| Compare and Contrast

Shadowrun vs. Wasteland

I'm a few hours into Shadowrun and it has lost it's luster pretty quick.  It sort of feels like an interactive novel, where nothing you do means anything and each scene ends the same no matter what you do.  Right now, it's a murder mystery where, say, I need to get x clues from a scene.  I will either get those clues now, or I will get them later, but I won't leave the scene until I do.  I can either sweet talk someone into giving them to me (if my skill is high enough to click the option that says CHARISMA:4, else I will still see it but it will be grayed out), or I will have to pay for the clue, or something like that.

Unless the game is amazing (btw, my characters name is Amazeballs) and the story is being manipulated behind the scenes based on my choices, it really feels one dimensional, the combat is kinda lame, and I'm overall losing my interest.  I AM right on the cusp of hiring my own Shadowrunners, so maybe the game will open up some once I can hire a crew, but that's a big if...

jr0n, having played both, and given that i got Shadowrun for $4 and Wasteland costs $40, how do they compare and is Wasteland enough like Shadowrun that I'll be super-fuckin-pissed if I buy it?