Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown
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Critic Reviews for Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown
Smart co-op partners make Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown's tactical combat work, but anything less falls short.
A co-op version of XCOM in the Shadowrun universe sounds a great idea, but this lacks the depth to make the best of the concept.
Shadowrun Chronicles is a bad use of the Shadowrun license, and a bad tactical RPG.
Dedicated Shadowrun fans will likely be disappointed at the lack of depth, and your mileage may vary in terms of the appeal of the multiplayer function, which seemingly took over some of the other more endearing aspects of the series. If you haven't played a game in the series since the SNES however, Boston Lockdown is a decent starting point, and a perfect way to re-acclimate yourself to the genre with friends. If you prefer to fly solo, just go with Shadowrun Returns instead.
Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown takes the Shadowrun experience - where magic works alongside high technology - and brings it online for players to play cooperatively. But it's hard to make a living in this dark cyberpunk fantasy when there are so many problems with the world... and we're not just talking about the dragon that destroyed Fenway.
Shadow run is a campy romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. Its fun to play through, but only mimics (and doesn't quite stack up to) the exceedingly excellent XCOM. There is better weapon class variety, character customization, and a few other points where it might exceed its muse, but it measures up just a shade below on most other occasions.
It's a shame really, because this game and any other with Shadowrun in its name has so much content to draw from. Missions, equipment, rules, it could translate to the digital world quite well.
Lag notwithstanding, I would recommend Shadowrun Chronicles to anyone who enjoys the Shadowrun universe and enjoys turn-based strategy games. If you liked Shadowrun Returns, you'll probably also enjoy Chronicles, although you won't find the same depth of story just yet. The developers at Cliffhanger promise much more story that will be molded by the players as time goes on.
