The Shadowrun Trilogy is comprised of three titles – Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut and Shadowrun: Hong Kong along with their respective updates and DLC. All three titles are based on the classic tabletop RPG and offer tactical combat with cyberpunk settings. However, they mix in magic and high fantasy for a unique setting. Of course, each offers their own distinct stories and characters as well.

Shadowrun Trilogy is currently available to pre-order on consoles for 25 percent off. It’s also available on PC with a 20 percent discount currently live on Steam. Check out our official reviews for Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong for more details on each title.

As spotted by Gematsu over on Twitter, the Taiwanese board of ratings has rated the following games in the Shadowrun franchise – Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition. The games have been rated for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

The release will most likely take on the form of the Shadowrun collection – as is the case on PC. While this rumor will most likely bear fruit given the legitimacy of the source, it’s still best to take the information with a pinch of salt until something official comes our way. Until then, stay tuned for more updates.

Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition have been rated for consoles in Taiwan.

Read more on each game here:

Returns: https://t.co/BkKZgfQtAW
Dragonfall: https://t.co/ERj30O8xA9
Hong Kong: https://t.co/xtEypvFMuT pic.twitter.com/uzlmssejla

— Gematsu (@gematsu) March 31, 2022

Ever since its launch at the end of 2018, the Epic Games Store has made it part of its brand to give away free games. The amount of games it has given away in that time span is nothing short of astonishing. This week you can get four different games free of charge.

The biggest name is 2016’s Hitman. This reboot saw Agent 47 doing what he does best and finding the best (and maybe sometimes not so good) ways to kill his target. The third game in the franchise will launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store on PC, so this will be your chance to get caught up. You can also redeem Shadowrun Collection, which is a bundle of three different games: Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut, Shadowrun Returns, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition.

Hitman and Shadowrun Collection will be free to redeem on Epic Games Store until September 3rd. The next game listed is Into the Breach, though there will most likely be at least one more title announced.

Lack of “Looter” Gameplay

Ubisoft has been digging deeper into the action RPG looter gameplay loop for many of its titles. We thought it was confined to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey but Far Cry New Dawn proved otherwise. Now, collecting social media followers by completing whatever objectives and story missions we choose? That’s fine. Trying to min-max different load-outs, having enemies scale with us in level while being somewhat spongy, and different rarities for gear? Leave that to The Division 2, please.

Enjoyed Harebrained Schemes’ Shadowrun: Hong Kong and wanted more of the same cyberpunk, tactical RPG action? You’re in luck as the game recently received an expansion titled “Shadows of Hong Kong” completely for free.

The expansion adds more than six hours of gameplay and takes place a few weeks after the main campaign. The exact story isn’t known but your team of Shadow Runners will finally be able to take revenge on the corporate forces that have been after you. The goal is to succeed as the Prime Runner but there’s a whole lot in the way before that happens.

With the new expansion also comes an update to Shadowrun: Hong Kong. It now carries the tagline of “Extended Edition” and comes with a “variety of game improvements” along with audio commentary from the developer. Head over to Steam for the free update but GOG and Humble Bundle users may need to download the entire release again.

What are your thoughts on the free expansion? Let us know in the comments below.

As the player character, you return to Hong Kong several years after your imprisonment following a run-in with the mega corporations. Though you’ve begun a less action-packed life in Seattle, a call from your foster father Raymond Black brings you back. Raymond is apparently in a heap of trouble and also contacts your foster brother Duncan Wu who works as a law enforcement agent with Lone Star.

"Plenty of effort has gone into Shadowrun: Hong Kong’s dialogue and world building, and it’s just great overall, from the neon-bathed back alleys to moody lighting of inner quarters and shops."

When you first land up in Hong Kong, you’re engaged in street fights right off the bat. A run-in with lowly street thugs and smugglers eventually turns into a war with the police as you struggle to escape. With Gobbet, an orc shaman who can summon deadly spirits, and Is0bel, a dwarven decker who can hack into the Matrix for a myriad of solutions, you and Duncan eventually fall in with Kindly Cheng, a triad boss. Thus begins your journey as a Shadowrunner, a mercenary/thief/whatever-you-feel-like that lives in the city’s shadows while chasing leads regarding Raymond’s disappearance and his search for “Prosperity”.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong’s dialogue choices and characters had me from the start. The character creation itself is pretty strong, especially when it comes to the variety of classes available. Opting for the Street Samurai offered high critical damage with swords and a fairly stoic stance to greet victims with. The overall characterization of NPCs is very well done – Duncan’s tough attitude belies his past grudges for you and your sudden disappearance when you were still teens while Kindly Cheng’s sweet but manipulative demeanour immediately makes her stand-out.

This extends to even the minor characters you meet on the streets, from the researcher interested in Qi balance in the slums to an insubordinate lieutenant who needs to be kept in line and a lowly man who’s been mugged. Plenty of effort has gone into Shadowrun: Hong Kong’s dialogue and world building, and it’s just great overall, from the neon-bathed back alleys to the moody lighting of inner quarters and shops. Even those who may be wary when in it comes to classic-style, isometric, turn-based tactical RPGs will want to know what happens next or what stories await around the next corner. If I had a complaint, it would be that the beginning is somewhat slow, narrative-wise. Once you get rolling with Kindly Cheng and fully embrace the life of a Shadowrunner, it’s all up-hill from there.

"Though there’s a brief tutorial when it comes to combat in the beginning, you’ll immediately have to escape from a death alley of sorts while taking cover against various, tough enemies."

That being said, Shadowrun: Hong Kong isn’t quite the friendliest of games to get into. The combat system will be very familiar to fans of previous games like Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall, so much so that some may complain of very few changes. As it stands, the combat relies on action points and taking turns with each of your party members. Taking cover is the best option for ranged attackers while melee units should be focused on flanking and dismantling foes up-close. Options for staggering, poisoning and bleeding foes exist, and each party member has their own unique set of skills to aid you in battle.

A variety of other options exist, including hacking the Matrix to disable security drones or summoning a spirit to come to your air (be careful though – they may not be loyal for very long). Though there’s a brief tutorial when it comes to combat in the beginning, you’ll immediately have to escape from a death alley of sorts while taking cover against various, tough enemies. It’s not exactly the smoothest introduction to a video game but if you can power through it, you’ll be prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.

This same approach also bogs down the introduction to the Matrix. The Matrix is essentially a system which deckers can hack into and it helps for shutting down security doors among other things. However, it’s a mix of stealth and detection-based combat. The end puzzles also rely on properly discerning the right pattern from a list. Once again, there isn’t much of a tutorial when you’re thrown in for the first time but as you begin to pick up its various quirks, the Matrix becomes a cool diversion from all the combat. Overall, you might feel a bit annoyed by your overall character progress since Karma Points are required to level up but for the most part, it gets better as you undertake more missions.

"Shadowrun: Hong Kong’s story may not rank it as the best in the series but it’s still an excellent, lengthy adventure set in a vibrantly harrowing world that’s fun to explore with strong combat mechanics and a wide degree of freedom."

Combat is important in Shadowrun: Hong Kong but you can just as easily spend your time talking through situations. Your responses will often dictate how certain characters behave with you and you’re never really stuck with a single approach when it comes to missions. Whether it’s breaking the front door down or sneaking through a secret entrance via the Matrix, Shadowrun: Hong Kong is built for all kinds of players. To make things even more open-ended for combat, you’ll have a variety of other Shadowrunners to choose from prior to each mission, in case one or the other party member isn’t doing it for you.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong’s story may not rank it as the best in the series but it’s still an excellent, lengthy adventure set in a vibrantly harrowing world that’s fun to explore with strong combat mechanics and a wide degree of freedom. Sure, you may have to read a lot to get through the game’s plot points and conversations, and there aren’t a ton of cut scenes to dazzle the eyes. The graphics also aren’t the stuff of AAA blockbusters, though the overall aesthetic and environment design brilliantly captures the atmosphere of a futuristic Hong Kong wallowing in despair. But if you’re a fan of games like XCOM: Enemy Unknown or even of the previous games in the series, Shadowrun: Hong Kong should be your next stop on the road to RPG nirvana…even if the beginning has a few bumps along the way.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Harebrained Schemes’ newest title Shadowrun: Hong Kong is available now for PC and Mac on GOG, Steam and the Humble Store. Priced at $20, you can also pick up a deluxe edition for $0.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is the latest of Harebrained’s games to be crowd-funded on Kickstarter and even though it only required partial funding, fans of previous Shadowrun games helped the campaign surpass its goal in just a few hours. The eventual crowd-funding total of $1,204,726 helped add a number of new features to the previously planned game.

Taking place in the year 2056 with megacorporations and conspiracies galore, Shadowrun: Hong Kong mixes the same amount of stealth and turn based tactical role playing to create a compelling experience.

If you enjoyed Shadowrun Returns or Shadowrun: Dragonfall, then Shadowrun: Hong Kong will be worth checking out. Check out the launch trailer below for more information and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Rare Replay

Released today, the Rare Replay is perhaps the most definitive compilation any single developer has ever released. Containing 30 games, a variety of retro challenges and playlists, and documentaries pertaining to the history of Rare, the Rare Replay offers countless hours of enjoyment.

Whether you want to revisit the shooting excellence that is Perfect Dark, explore the world of the Banjo Kazooie series or even tackle Battletoads, Rare Replay has something for everyone. The retro titles may be a tad too over-challenging for some but this compilation retails for $30 and features Blast Corps. That should be an automatic buy for you but luckily, there are 28 other games to justify your purchase (sorry Perfect Dark Zero).

Rare Replay is currently available for Xbox One.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

When you talk about games we hardly know anything about, The Chinese Room’s Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture stands out. The PS4 exclusive has been developed in collaboration with SCE Santa Monica and using latest CRYENGINE technology. More than anything though, the Amnesia: A Machine of Pigs developer is bringing its signature brand of eerie, atmospheric story-telling to the console.

From what we know, players will experience the story through six key characters during the apocalypse in Shropshire. The game’s title leads us to believe that the Rapture has finally arrived and there are those left behind who must tackle with the consequences. Numerous questions arise but the overall interactivity and influences from British sci-fi fictions make us more and more intrigued with the game each day.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is out on August 11th.

Volume

Mike Bithell’s eagerly awaited stealth puzzler will finally be releasing this month for PC, PS4 and PS Vita. As a combination of LEGO meets Metal Gear Solid, Volume will task players with sneaking through various missions and environments to complete heists. The level editor is especially interesting since it allows players to create their own simulations and share them, thus creating a strong community of user creations over the next several years.

Featuring a unique art style and the brains behind Thomas Was Alone, Volume struck us initially with its concept and atmosphere. It faced several delays over the years but now appears ready to release on August 18th 2015.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Futuristic RPG noir returns but this time, it heads to Hong Kong with Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Harebrained Schemes has been killing it with Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall, delivering two compelling role playing experiences through Kickstarter funding. Shadowrun: Hong Kong will continue the turn based combat and gameplay style that the series is known for while throwing you into a conspiracy involving mega corporations in 2056. There’s still quite a lot we don’t know about the game but it will improve on the engine introduced in the previous games.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong releases on August 20th for PC, Mac OS X and Linux.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

Normally, I don’t like to include remasters or HD ports since, well, it’s a game you pretty much played several years ago when it first released. Some remasters have defied those expectations like DmC: Definitive Edition but Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is something else entirely. It’s essentially a remake of the original game, improving on the core mechanics will completely overhauling the graphics for Xbox One. Presented in 1080p resolution and 60 FPS, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has plenty to offer for first time players.

That’s not all though. If you pre-order Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before New Year’s, you’ll receive all four original Xbox 360 games in the series completely free (lacking DLC but hey, can’t have it all). Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is out on August 23rd for Xbox One.

Until Dawn

Honestly, I didn’t have much hope for Until Dawn. Its initial support for PS Move and subsequent fall into development Hell more than a few times made me doubt whether the adventure horror would ever release. Nonetheless, it’s here and it actually looks pretty interesting if you’re looking for an atmospheric and scary game where your decisions decide the ultimate fate of the characters.

B-movie horror fans will find a lot to like here as the story of a group of friends contending with a serial killer on a snowy mountain unfolds. If the cheesy teenage drama doesn’t appeal to you then try experimenting with ways to get these meddlesome kids killed instead.

Until Dawn releases on August 25th in North America and August 28th in Europe for the PlayStation 4.

Harebrained Schemes has a release date for its next big game Shadowrun: Hong Kong. It will be out on August 20th for PC, Linux and Mac OS X.

The game can actually be pre-ordered now through GOG or Steam. This will net you a 33 percent discount on the Standard or Deluxe Edition depending on which one you order. Shadowrun: Hong Kong has actually shown a very good turnover in its development progress – a Kickstarter for the game was launched in February for $100,000 and the campaign ended up with more than $1.2 million in funding. Then again, the project only required minimal funding at that point to succeed.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong will take place in Hong Kong in the year 2056 as your character is caught up in a conspiracy between various corporations. Harebrained Schemes has had an excellent track record with their games thus far with both Shadowrun: Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall performing well financially and critically.

Harebrained Schemes’ Shadowrun: Hong Kong has finally received its first teaser trailer, giving us our first look at the crowd-funded RPG. Check it out above.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is Harebrained’s second major Kickstarter after Shadowrun Returns and saw phenomenal success back in February. The new title will also be a turn-based RPG and looks even more intriguing. It’s currently available for pre-order on Steam and will launch officially in the Summer. Head over to Steam to pre-order it for $20 today.

Unlike many post-apocalyptic and fantasy-based RPGs, Shadowrun focuses more on futuristic espionage and intrigue. The newer games are developed by Jordan Weisman and his studio Harebrained Schemes, the former being the creator behind the original pen and paper RPG franchise. What are your thoughts on Shadowrun: Hong Kong and how it looks? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information on the game as we approach its release.