'SHADOWRUN' ENTERS WORLD OF MAGICAL THINKING.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio

Staff Writer

If anything, "Shadowrun" could be seen as an acquired taste. You might like it, you might hate it -- but you absolutely have to experience it.

This isn't the kind of first-person shooter that grabs you by the throat within the first 30 minutes of playing. In fact, during that time, you would have no trouble picking at what's missing: no single-player campaign and limited modes and features.

Instead, this title concentrates most of its energies on the gameplay, which can be brilliantly rich and diverse, provided you have an understanding of the world you're playing in and knowledge of all the tools you have at your disposal.

There's plenty of history here. The "Shadowrun" world fuses magic and technology together, with two warring factions (RNA Global and the Lineage) fighting for control. This world was first brought to life in a classic pen-and-paper role-playing game not unlike "Dungeons & Dragons." It was later a straight-up RPG for the Sega Genesis game console.

If you have any attachment to those previous games (or just like storytelling), you're probably not going to find what you want in this incarnation of "Shadowrun." You're sort of forced to assemble bits and pieces of the world's story on your own via the narrative load screens, and there doesn't seem to be a distinction between heroes and villains -- it simply breaks down to blasting anything that doesn't look like you. However, that's where the fun begins.

You have four races to choose from: humans, trolls, elves and dwarfs. Each of them has a bevy of unique powers and attributes that add plenty of diversity to the playing experience. For instance, a troll can withstand a lot of punishment but is slow-footed, as well as a huge target. An elf can heal himself just by standing still, is the fastest of all the races and has the most magical ability. But since he's built for speed, he really can't take a lot of damage.

Adding more facets to the experience are the fields of both "tech" and "magic," which you can use to gear up your character in a limited number of slots. You acquire money with each match, so you can "buy" attributes as you see fit. There are simply too many items on both sides to list them all in this space, but there is literally something for every kind of player. Actually, there's even enough here for people to change up their styles from match to match.

On the tech side, there's stuff like Smartlink, which adds a zoom feature to any weapon you're carrying. But the best part is that it can eliminate the chance of you lighting up a teammate -- point your gun at a friend with Smartlink, and the gun won't fire. This is especially helpful if you're using a troll and carrying a room-clearing weapon like a minigun. You've also got other items like enhanced vision (see enemies through walls) and "wired reflexes," which make you faster and quicker. On the weapons side, you can buy a katana, which adds some very cool third-person melee combat.

The magical aspects of the game help the experience stand out even more. You'll be able to do things like teleport through walls and floors and resurrect dead teammates (or be resurrected yourself). I find the resurrection aspect intriguing because it does away entirely with "respawning," where you die and simply reappear in another part of the map a few seconds later. If you die in "Shadowrun," you either stay dead or someone has to bring you back. That could add a little more cautious thinking to the minds of reckless players.

Other spells include the "tree of life," where you can conjure up a glowing tree that heals anyone who comes near it. You've also got defensive spells like "strangle," which creates a crystal field around an area that slows down people who run into it.

Despite the dearth of features, I still had a very hard time putting down "Shadowrun."

Redmond Carolipio, [phone]

[e-mail]

SHADOWRUN

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios/Fasa

Platforms: Xbox 360, PC

Rated: M for Mature

Our rating: Three stars

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no caption (Shadowrun)