System Shock

These days it seems like most games take up around 50-100 gigs of space on your ssd, but this one is less than a 4 gig download, 8 gigs installed. Hard to believe such a dense game could be so small. Reminds me of the good old days when game designers new how to work magic with code to make games run efficiently on resource strapped computers. It's like a different mindset that bleeds into the gameplay itself, tasking you with writing down codes you'll need to reference later. This game doesn't treat you like a toddler. It was a bit of an aquired taste that took some getting used to, but once I got used to the inventory and scrap system it really shined. I don't typically like dungeon crawlers or games where the only npcs you interact with are enemies, but this game really made it work. Enemy variety is good. Weapon variety is good. Nothing feels useless or unwarranted. It like an RPG from a time before RPG's treated experience points and minor stat increases as mandatory. It's just a really tight game. And that's coming from someone who never played the original, so no nostalgia bias here. Also, no strategy guide necessary, but you might want to look up where the 2 inventory expansions are so you don't jettison them out into space by accident. Also, comparing this game to the other remakes that have come out lately and completely blown it like dead space or warcraft 3, it's clear Nightdive Studios wanted to get it right and they really did. They didn't add any modern day-isms, new features that broke old mechanics, cut any corners, or make promises they had no intention of delivering on. They just made a perfect remaster to an excellent game.

Das Spiel ist wirklich der Hammer wer die originale Variante mochte wird auch das Remake mögen. Ich bin im Augenblick auf der dritten Etage von der Station und wurde bisher nicht enttäuscht. Die Level Struktur ist ähnlich wie schon bei dem Remake von Dead Space im Grunde genommen gleich aufgebaut wurde jedoch an der einen und anderen Stelle ergänzt bzw. leicht abgeändert. Was neu hinzugekommen ist ist das Grinden von Material (Tassen Bücher usw) um dieses für Geld zu recyceln, mit diesem Geld kann man dann Munition und Upgrades kaufen. Die Grafik und der Sound sind meiner Meinung nach auf der Höhe der Zeit und läuft auf meinem Notebook mit einem i7 und einer GTX 1070 absolut flüssig. Daumen Hoch :)

Fun to play and faithful to the original. The only issues I have are towards the odd frame dip and a few crashes.

I cleared two sectors at the time of this writing and i have to say this game is a success on almost every metric. First of all you can really immerse yourself into this game. It is not really an im-sim, more like a prototype of an im-sim. At the difficulty i play right now, you have to be very observant, and think like you are really there. If you just blindly run around, you will get confused really fast. So observe, listen closely to audio logs, plan out your routes, learn the layout and you will have a blast. The puzzles are also great. I especially love the ones, where you fix the "fuse panels". You plug and unplug wires and reroute traces with your own hands. I think this is really cool. It doesn't take you out of the experience, because it's not some abstract thing that happens on a separate UI. Weapons feel really powerful especially the sparq's 3rd firing mode and also have to be used purposefully, since enemies have specific strengths and weaknesses. Some animations are lacking weight tough (reload minipistol&shotgun). I also like the graphics, they are low-fi and high-res at the same time. From afar everything looks modern, but when you're up-close then everything shines in glorious retro chunkiness. I love that aspect. What i see as bit overkill, is the shinyness of certain objects/scenes. One good example would be the fuse-puzzles. On the first one i couldn't figure out what i was doing wrong, because the lighting made the heads of the cables so bright, that i couldn't see, that some cables are worth 2 "energy-points" and some cables are worth 1. So there are some moments where reflections become too bright, but aside from that it just looks beautiful, colorful and haunting at the same time. I'm currently playing this on Linux Mint, using bottles as a compatibility layer, and i get a solid 60 FPS on a GTX980ti, there is some weird audio crackling/pops here and there but aside from that it runs buttery smooth with almost everything maxed out.

Might seem a big praise but being a fan of System Shock I was worried that this game might simply be System Shock with a fan mod or a souless cash grab that changes System Shock for a more modern audience. To summarise this game, this is what you think when you think "I wonder what this would look like with a modern engine." done right. Everything is laid out the same, if you love System Shock you will LOVE this game as you go around citadel station admiring how they've made it look like a space station and not just a level that needs your imagination. The lore and voice overs are all redone and I swear that some of the villains have been changed slightly as I don't remember them being explored as much as they are here. Is it Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal levels? No, it's very low key and true to the world of System Shock. What I love about this game is that it doesn't make the original non void. In fact, I would argue you will get more out of this game by playing the original then this one so you can appreciate all of the changes. Are all of the changes better? No, they're just different but in a good way, that is respectful not fanfic. Shodan isn't going to lecture you on politics or enviromental issues, everything is as it was but just slightly expanded enough that it makes you think "Damn, what happened in System Shock 2 again?" This is why this game is so good. It's not only a fantastic survival, adventure, FPS game but it makes you want to not only play the original but the sequals too. It's by far the new standard of remakes moving forward, if I could give this game 10 stars I would. Now at this point in time is it perfect? No, it does crash from time to time, so make sure you save often and don't just rely on quick saves, manually save too. I cannot reduce a star because of that because the game is just too good and I'm a very jadded old gamer.