What makes Shadowrun different is magic has returned to the world, dragons run for the President of the USA, and gangs of undead roam the seedy night streets. Weapons can range from monofilament whips and forearm snap-blades to manabolts and death touch spells. Characters form a team of shadowrunners, essentially a small felonious business. With the nuyens they earn from contracts, they can buy lifestyles, or even pool earnings to purchase a grander lifestyle for the team, a swank office on Fifth Avenue hoping to attract more lucrative contracts. Sir Darren Toogood is replaced by a wiseguy elf knocking on a warehouse door and asking to speak to the Don.
Nefarious capitalism comes to fantasy.
What Shadowrun does is break the rules. But Shadowrun does just that. It mixes magic with near future technology, and it works because its tongue is planted firmly in its cheek. It has fun with the genres, pokes fun at them, and ultimately comes up with something that is pure, unadulterated mind candy. Rules are grouped together in similar sections, magic rules have been totally revamped to resemble the rest of the game system, examples are concise and easy to follow, and best of all the Third Edition does not make other Shadowrun products obsolete.