If you are reading this article, chances are you already know that Microsoft is trying to boost its newest O.S. sales by publishing some Vista exclusive games. You'd also know that there is no technical reason (beyond the marketing ploy) for a DirectX 9 game such as Halo 2 or Shadowrun not to run on Windows XP. And you might be waiting for Falling Leaf to fulfill their promise and allow Vista games to run on XP.
Currently there are only 2 Vista exclusive games, Halo 2 and Shadowrun. Both have been released about three weeks ago. While Halo 2 fans will have to wait for Falling Leaf Systems to release their promised Vista-to-XP-games solution, Shadowrun fans can now enjoy it on Windows XP, Thanks to "oldschool cracker" Razor 1911.
According to Razor 1911, converting Shadowrun to work on Windows XP is just a matter of copying some files (currently available on several p2p networks) to the game installation folder.
Shadowrun is a Multiplayer Only First Person Shooter with a pre-round purchase system similar to the one featured in Counter Strike. In Shadowrun players can buy weapons as well as special abilities and power ups at the beginning of each round. Most reviews have ranked Shadowrun around 70%, meaning it is good for just a few hours of fun.
On the other hand, some reports have surfaced claiming that Falling Leaf promises are just a sham to collect money from Amazon's Partnership Program that gives them 10% in referral payments for every Halo 2 or Shadowrun preordered from Falling Leaf's website. The partnership program also exempts Falling Leaf from all liability.
Falling Leaf Claims that their new system will be released in late July, but from all the users who tried Falling Leaf's "preview version", nobody Managed to have it run any DirectX 10 sample on Windows XP. Not Even Professional geeks such as Adrian Kingsley from ZDNet.
There is no hard evidence against Cody Brocious, the 19 year old head of Falling Leaf Systems, but suspicions are too strong, and he has done nothing to revoke them. We'll keep you updated as soon as something concrete turns out.
