Maybe it's the time (and how they change). I'm a bit too young to have read it back then, but I did read Shadowrun stuff in the late 90s, and also Neuromancer.

Maybe it's the time (and how they change). I'm a bit too young to have read it back then, but I did read Shadowrun stuff in the late 90s, and also Neuromancer. Maybe it's me - but I don't really see a lot of differences between all those, in a way that I could label it a parody. But did technology advance that quick in less than 10 years that what you described changed? From a certain standpoint they're all "equally ridiculous", not so different. (Not a judgement of quality, I love them all.)