Shadowrun Returns

Role-Playing General

Jordan Weisman, the creator of Shadowrun, is back and Shadowrun Returns is the game that Shadowrun fans have been waiting for. A 2D turn-based single player game with deep story interaction, meaningful character development, and highly-contextual tactical combat. According to the Mayan Calendar (and lots of tabloids), the world will end on December 21, 2012. Its part a 5,200 year cycle of death and rebirth that, in Shadowrun, actually charts the ebb and flow of magic from the Earth. So, on 12/21/12 magic will return, end this world, and wreak holy havoc while starting the next. Aboriginal cultures, who maintained their mystical traditions, are the first to feel the return of magic and use their newfound power to reshape the political, financial, and physical world around them. As the magic increases, Elf and Dwarf babies are born to very surprised parents who carry the right combination of long-dormant genes. But all of these events pale in comparison to the horror of "goblinization", which painfully reshapes the teenage bodies of those unlucky enough to carry dominant Ork or Troll genes. And then the first Great Dragon rises from its 5,200 yearlong hibernation and circles over Tokyo, signaling that the world has truly AWAKENED. Fast forward two generations, to a world transformed not only by the growth of magic but by the acceleration of cyber technologya continual effort to improve upon the gifts that nature gave humanity; by the inevitable maturation of the World Wide Web into the Matrixa network directly accessible by the human brain; and by the near elimination of governments as they are replaced megacorporationsmonolithic entities who see only customers, not citizens. And moving through the dark shadows cast by the gleaming towers of the corps, are Shadowrunners disposable assets and corporate pawns scratching out a living using a combination of technology, magic, and street smarts. Shadowrunners live between the cracks and operate outside the law, doing the dirty work that corporate wage-slaves wont soil their hands with and occasionally acting as the only protection the citizenry can turn to. Welcome to the world of Shadowrun, where man meets magic and machine.

Earth & Beyond

Role-Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Massively Multiplayer Sci-Fi

Welcome to Earth & Beyond, the first online role-playing galaxy. It's your turn to pilot your own starship, adventure in a massive galaxy, and take part in a thriving community. Alien encounters, fierce combat, cutthroat commerce, new discoveries, perilous quests, strategic alliances, diplomatic backstabbing, and epic wars await you and the friends you meet online. Earth & Beyond allows you to build your character and career in three distinct ways: exploration, trade and combat. The game is designed around these three activities, and each race, profession, skill, starship and item affects how well you excel in these core activities. [Electronic Arts]

Asheron's Call Dark Majesty

Role-Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Massively Multiplayer Fantasy

The land of Dereth, a massively multiplayer world brimming with constantly evolving stories, real life comrades, and strange and fearsome monsters. It is to this world that the great Empyrean mage Asheron has "called" you. Explore the rich history of Dereth, revel in its wonders, and discover your destiny! [Microsoft]

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

Role-Playing Japanese-Style

FINAL FANTASY IV delivers one of the richest and most powerful stories in the series. It's filled with characters and scenarios that fans continue to love to this day. It focuses on the dark knight Cecil, who finds himself stripped of his position and rank when he questions his king's increasingly troubling orders. When he's sent on a simple delivery mission with his friend Kain, the shocking events that follow send him and a group of allies on an incredible journey of betrayal, love and redemption. This is the first game to feature the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which combines turn-based and real-time elements to create fast-paced and strategic combat.