Shadowrun: Hong Kong - New Matrix Preview

Two weeks before Shadowrun: Hong Kong's release the game's Kickstarter page has been updated with preview images of the revamped Matrix as well as two music pieces.

Here are two of the images:

So that's how the new Matrix looks and sounds, but how does it play? Well, we've revised a lot of Matrix systems and added some really fun new stuff such as Watcher IC and Blocker IC which really ramp up the tension of diving into cyberspace and provide a much greater variety of gameplay than before. (..)

We hope to tell you more about Matrix gameplay in the coming weeks, or you can see it for yourself on August 20th!

More information.

I must admit that I've been decidedly slow to join this particular party. But having just finished Shadowrun Returns recently and enjoying it immensely, seeing these images and the work Harebrained Schemes is putting into the franchise effectively reinvigorating the genre, is really fantastic.

The atmosphere created by the urban decay, art and music (low-society vs high technology) is really outstandingly compelling to play and explore. I really like this aesthetic throughout literature and film as well.

Whilst the combat system was relatively simple, it was still good fun to experiment with. There were also some memorable characters (I quite like Coyote and Harlequin) and whilst the plot was rather linear, it was still quite well written I thought.

Naturally I'm going to play Dragonfall next as I've observed many Watchers appear to perceive it as even better than the first. Looking forward to it!

I remember staying at a mates house after school in 1993 (and subsequently getting in trouble for being home late!) so that I could watch and play Shadowrun on Super Nintendo. The pen and paper system was also reasonably popular at my home town's local role-playing hobbyist group at the time.

Anyway, kudos to the crew at Harebrained Schemes. Their passion for the style and setting of Shadowrun is very evident and so they've definitely created another fan here.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
I must admit that I've been decidedly slow to join this particular party. But having just finished Shadowrun Returns recently and enjoying it immensely, seeing these images and the work Harebrained Schemes is putting into the franchise effectively reinvigorating the genre, is really fantastic.

The atmosphere created by the urban decay, art and music (low-society vs high technology) is really outstandingly compelling to play and explore. I really like this aesthetic throughout literature and film as well.

Whilst the combat system was relatively simple, it was still good fun to experiment with. There were also some memorable characters (I quite like Coyote and Harlequin) and whilst the plot was rather linear, it was still quite well written I thought.

Naturally I'm going to play Dragonfall next as I've observed many Watchers appear to perceive it as even better than the first. Looking forward to it!

I remember staying at a mates house after school in 1993 (and subsequently getting in trouble for being home late!) so that I could watch and play Shadowrun on Super Nintendo. The pen and paper system was also reasonably popular at my home town's local role-playing hobbyist group at the time.

Anyway, kudos to the crew at Harebrained Schemes. Their passion for the style and setting of Shadowrun is very evident and so they've definitely created another fan here.

Yeah, Dragonfall was much better.
I got a bit tired of the combat at the end but it was certainly a good game.

I would probably buy this one too on one of the first sales (30-40% off)

Originally Posted by Pladio
Yeah, Dragonfall was much better.

I'm heartened by the prospect of that being the case but will see for myself when indeed I do get to playing it. Mind if I ask for your reasons? (without spoilers if possible?)

I'd like to see even more grungy dystopian environments with a quasi-neon 80's/Neuromancer vibe. Maybe I'll build a proper Decker this time; though I'm mighty tempted to bring back my shotgun toting dwarven street samurai.

If more choices and consequences were implemented as well as a range of missions, I could foresee these games scratching the Fallout 1-2 itch for fans of that style of game.

Originally Posted by Pladio
Yeah, Dragonfall was much better.
I got a bit tired of the combat at the end but it was certainly a good game.

I would probably buy this one too on one of the first sales (30-40% off)

Incidentally the deluxe version pre-order on Steam is 33% off at 18,75€ instead of 27.99€. Not sure what a non-deluxe version will cost though.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
I'm heartened by the prospect of that being the case but will see for myself when indeed I do get to playing it. Mind if I ask for your reasons? (without spoilers if possible?)

I'd like to see even more grungy dystopian environments with a quasi-neon 80's/Neuromancer vibe. Maybe I'll build a proper Decker this time; though I'm mighty tempted to bring back my shotgun toting dwarven street samurai.

If more choices and consequences were implemented as well as a range of missions, I could foresee these games scratching the Fallout 1-2 itch for fans of that style of game.

Dragonfall is about same in atmosphere but the range of mission is much greater. Also you often get a choice in what order to do them. And they have some nice C&C within them.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
I'm heartened by the prospect of that being the case but will see for myself when indeed I do get to playing it. Mind if I ask for your reasons? (without spoilers if possible?)

I'd like to see even more grungy dystopian environments with a quasi-neon 80's/Neuromancer vibe. Maybe I'll build a proper Decker this time; though I'm mighty tempted to bring back my shotgun toting dwarven street samurai.

If more choices and consequences were implemented as well as a range of missions, I could foresee these games scratching the Fallout 1-2 itch for fans of that style of game.

Originally Posted by Archangel
Dragonfall is about same in atmosphere but the range of mission is much greater. Also you often get a choice in what order to do them. And they have some nice C&C within them.

I also felt the quests were better than the murder mystery quests.

There still are some places where your choices have no impact, but the game makes you feel like there would be, which is a bit annoying.

EDIT: Arg, it removed my first part. I don't rememebr exactly what I had written.

But basically, Archangel described it well. I think the quests were better written and the characters felt like they had more soul than in SRR.

Originally Posted by Pladio
Yeah, Dragonfall was much better.
I got a bit tired of the combat at the end but it was certainly a good game.

I would probably buy this one too on one of the first sales (30-40% off)

Both GOG and Steam have it for 33% off currently. I backed it on Kickstarter. I normally don't advocate pre-ordering anything but the first two games convinced me to back this one so I can start playing day one.

Hmm.. the new matrix doesn't look as different from the old one as I thought it would. If that's their idea of "revamped", I'm not impressed.

I finished SR and DF, but I didn't find either of them to be very memorable. They were both too linear and had too little interactivity within the game world. Not bad, but not much above average.

I enjoyed the combat though, and I really like the setting. I hope Hong Kong gives us a greater variety of quests and more control over NPC development.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Hmm.. the new matrix doesn't look as different from the old one as I thought it would. If that's their idea of "revamped", I'm not impressed.

I finished SR and DF, but I didn't find either of them to be very memorable. They were both too linear and had too little interactivity within the game world. Not bad, but not much above average.

I enjoyed the combat though, and I really like the setting. I hope Hong Kong gives us a greater variety of quests and more control over NPC development.

Yeah I'm a little disappointed by what I've seen of the Matrix revamp so far - it doesn't seem as different from the other games attempts as I'd hoped. But apparently they have added stealth to the Matrix sections which I am looking forward to; and I'm sure it will be an overall improvement.

While I agree Dragonfall was significantly better, these games just aren't very interesting to me. I got sidetracked easily - and I really have no desire to go back.

I would call them unambitious and servicable games - and the development time involved is obviously way too short for great improvements.

The Matrix system felt like a boring grind every time I was in there - and while I love elaborate "mini-games" like that, I actually think it would have worked better as an abstracted process.

That said, my main issue with the game is the barren environment when it comes to interaction. It literally feels like you're walking on a pretty webpage with "hotspot" interaction from the 90s.

The combat system is simplistic and every battle feels identical. Character progression is dull and linear. Inventory and item managment feel almost superfluous given the straightforward mechanics.

I have no idea if they've improved those aspects of the game significantly, but knowing their history - I doubt it.

To be fair, though, the writing is very good - and the games feel right in terms of the cyberpunk atmosphere.

But I would have preferred straight-up adventure games instead of this half-assed attempt at a satisfying RPG.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
While I agree Dragonfall was significantly better, these games just aren't very interesting to me. I got sidetracked easily - and I really have no desire to go back.

I would call them unambitious and servicable games - and the development time involved is obviously way too short for great improvements.

The Matrix system felt like a boring grind every time I was in there - and while I love elaborate "mini-games" like that, I actually think it would have worked better as an abstracted process.

That said, my main issue with the game is the barren environment when it comes to interaction. It literally feels like you're walking on a pretty webpage with "hotspot" interaction from the 90s.

The combat system is simplistic and every battle feels identical. Character progression is dull and linear. Inventory and item managment feel almost superfluous given the straightforward mechanics.

I have no idea if they've improved those aspects of the game significantly, but knowing their history - I doubt it.

To be fair, though, the writing is very good - and the games feel right in terms of the cyberpunk atmosphere.

But I would have preferred straight-up adventure games instead of this half-assed attempt at a satisfying RPG.

While I agree that the Shadowrun games have been barebones games as rpgs I find, that for me, they have enough potential to stick with them. I'll try to explain why…

I'm guessing your more a meaty mechanics oriented rpg player. I prefer that too but the reason I stick with these guys is that they show solid improvement in what they develop with each title.

After criticism about Shadowrun Returns story they improved the narrative with Dragonfall, particularly the linearity of the missions in SRR and the depth of companion interaction. They refined the animations and increased the amount of interaction you could do i.e keypad access codes, party inventory management, more involved Matrix stuff than the first game etc.

I guess my expectations for Shadowrun are different and I don't evaluate it like I would other traditional rpgs. For instance usually combat would be a make or break for me but in these games passable is okay because the story is so good.

I agree with your criticism on the lack of environmental interaction, that other rpgs have as standard features, but feel this reflects more the budget they worked with rather than there ability as developers. With increased success, a better engine and more of a reputation among there audience I feel they will only get better at what they do.

Originally Posted by Silver
While I agree that the Shadowrun games have been barebones games as rpgs I find, that for me, they have enough potential to stick with them. I'll try to explain why…

I'm guessing your more a meaty mechanics oriented rpg player. I prefer that too but the reason I stick with these guys is that they show solid improvement in what they develop with each title.

After criticism about Shadowrun Returns story they improved the narrative with Dragonfall, particularly the linearity of the missions in SRR and the depth of companion interaction. They refined the animations and increased the amount of interaction you could do i.e keypad access codes, party inventory management, more involved Matrix stuff than the first game etc.

I agree with your criticism on the lack of environmental interaction, that other rpgs have as standard features, but feel this reflects more the budget they worked with rather than there ability as developers. With increased success, a better engine and more of a reputation among there audience I feel they will only get better at what they do.

I agree that they improved certain aspects, and in particular the companion interaction and ultra-linear nature of the first game. I can't say I noticed a lot of improvements when it comes to animations or inventory - but I'll take your word for it.

I do love deep and complex mechanics when they serve the game, but I'm willing to play games without them. It's really more about what kind of game I want to play when I sit down, and when I sit down to play an RPG, that's the kind of thing I prefer.

For an adventure game, I'll do fine without them

These Shadowrun games feel like adventure games more than anything, and as such - I find that the combat and incredibly sparse interaction get in the way of my fun. You know? It feels like less than the sum of its parts to me.

But what I'm really about is exploration and that's one area where these games profoundly suck.

So, I'm not likely to be too enthused about them. But I'll probably get back to Dragonfall on a rainy day all the same. I managed to complete the first game, after all

I imagined something a lot more different from the old Matrix. Even a menu driven environment would have been better IMO. The avatar in cyberspace thing is just sort of silly, even though I don't know if this is true to the P&P rules.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
I agree that they improved certain aspects, and in particular the companion interaction and ultra-linear nature of the first game. I can't say I noticed a lot of improvements when it comes to animations or inventory - but I'll take your word for it.

I do love deep and complex mechanics when they serve the game, but I'm willing to play games without them. It's really more about what kind of game I want to play when I sit down, and when I sit down to play an RPG, that's the kind of thing I prefer.

For an adventure game, I'll do fine without them

These Shadowrun games feel like adventure games more than anything, and as such - I find that the combat and incredibly sparse interaction get in the way of my fun. You know? It feels like less than the sum of its parts to me.

But what I'm really about is exploration and that's one area where these games profoundly suck.

So, I'm not likely to be too enthused about them. But I'll probably get back to Dragonfall on a rainy day all the same. I managed to complete the first game, after all

I still hope for a bg2 like Shadowrun game with lots to explore. But Harebrained will need a decent sized war chest to pull it off. Fingers crossed.

PS I sometimes think Planescape would of been better as an adventure game. But then I remember adventure game tropes and I realise the design of the game would of been crimped as a result - which is a shame.

I find Dragonfall to have more meaningful exploration that any Bethesda game. And combat mechanics and character building options are more impactful and nuanced than any new Bioware game.

In addition to that, the writing is better than most games and characters you meet, both enemy and companions to be more interesting as well.

Inventory is average and not being able to swap items between companions during missions and some similar problems lower the total score a bit but that is going to be fixed in HK.

Lack of stealth and pickpocketing/stealing is sad but not many games have both implemented anyways (khm PoE khm; khm WL2 khm) and when they do it is not done well.

When compared to Fallout 1 and 2 it is a subpar game, but so are 99% of others.
Still better than anything that came out since Kotor 2 and Bloodlines.

Originally Posted by Silver
I still hope for a bg2 like Shadowrun game with lots to explore. But Harebrained will need a decent sized war chest to pull it off. Fingers crossed.

I'm hoping the one from CDPR will serve as a proper cyberpunk game.

PS I sometimes think Planescape would of been better as an adventure game. But then I remember adventure game tropes and I realise the design of the game would of been crimped as a result - which is a shame.

Yeah, I might have enjoyed it more as an adventure game. There's no law that says you have to follow all the tropes

Originally Posted by Archangel
I find Dragonfall to have more meaningful exploration that any Bethesda game.

Eh?

He probably thinks visiting a web site has more meaningful exploration as well. It's the lure of the hyperlinks!

misunderstanding: explorationfags usually prefer sandbox style exploration.