Reprinted from another distributor website (URL available upon request by messaging my Paizo account--didn't want to upset the golems)
I'll skip the stats that Endzeitgeist typically gives on the assumption that Thilo G. will handle that and instead give my thoughts on each chapter of the book
Chapter 1: Hyper Gaming:
First page we get a general sales pitch of the setting and some notes involving the expectations of the players/gm when they play/run a story with this book. Some warnings about power levels, general theme and risks that may differ from a typical Pathfinder play experience.
From there you get this timeline of earth with the assumption that any point in time before the first entry lines up with what we have in the real world. It is colorful, a fun read and draws me in with the basic information on a global scale to make this world feel real without becoming a history textbook. You get mutants, super powers, spells, mega-corps, virtual reality, time travel.
Finally in this chapter we get a couple brief boxes involving exchange rates of Dollars and Gp and a small list of lingo for this world.
Right from the get go I am getting this vibe in flavor of the general feel of Champions (from HERO System) or Mutants and Masterminds meets Shadowrun.
Chapter 2: A Hyper World:
First Page goes back to manging expectations on the universe and how it differs from your typical Pathfinder experience involving things we might take for granted (Travel) as well as how to reflavor prexisting classes to fit.
The Hypernet: For those who play Shadowrun this is their The Matrix. The time difference is less out of wack between time flow on the net and on the prime and each of the servers use Planar Traits already existing in Pathfinder and a few new ones to handle the unique traits on each server, going as far as to create a unique server for Mike Meyler's other product using the Veranthea Codex.
Murder-Ball: A sport that has the flavor of GW's Bloodbowl if cranked up to 11. A full list of simple rules are given with a chart to represent regional/league differences around the world.
We're given a tour key points around the globe ranging from the sample City of Cleaveland 2099 to the Hypercorperate Megametropolis of Lucrum. Most of this is only useful if you use this as your gaming universe but there are bits and pieces in these sections to part out into your own world quite easily.
Chapter 3: Organizations
This comes in mostly two parts: Organizations and Hypercorporations
For those familiar with Shadowrun Hypercorps are the AAA Megacorps of this universe. Globally reaching and are above the concepts of the laws of sovereign nations. Organizations are very much like Pathfinder's factions, just on a larger scale ranging from Anonymous (yes, that one) to the Church of Cthulhu to The Triad. In concept reading these seems very silly, but taking the setting as a whole it fits the very Over The Top feeling that's being built up here.
Chapter 4: Operating Cast
A sort of NPC Codex built into this book for all the mentioned NPCs throughout the book, with CRs ranging from CR 7 to CR 33 (with one at CR 20/ Mythic Rank 10). A nice touch giving you a series of tools from the get go, a few very humorous like the a certain CR 15 member of Zodiac Defenders to the serious business Hyper Vampire listed.
Chapter 5: Hyper Bestiary
Front loaded with a collection of templates to augment monsters from other Bestiaries/NPCs to fit in this setting both in sense of power and theme. Afterwards it's a mixture of humanoid generic NPCs and quite a few Constructs/Robots.
As a huge fan of the Netjacker (a class appearing later in this book) free PDF when I first saw it the one minor gripe I have here might be when they give sample Proxy and Drone monstersmaybe a step by step on how to reassemble these or even at various breakpoints. Maybe a feature to be added in a future product?
Chapter 6: Gamemastering:
Ah, hard crunch for all the fluff we receive in chapters 1-3.
Rules for Bullet Armor Class, rules I think I will be adopting in normal Pathfinder games to help balance a personal issue I had with them in the base Pathfinder game
New/Adjusted Skills: Perception is removed, replaced by Awareness (Wis) and Search (Int) while Climb and Swim are squished into Athletics (Str) with Knoweldge Technology, Use Technology and Vehicular Control rounding up the cast of skills.
Luck and Reputation: 2 new ability scores added to our base 6 (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma) that are derived from a different formula than through typical ability score generation methods. They kind of round out the more out there requests people can make in a t ypical table and give resources in the form of "Chance" and "Sway" points for Luck and Reputation respectively that can be spent, regenerating back each day/week.
Within this GM section it mentions rules for powered teamwork allowing your party to develop neat tricks very much like in DC Comics with Superboy and Robin doing the 'Fastball Special', reminds the reader that the the intent is for a high paced action oriented game.
Afterwards we get some sample traps and rules how to make hyper traps, suggestions for eras of play ranging from the late 1800's to Current day 2099+
Chapter 7: Hyper Classes:
An Archetype for the Monk, Ninja, Cavalier (complete with new Order), and Netjacker each with their own unique feeling that fits quite well.
Two New Classes in the shape of the Netjacker and the Veloces.
The Netjacker: The master hacker/robot controller, coming in with his own full suite of drones and proxy.
3/4 BaB, Good Ref, Good Will. D6 HD. 2 + Int Mod skill points and a solid Skill List.
As you progress your Drones/Proxy improve as well does your prowess in operating on the Hypernet/Dealing with other robots. For a Shadowrun Player this will feel like playing a Decker/Rigger without potentially spending an entire night doing your thing while the party waits.
Veloces: 3/4 BaB, Good Fort, Good Ref, d8 HD, 4+Int Mod, another solid skill list.
The quintessential speedster. If you ever wanted to play as The Flash/Quicksilver, this alone can give you the tools that you need. However to keep up in a world where wizards can rewrite campaigns at a whim at higher levels you get the ability to apply your speed to operating magic items from potions to wondrous items to staves/wands, firing off multiple per round.
Chapter 8: Hyper Equipment
Here we get a new material (arcanosteel), advanced craftsmanship rules that work like (and stack with) enchanting magic weapons/armor rules.
We get another version of Armor giving Damage Reduction compared to what Pathfinder has as an option, allowing you to pay a little extra to reduce the item's armor bonus to instead give DR.
Cybernetics: Should feel familiar if you've looked through Pathfinder's Technology guide however there appear to be no Implement costs associated with these items in the form of Implementation Points, only a limitation of body slots and some requiring an Install DC.
Gear: A nice wide array of technological toys, complete with craft DCs and feats/labs needed ranging from VR rigs to Translators, to Rebreathers, to magical potions that restore spell slots (Whoo mana potions!)
Weapons: Firearms are now simple weapons and we have a new table of firearms. Quite a few of these are slick with the Razor Shotgun holding a special place in my heart. Misfire is still a thing even in the 22nd centur unless you pick up one of the three new exotic firearms.
For those not interested in guns you only snag two new toys, the Molecular Whip and Sword-chucks. Now while I only say 'only' these two weapons are really neat and have some very fun rules.
Vehicles: So these feel a little better than Pathfinder vehicles (and thus feel dramtically better than say, 3.5's Stormwrack) and it makes me feel really excited to have quasi Mad-Max type stories to be able to play now
Chapter 9: Hypercore
Mythic Adventures has Mythic Rules. Hypercorps 2099 has Hyper Rules, those familiar will see a vaguely familiar trend but it is different enough that they distinctly different.
This is where the players get their raw power boost to keep up with some of the expectations of what is an appropriate challenge rating for this universe.
I can take or leave this part of the section depending on any given type of game I'd run with this book, using the system for a high powered M&M feeling game while not using them to give a grittier Shadowrun-esque feel.
I will say however, this system feels better in balance/application than Mythic Rules, probably as you are given guidelines for what is an appropriate CR to throw at people based on their level/hyper score.
All in all if you're looking for Shadowrun or Champions style game but you/your playgroup do not want to learn those systems, Hypercorps 2099 is worth looking at
