Is there a place that goes more into detail on what they changed in Hong Kong?
Didn't find a rundown so here's the highlights:
-The Matrix was changed up to let you circumvent security as opposed to how you HAD to fight through every piece of IC in Dragonfall. The tougher enemies usually only spawn after you get caught by a patrol. This is very important in some fights because Matrix turns and real world turns are now 1:1, and getting bogged down in fights can mean getting overwhelmed in many cases. So if you pay attention and do a good job of moving, you can avoid security and get in and out quickly while skipping over most security (which is how you're supposed to do it in Shadowrun, not blast through every security program you meet).
-Cyberware was overhauled. There have been additional places to attach parts as well as more options for slots. For example: you can install a datajack in your palm or eye for covert access to computers (when you need to access it in a way that is sneaky!) while body and skin mods are now different slots, so you can have both reinforced skeletons and dermal plating to turn you into an unkillable monsterman. There's also a bunch of new mods, particularly arms, that are relevant to one particular playstyle. For instance, there's an arm that gives +1 ranged combat and makes reloading cost 0 AP. Cyberware can also be a stand-alone character build now, since it comes with its own weapons (Wolverine claws, shock hands and monofilament whips). Additionally raising your cyberware skill is no longer just a point sink to be able to use cyberparts, it also increases your essence so you can chrome up MORE.
-There are different kinds of drones for Deckers now instead of one linear progression of combat drone. At each tier there's a shotgun, SMG and rifle drone for combat as well as two different types of support drones, one more med-focused and one more combat-focused.
-Cash flow is lower than it was in Dragonfall, so you need to be more focused in your build. Even though you only bankroll yourself, you probably can only afford to upgrade your armor and any two other things (so two guns, or guns and cyberware, or guns and spells, or cyberware and decker shit). You probably wanna upgrade your armor, dudes have grenades.
-Every couple missions or so, party members will all gain a new skill. There are six tiers of skills with two options each, representing two approaches the character might take. For instance, Duncan the Lone Star officer's trees are called "Lethal force" and "Crowd control" and focus on either improving his ability to waste fools with his assault rifle or giving him tools to deploy which, mostly, reduce enemy AP and accuracy. Since you can't control the growth of other party members, this gives you the chance to shore up ways your party isn't quite meshing with your playstyle.
Well, if Returns doesn't have very meaningful character interaction or worldbuilding I may just skip it and go for Dragonfall or Hong Kong.
Not a ton of character interaction but there's some pretty decent worldbuilding. The BTL chips you are dealing with early on are something that keeps coming up in other games in particular. The main plot climax is something that happened in Shadowrun history so it's not like this is the only place they've ever covered that, though.
