Because it's turning out to be a slow news day in the wild, wild world of video gaming, we're following up on a rumor - with another rumor.

You guys remember Syndicate? The cyberpunk game of yesteryear? An anonymous source popped up last week to say that a new Syndicate game was in the works. This week, another one chimed in to say that it is "definitely" in the works.

Steampunk. I'm sure you've heard of it: it's a wide genre encompassing various books, movies, and video games. Here's yet another example of a steampunk-oozing game - a shooter this time - Damnation. Today, we give you the low-down on all its features and treat you to some eyecandy. Grab your boots - they're made for walking, after all. And in this game, let's hope your boots withstand three hours' worth of walking, climbing, jumping, and waltzing from Point A to Point B in one single map. Talk about expansive.

     

Over at the official forum site of the video game Shadowrun (360 and PC), FASA Interactive announced that it's holding a competition in preparation for the title's launch later this month. Forum moderator fall started the ball rolling with the following message:

All entrants that are online playing Shadowrun between 3 and 7PM PDT on Tuesday, May 29th will have the chance to be invited to play with the devs on launch day. A winner for each image will be chosen Tuesday, May 29th @ 7PM PDT. This talented individual will win a Shadowrun T-shirt and will be the envy of all his peers.

The above mentioned images are actually the screenshots accompanying this post. If you want to join, all you have to do is think of clever captions that best describe the screenshots. If you're really that talented, you can edit the images to create new funny images.

Shadowrun is an FPS title set in Brazil during the time before the original Shadowrun universe takes form round 2031. It incorporates certain cyberpunk elements to the gameplay and players have the option to play either for the mega-corp RNA Global and the resistance group known as The Lineage.

If you've already thought up something witty or clever, refer to our Read link below to submit your entries. It should take you to the competition's official page.

Buy: [Shadowrun (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Shadowrun (Windows Vista)]

To celebrate the end of Shadowrun's (also on the PC) Beta phase, FASA Interactive is giving the cyberpunk FPS-RPG crowd some reason to whip out those guns this April 30. If you were one of the lucky gamers to have received that Xbox Live email invitation into the Beta run, listen up:

Join us on IRC chat channel #Shadowrun.FASA on the Gamesurge server from 2-6 P.M. PDT on Monday, April 30th. FASA will be giving away prizes, answering questions about the game, and chatting with everyone while playing Shadowrun.

If you've got the time (and are willing to put down that Xbox 360 controller for a few hours) might as well join the talk-fest online. Narrate your beta experience, air out your constructive criticisms, report bugs, barrage the devs with your questions - it's going to be fair play for everyone. And on top of that, you just might win a couple of prizes in the process to.

Now who said blabbermouths are just nothing but talk, ey?

Buy: [Shadowrun (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Shadowrun (Windows Vista)]

  

Can't wait for your dose of cyberpunk? Sci-fi and fantasy RPG lovers have a couple more months to wait for FASA Interactive's Shadowrun and hopefully, these new packshots can tide you over until June.

Despite reports of the studio closing down, it looks like the anticipated videogame is still very much on track. Shadowrun is a first person shooter set in Brazil in 2031. Magic and technology are both used in combat by the two warring factions -  the RNA Global and The Lineage. There are also a number of races to choose from: Human, Elf, Troll, and Dwarf. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses. And we're pretty sure you Shadowrun fans probably already know that.

Anyway, Shadowrun is still slated for a June release for the Xbox360 and PC. We'll keep you posted on the exact date as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, stay tuned.

 

Mitch Gitelman, studio manager for FASA, sure is busy these days, granting interviews to promote their upcoming cyberpunk RPG Shadowrun. Previously, we covered his interview with GameSpot, where he provided a little more insight into the game. After finding out about the characters, the weapons, as well as the general environment of the game, it's now time to know more about the features in store for us.

Proudly describing Shadowrun as "the best game FASA Studio has ever made", Gitelman explains how the Live system works, and how it is different from Xbox Live. He expounds, "...it is Live, but on Windows Vista. The rest of the Xbox LIVE features, like Marketplace are coming later." So for now, you can expect to be able to have voicechat, as well as create a Friends list while earning achievements.

However, if you're a fan of single player campaigns, you'd be disappointed as there won't be any here. That's because the developers realized, while on the process of creating the single player scenarios, that the multiplayer game already stood completely on its own. "It was that good," he raves. "That's when we came up with the idea of making Shadowrun the first cross-platform shooter so everyone could play it together. All we had to do was convince Shane Kim and Peter Moore we could do it and the Live Anywhere Vision was born."

As to why they will only ship about eight to ten maps in the game, when all other FPS games release a lot more than that, Gitelman says that's because the maps here are way more complex to design and execute. And we're bound to believe him. After all, you can teleport through walls, floors and ceilings here. And that's apart from gliding across the battlefield and spying on enemies through solid objects!

FASA has really high standards and we would rather ship a few maps that are great than a bunch of mediocre ones so we have a marketing bullet point that says "over 15 maps" or something. We have a bunch of maps that'll never see the light of day. And let's be honest, how many Counter-Strike maps actually get used? Less than a handful. Two I can think of. Remember that the maps in Shadowrun are the same eight to ten maps we've been playing for years and still love to play.

Shadowrun is better known for the pen and paper RPG with mixes advanced technology and magic. We will be seeing a port of the RPG on the Xbox360 and Windows Vista some spring of this year. Here's another sneak peek at the new first person shooter from FASA Studios.

To the uninitiated, the Shadowrun universe is populated with humans, elves, trolls, and dwarves (or atleast they're the playable races in game). Naturally, each race has different strengths and weaknesses. As any fan of the pen and paper Shadowrun would tell you, the game is only loosely based on the RPG since there are a lot of differences particularly on the racial traits, magic, and the lack of actual shadowrunners.

Anyway, lets hope that Shadowrun lives up to its name. While we wait for a concrete release date, here's another round of screens from the cyberpunk FPS.

Check out the rest of the screens after the jump!

For fans of the cyberpunk table-top RPG Shadowrun, things are about to get a next-gen turn as FASA Studios is gearing up for the Xbox 360 and PC adaptation of the beloved RPG. Though nothing quite compares to playing the pen-and-paper version of the game, FASA has just released this new batch of screenshots to show fans that the video game version of the title is also worth checking out.

As previously discussed by FASA's studio manager, Mitch Gitelman, Shadowrun will be a team-based FPS which blends elves, dwarves, trolls, magic, and ultra-modern weapon technology (fine, fine, it's Magitech...).

So, as we wait for FASA to finally peg down a date that's a bit more specific than "Spring 2007," hold on to that d6 dice set and enjoy these screenshots as we start thinking of the nice things to come.

More screenshots after the Jump!

The cyberpunk RPG that looks to be in the spirit of D.W. Bradley's cyberpunk classic CyberMage: Darklight Awakening, Shadowrun, is focused on a merge of supernatural spells and powers and technological enhancements such as cybernetically enhanced bodies and sci-fi weapons. The game is slated to come out this second quarter of 2007 for the Xbox 360 and the PC, but handles better on the 360.

In a Q&A with Mitch Gitelman, studio manager of FASA Studios (under the umbrella of Microsoft Game Studios), the staff of GameSpot reviewed the details of the game just to clarify things a bit.

In all aspects, Shadowrun is a team-based FPS that blends magic, modern weapons and advanced technology. The characters in the game are those you can find in most fantasy novels, such as elves and dwarves, but now exist in a much, much modern age.

Although you can shoot every enemy you encounter, the game gives you even better ways of outsmarting and outmaneuvering your enemies by your character's grasp of ancient essence magic. But there must be a balance of technology and magic, such that applying a lot of technology-based armor and skills appends penalties to a race's magical capabilities. Each race has their own pros and cons.

Humans have an affinity to technology, so they get lesser penalties when applying technology and wielding magic. The elves are magical by nature, so appending technological enhancements to them hinders their ability to cast and hold multiple spells simultaneously. The dwarves are short, so they can dodge much of the rounds being spent in a firefight. They are excellent short-range support fighters. The Troll, however, remains as the tank of the game. They are slow, but with the right modifications and a perfect melee weapon, they aren't just the first thing you have to worry about. They ARE the only thing you'd worry about.

There are spells that heal, that breathe life back again to your allies, that impede movement, that summon creatures, that pushes enemies back and that allows characters to be completely permeable. Gliders, enhanced ocular implants, smartlink targeting add-ons for weapons, wired reflexes, and anti-magic generators are available to the technologically-inclined players. Weapons range from swords to rifles, and heavy support guns like chainguns. They are pretty much weapons that most FPS players already know about, so they can quickly and easily employ them in the battlefield.

Combinations of skills and technology will come into play, and with practice and a little creativity, you can create your own moments of glory.

Remember when we first mentioned that FASA and Microsoft were teaming up to bring Shadowrun to the Xbox 360? Well, it's a year later and we have some more news for you.

The original Shadowrun RPG, a pen-and-paper RPG released by the FASA Corporation in 1989, fused magic and mythical races with a gritty cyberpunk setting - kinda like Lord of the Blade Runner -  so it's no surprise that the developers are trying to stick close to the idea of combining two gaming genres into a cohesive whole. The game itself will be a combination of the fast-paced action of a first-person shooter and the magical mayhem of a traditional RPG. Players can mow down enemies with automatic weapons fire and melee weapons while their support troops can hang back and cast devastating spells to help them crush the opposition.

Shadowrun will support up to 16 players on Xbox Live, but when you factor in summoned allies and other AI-controlled units, the number of characters battling it out on-screen can reach up to 40 characters at once. Mayhem's too tame a word for it. Players will really need enhanced vision and reflexes to recognize their character in the midst of that kind of battle royale.

Shadowrun is also going to be one of the first games that can be played cross-platform - Xbox 360 versus PC. This game could end up being the arena where Xbox 360 fans can finally have a face-to-face showdown with PC fanatics and decide once and for all who the real masters of the FPS genre are.

Being an online-only title, Shadowrun will have to rely on superb gameplay and a wide range of Xbox Live modes and features to become successful. It also has no Campaign Mode - the game is dedicated purely to face-to-face brawling and bashing over broadband. This may put off some gamers who prefer games that have a lot of secrets and take a while to finish, and the developers' approach to the game may not sit well with hardcore Shadowrun fans, but it sure sounds like one hell of a way to relieve stress. Jaded FPS players will also find the game's many nifty new tricks a refreshing change from the glut of FPS games saturating today's market.

If you're in the mood for a few screenshots, check out this past article.