Fans of large metal things stepping on smaller things will be disappointed to hear that FASA Studios have shut their doors. Reportedly half of the team are being moved into the rest of Microsoft Studios. The other half move to the pub, nursing pints and considering what they plan to do next. We wish them luck with whatever it is. FASA, even in their modern post-MS buyout form of Studios, rather than their older Interactive, made some pretty neat games.
While best known for the Mechwarrior games, their swansong was the future-trivia-answer Shadowrun (the question being: Which was the first game which allowed the PC to play against XBox 360 owners?” Tricky people will phrase the question “console owners” instead, where the answer will shift to Quake 3 on the Dreamcast and you’ll lose). I reviewed it for Eurogamer on release and gave it 6/10. It’s also one of my favourite multiplayer games of the year so far. There’s no contradiction there. As appealing as it often was, the mark reflects the ridiculous price attached to the game. If you see it cheap, and fancy raising a digital glass to the folk of FASA, you won’t regret it.
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I wonder why Microsoft are doing this. If there’s one area where they’re far behind their console competitors, it’s with regards to in-house game studios. One would think it was a good idea for them to expand their development capacity, not reduce it.
I got hours of fun out of the demo certainly, and that was just one map! Couldn’t be arsed to buy it though.
Hrm, I suddenly feel guilty.
I guess Drake’s never going to fulfil his threat to see me in Shadowrun 2, then. Nyah nyah you great scaly get how d’you like THEM cyber-apples?