Graphics: Shadowrun doesn’t set the bar for graphics, sure it has its own style, and the character models are impressive. Unfortunately, they all look the same and levitate up ladders instead of climbing them. The particle effects are on the money, and the blood is some of the best I’ve seen; it really lets you know when you score a hit. The locales are pretty spiffy, too, with each one being detailed and full of fun ledges from which to snipe. (Grab a glider and go exploring!)

Interface: The interface is to the point and easy to read, even in standard definition. Also, the menus can be navigated effortlessly, and the onscreen icons specify, with efficiency, where to go.

Gameplay: You’re going to feel gypped here, with no single player game other than the bots and tutorials, just nine maps and three game modes, and no character customization, Shadowrun is almost not worth its $60 price tag. If you account for the tight-as-a-corset controls and the wealth of magic, technology and weapons, though, you can justify the purchase. Violent, bloody and, if the team conditions are right, damn fun, Shadowrun has its heart in the right place (even if the body is in traction).

Multiplayer I was afraid the flagship title for Windows Live cross-platform play would have difficulty connecting to my Xbox. Thankfully. I was wrong, and never once grew a moustache while waiting to connect. There were times when latency became a problem, but not so much as to ruin my experience. A simple reconnect, and I was good to go. Regrettably, the lack of customization puts a major gust spell to Shadowrun’s multiplayer smoke, sticking to the three game modes with no options to set kill count, round time or anything else online FPS’ers have become accustomed to. That, and the absence of leaderboards, will have some gamers downright uproarious.

Sound FX: The sound in Shadowrun is typical fare for an FPS; guns go bang and explosions go boom, but there’s nothing outstandingly awesome. The pistol is pretty satisfying to fire, however, so all is not lost. I also liked the delivery of the tutorial narrator; he was kind of sadistic, and gave me that Paul Verhoeven-stylized “Robocop” / “Starship Troopers” feeling.

Intelligence: The bot A.I. in Shadowrun is just what you’d expect — surprisingly cheap on the hard and medium settings, and dumber than a sack of Kevin Federline on easy. Your best bet is to go online and hope for some über teammates that know what’s going on. Besides, if you’re going to play a game in which cheating is the order of the day, it might as well be against someone with cognizance.

Difficulty: There’s something to be said for the human mind. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, someone online has probably already done it, and more than likely to greater effect. That said, you can’t place a difficulty meter on a game like Shadowrun. TrueSkill does it’s best to keep it even, but as I said before, the right team can make all the difference, oftentimes shifting the course of the entire battle in a split second. When I hit on a good combination of players I almost (almost) forgot how much I missed the Halo 3 beta, and that’s saying something.

Overall: Shadowrun had every opportunity to be awesome; it could have been the Halo-hold-me-over, but a slim package, stiff character animation and lack of leaderboards dilute the taste of a good formula. What is there, however, can be a great experience if the right conditions present themselves.