Before I started this game, I was warned that it was supposedly the weakest part of the new three games and after playing it, I can see why. The whole thing feels a little unambitious.
I'm not sure if that's the result of a small budget or simply because they wanted to create a "small" game, but either way, it lacks interesting decision making in the story and character build. Granted, I chose the possibly most bland character class and just went for a combat focused shotgun-wielding troll and simply did not need more than two shotguns in my whole playthrough, but I can still tell by looking at the skill system that another class wouldn't have made a huge difference. The game simply doesn't offer enough opportunities to even use your skills on. For example speech checks were barely there. I also feel like having a set team instead of constantly hiring mercenaries would have been better. The idea of paying for party members is fairly unique though.
Combat was still quite good. Shadowrun Returns plays pretty much like modern Xcom and it was fun finding the perfect position for your characters, make the best use of AoE effects and buffs and get through missions without casualties. I probably should've played on hard, but I don't have much experience in the genre and wanted to play it safe for now. Dragonfall is getting played on hard.
Returns feels like a solid groundwork. A decent combat system, varied classes, pretty good presentation and music. It just needs more complexity ... the story feels too linear and it seems like you can't impact it in a meaningful way. If the other games offer actual involvement in the story and makes your profession or race more relevant in dialogue I could see them being really fun. But in this case I tried to play as a somewhat dumb but loyal street-cred guy who just wants revenge for his friend and while some of the dialogue seemed to fit that kind of character, there were other moments where the game clearly railroads the player into a certain direction and only gives you very smart and convoluted answers to choose from.
I may sound a little negative here, but I appreciated that the game didn't overstay it's welcome and I feel pretty positive about it overall. Like I said, it feels like a solid foundation. If it gets uphill from here, I can see myself becoming a fan.
I'm not sure if that's the result of a small budget or simply because they wanted to create a "small" game, but either way, it lacks interesting decision making in the story and character build. Granted, I chose the possibly most bland character class and just went for a combat focused shotgun-wielding troll and simply did not need more than two shotguns in my whole playthrough, but I can still tell by looking at the skill system that another class wouldn't have made a huge difference. The game simply doesn't offer enough opportunities to even use your skills on. For example speech checks were barely there. I also feel like having a set team instead of constantly hiring mercenaries would have been better. The idea of paying for party members is fairly unique though.
Combat was still quite good. Shadowrun Returns plays pretty much like modern Xcom and it was fun finding the perfect position for your characters, make the best use of AoE effects and buffs and get through missions without casualties. I probably should've played on hard, but I don't have much experience in the genre and wanted to play it safe for now. Dragonfall is getting played on hard.
Returns feels like a solid groundwork. A decent combat system, varied classes, pretty good presentation and music. It just needs more complexity ... the story feels too linear and it seems like you can't impact it in a meaningful way. If the other games offer actual involvement in the story and makes your profession or race more relevant in dialogue I could see them being really fun. But in this case I tried to play as a somewhat dumb but loyal street-cred guy who just wants revenge for his friend and while some of the dialogue seemed to fit that kind of character, there were other moments where the game clearly railroads the player into a certain direction and only gives you very smart and convoluted answers to choose from.
I may sound a little negative here, but I appreciated that the game didn't overstay it's welcome and I feel pretty positive about it overall. Like I said, it feels like a solid foundation. If it gets uphill from here, I can see myself becoming a fan.