Bottom line: If you haven't played Dragonfall, play Dragonfall first. If you really liked Dragonfall, you'll probably be able to look past this game's flaws. Shadow Run:Hong Kong basically does everything right that previous Shadowrun games did. It has great writing in a unique setting (punctuated by interesting choices), solid turn-based combat, and a bunch of gameplay options that let you approach levels in a variety of ways. The new setting is skillfully woven into the story and helps set the narrative apart from previous Shadowrun games. However, SR:HK tries improve on the formula with systems that tragically seem half-baked. For example, Matrix combat has been reworked to use some stealth game mechanics and different sorts of hacking minigames. It's interesting, but feels incompletely implemented. The alarm decrease ability from the previous game is present, but can only be used in the rare "combat" sections, completely surrendering your character's turn. The new design never really captures the same sort of tense interrelated matrix and meatspace combat of the predecessors, which is a shame. Another poorly realized idea was the promise of tying earlier choices/alliances into later quests. It sounds awesome in theory, but I always found the payoffs underwhelming (and narratively forced). This game also feels less polished than Dragonfall, with shopkeepers repeating long-winded introductions (as if you never talked to them before), a few rushed story points, and some buggy (but not game breaking) hijinks with abilities. These little blemishes add up, and while I still found SR:HK enjoyable, it definitely falls short of its predecessor.
