Post by wyldephang on Dec 4, 2012 4:49:47 GMT -5
Love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to respect tabletop pen-and-paper RPGs for sparking a worldwide gaming revolution. Without the presence of Dungeons & Dragons to pave the way for adventure games, it's unlikely that titles like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest would have been as successful as they were. For whatever reason, the D&D brand hasn't been able to make a successful crossover into the realm of console gaming. But despite D&D's shortcomings in the console market, there have been successful console adaptations of other tabletop franchises. Take a look at Shadowrun for the Super Nintendo, one of my latest acquisitions. The controls are sensible for the game controller, the storyline is engaging, the music is phenomenal, and the graphics are top-notch. Absolutely nothing is lacking in this console crossover of a tabletop classic.
In case you're not familiar with the Shadowrun universe, it'd be best described as a mixture of fantasy and cyberpunk archetypes in interplay with themes of corporate conspiracy. The storyline of the game occurs in the future and highlights a society that has slumped into dog-eat-dog anarchy, where the strong survive and the weak become the putrid aroma that emanates from tomorrow's dumpster. I know it's a lot to take in at once, but within the first few minutes of the game, Shadowrun manages to set a bleak tone: during the opening scene, the main character is gunned down by a group of hitmen, ending the game immediately! Or not. The protagonist, Jake, wakes up in a morgue, suffering from a headache and a bad case of amnesia, but looking rather good for a dead man. He starts out with a modest allocation of skills and hit points, but with time, he'll develop into a killing, hacking machine. He'll acquire new weapons and cybernetic upgrades as the narrative progresses, and if he requires additional firepower, he can hire the services of an enforcer to fight beside him. Players will come across dwarves, trolls, elves, and orcs, and penetrate the dark conspiracies of this lawless world. It's an astounding achievement for a Super Nintendo game, and stands out brilliantly from the titles that were victimized by Nintendo's censorship policies.
It's one of my favorite tabletop adaptations on the Super Nintendo, and it receives a lot of praise for its innovation. The reviewers at SydLexia.com ranked it the 39th best Super Nintendo game of all time. Currently, there is a Shadowrun project in progress called Shadowrun Returns, tentatively scheduled for a 2013 PC/Mac release, that borrows gameplay and design elements from the Super Nintendo game.
Taking all gaming generations into consideration, what are your favorite tabletop-to-console RPG crossovers?
In case you're not familiar with the Shadowrun universe, it'd be best described as a mixture of fantasy and cyberpunk archetypes in interplay with themes of corporate conspiracy. The storyline of the game occurs in the future and highlights a society that has slumped into dog-eat-dog anarchy, where the strong survive and the weak become the putrid aroma that emanates from tomorrow's dumpster. I know it's a lot to take in at once, but within the first few minutes of the game, Shadowrun manages to set a bleak tone: during the opening scene, the main character is gunned down by a group of hitmen, ending the game immediately! Or not. The protagonist, Jake, wakes up in a morgue, suffering from a headache and a bad case of amnesia, but looking rather good for a dead man. He starts out with a modest allocation of skills and hit points, but with time, he'll develop into a killing, hacking machine. He'll acquire new weapons and cybernetic upgrades as the narrative progresses, and if he requires additional firepower, he can hire the services of an enforcer to fight beside him. Players will come across dwarves, trolls, elves, and orcs, and penetrate the dark conspiracies of this lawless world. It's an astounding achievement for a Super Nintendo game, and stands out brilliantly from the titles that were victimized by Nintendo's censorship policies.
It's one of my favorite tabletop adaptations on the Super Nintendo, and it receives a lot of praise for its innovation. The reviewers at SydLexia.com ranked it the 39th best Super Nintendo game of all time. Currently, there is a Shadowrun project in progress called Shadowrun Returns, tentatively scheduled for a 2013 PC/Mac release, that borrows gameplay and design elements from the Super Nintendo game.
Taking all gaming generations into consideration, what are your favorite tabletop-to-console RPG crossovers?
After all, that's what I thought about Gunstar Heroes, which would turn out to being one of THE more beloved games for the system!