I was wondering when somebody would come around and say that.

Not necessarily, more like "look, we actually did it and it will be here soon."
From what I saw from streams & communication with people on Discord, they were diligently working on it this whole time.

Is this the new demo?

https://www.gog.com/game/system_shock_demo

I really couldn't tell, as the change log points to the demo having been updated last May. Maybe the change log is just not up to date...

And now it is unclear to me what engine the demo is using. Some in this thread say they changed from Unreal to Unity, someone else says they use the Unreal 4 engine... this is all so confusing.

I guess it doesn't matter if the game itself will be solid. I have no clear opinion on whether the game should just be "system shock with modern graphics" or a whole new re-imagining of the original game, I think I could live with both approaches.

Yes that is the demo and the current up to date version is 1.0. When you start the game it shows the Unreal logo so it's UE4.

It's the new demo, and they switched from Unity to Unreal :-)

And the game went from "remake with modern visuals" to "we have so many ideas, we do a re-imagine", then they got lost, and now it's something in-between. Mostly a remake, but with some added/changed content. Which is fine with me - however much I love the original, it had its problems in some places. If they cut out some of the more tedious parts (when I first played the original, I didn't know you needed to write down the numbers in the server rooms), that's fine with me.

Now that I remember, I didn't quite like the "cyber" parts,. While they were kinda cool, they were also quite confusing with those wire-frame corridors and odd symbols.

I wonder how those parts will be in the remake? I guess we will see... I'd probably be fine if they were removed or replaced altogether.

From the trailer I'd think "replaced", however if the demo is really the whole medical level, I'll come around to play the cyberspace part eventually. I just didn't have the time to really looks into it so far.

Why is it SO DARK!

I'd say this is true of all games. I've only ever pre-ordered 1 game, X-COM: Enemy Unknown, and I was happy with my purchase, but it seems so many games are buggy messes upon release. The industry needs to receive a message that we won't tolerate that anymore, so I don't think anyone should pre-order any game.
Because it's supposed to be.

Love the originals(1 and 2) a lot, and really want this, but: The price they're asking is INSANE.

I mean I could see maybe paying 30 tops.....but 45 bucks? Why?

Yeah, I know, they incurred development costs and all, but they had KS backers to help fund it and it's a digital version. Those things alone should cut the price on most digital games down a bit, but nope....devs gotta get greedy.

Was gonna get this day 1, but not at that price point, so I guess i'll wait for the inevitable sales. :\

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Either way the prices are too dang high.

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If post 15's price chart is accurate, it's around 15-20 percent higher than steam and epic. Still, yeah.....I hear ya.

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SS2 was also one of my favorites. It seems they're also "enhancing" it.

I wonder, among other things, if it'll be any better than the free mods people can dl for the original or not.

1. I am guessing, given the look/feel of the SS1 enhanced edition, I am going to guess that the SS2 remaster will possibly be about the same as what one can get via the freely available mods online.

2. That price will likely be the same even after pre-order period....it's not like they'll permanently drop the price afterward for those not getting the SS2 remaster....so it is essentially the price for the new SS1 game.

Backers' money was long gone even before they switched engines, which happenen in 2017, just to put that in context.

On the price: the cheapest kickstarter tier that included a digital edition of the game was at 30USD, the next one at 50, higher than many indie games on there with comparable rewards, and, I'll leave it here, the campaign scored "only" 1.2M USD.
That can look like a lot of money but really it isn't that much if you take into account how famous are the game and its sequel, then you have to factor in all the costs and rewards and stuff.

People simply didn't trust them or didn't find the rewards worthy enough to invest their money on.
Additionally some missteps and mismanagements all along the campaign increased the distrust in NDS and Mr. Kick.

On another note did anyone really buy the release date?

I knew about that....still, that's mainly on them and their decisions.....I don't think they should make later buyers (in a way) pay for their poor choices.

So they expect others to pay a near 50% markup over those who backed the (basic tier) game? I get that GOG/Steam/Epic get a cut, and there's some other misc costs to sell on these stores, but a 50% increase in price seems a bit much.

Fwiw, film makers and game makers have previously made stuff on a fraction on the budget(even stuff comparable to today's AAA in some cases).

Also they more or less already had a template of content from the original game to draw from....it's not like they needed to come up with it all themselves.

I'll say there were some missteps....including, imo, the most recent one with this preorder period with an increased price point.

I am always "wait and see" with release dates. That said, they likely could've cut that time a bit and saved some of that KS money if they hadn't made a number of blunders along the way.

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In the end, I LOVE the series(and that's an understatement). I have played both original games many times over, and played many of the fan made sp campaigns and mods for the second game as well. I also buy the games when on sale to hand out to others.

But even so, I cannot justify this price point. As such, I will just wait for a sale for a fair price.

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Many devs seem to think dark always = scary and atmospheric.

Sometimes it is, but more often they seem to overdo it....leading to frustration as I try to get through what seems like yet another Ray Charles simulator.

(Doom 3 and others at least gave one a flashlight, and one that LASTED awhile....even if one had to switch to it to use it)

I'm sure it will include more than just what you can add with community mods.
Of course it will be the same price. That's why I think the price is fine right now if you want both games. Once they are released they both will have its own price and you would have to pay more to get them both.

With enough time and effort, many of the things they'll add would likely be possible for the community to make.
(if they haven't been made already...see how the enhanced SS1 edition compares to SS portable, for example)

Btw remember the past when the players made free content and didn't charge for it? I miss those days.

The point I was trying to make is this: the price will still be the same for the new SS1 game even without the SS2 remaster freebie.

i.e. that's effectively the actual price for the new SS1 game....getting a free bonus game for preordering doesn't change that.....and to me and seemingly a number of others that's a bit too steep.

edit: At least with the new versions of blood and bloodrayne and etc, owners of the old game(s) got a discount.....this time we don't even get that, and have to pay more than the KS backers to boot.