a mythical thing, but I would give it an 8.5 or 9.

Thank you for bringing back Shadowrun.

[Toroic]

Originally posted by katarack21:

Originally posted by Toros:

10/10 is absolutely too high for this game in it's current state. There are pretty obvious problems that detract from the experience, that for a modern game just should not be happening.

10 is to high. Apparently 8 is to high. What number would you assign it?

6-7 range, depending on how much the illusion of choice frustrates you.

[PoohPus]

Originally posted by Harry Mason:

Originally posted by your best is my worst:

(you are probably too excited, no offense)

There are MANY, many things that, if this game had done differently, it would have been gripe-worthy. One-by-one though, at least for me, it met those expectations with flying colors. To the point where it reached a very special Shadowrun place, that I never thought we'd see again.

I do think your 8.5 is a very reasonable score. For me, this game is a 10 though, even with imperfections. Sometimes, it's OK to measure score in enjoyment, rather than perfection.

Mason summarize my views on the matter as well. I could not have said it better :)

[katarack21]

Originally posted by Toros:

Originally posted by katarack21:

10 is to high. Apparently 8 is to high. What number would you assign it?

6-7 range, depending on how much the illusion of choice frustrates you.

It's always an illusion. Even the best sandbox has rails. Their just well hidden.

[Toroic]

Originally posted by katarack21:

Originally posted by Toros:

6-7 range, depending on how much the illusion of choice frustrates you.

It's always an illusion. Even the best sandbox has rails. Their just well hidden.

This is simply untrue. The only rails in minecraft is the kind the minecarts ride on. The elder scrolls games can be played for well over a hundred hours without even touching the main quest.

I'm perfectly ok with not having control over a story I'm playing. Prince of Persia: The sands of Time was a linear game, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Just don't give me 3 diologue choices that all do the same thing.

[Raz]

My problem with 'sandbox' games is that I tend to meander away from the main storyline, forget what i'm doing, then get bored with the game altogether.

Shadowrun keeps you pretty much on the straight and narrow, though it keeps throwing so much interesting stuff at me to read and discover that I've hardly noticed it.
I 'have' been a little frustrated at not having enough money (always being torn between medpacks or upgrades or being able to load out with a full squad... medpacks always win.)
...but I think thats sorta the point.
You're not some rich, powerful hero. You're a mercenary who's just scraping by like everyone else.
Makes me want to already make a new character so I can choose something different and actually buy decks and things to get in the matrix with.. I blew all my money on grenades and runners -_-