System Shock

Very happy to finally be playing another System Shock after many years. Super faithful remake of the immersive sim that started it all. A great example of how well the original's design stands the test of time. I will happily add this game to my list of favorite immersive sims alongside SS2, Prey, Deus Ex, etc. Favorite things about the game: -SHODAN! -I had to break out my pen and paper to write notes about key-codes and where to go. Very refreshing! -Game rewards exploration. -Sound design takes a page from Thief and System Shock 2. This game is a treat to play with headphones. -The game oozes atmosphere. My biggest issues with the game: -Bad ending. (I hear a reworked ending is in the works for the console release) -Buggy physics (A vital keycard became lost under the floor, and the only thing that saved my game from becomming soft-locked was using the item-finding-augmentation that showed it on my mini-map). -Minimap needs an option for taking and leaving notes. -Combat music seems unresponsive and has strange timing.

Just... What can I say here? Its amazing. An incredibly faithful remake of a cult classic, like I've never seen done before. Nightdive was faithful to a fault here, and I do mean that. The game is very good, I had a great time with it. I played it on medium; The combat feels good, the puzzles are decently challenging at the start, but get easier over time as you understand them and how they work and the story is conveyed almost entirely through the comm messages; there is no tracker on your HUD to tell you go here, do this and so on. If, you get an objective, you better remember it otherwise, you're gonna be stuck running around blind, with no clue what you're doing. Granted, you could bumble your way through the whole game that way, but I doubt you'd have the best time doing so. System Shock Remake really wants you to pay attention and I respect that, since it respects me enough to ask that of me. Its not all perfect, unfortunately. I wish there could have been a few QOL improvements. Your character moves really weirdly; slow and clunky and it had the tendency to make some combat encounters frustrating; not impossible, but it felt irritating when I felt like the character should dodge but took a blast to the face instead. The hotbar is limited to holding 4 weapons, 3 explosives and 3 consumables, but I wish I could choose to put as many of each as I wanted, within the confines of my 10 buttons. SPOILER ALERT: One specific level is just so gosh darn boring. That level was criticized in the original game, and this was NOT an improvement, unfortunately. All in all, System shock is a wonderful game, but it comes just short of touching greatness. But if you really want to experience the original System Shock, without the barriers of the old UI, this remake is really the way to go. I can't recommend it enough.

It has it some special charm that sucks you in. And that's it!

Never seen a remake executed better than this one. From the first second i felt like home, back on citadel station. There are almost no bugs, the performance is good. I would say this one of the finest releases 2023 has seen thus far.

SystemShock Remake on GOG. It is a Blast. I am almost done with the first level. But have not been able to figure out how to get across a bridge with out getting killed yet. I love what they have done with it. It is not perfect. But it is close. It is still very similar to the original. But with modern controls. Which is a big one for me. I am playing the normal mode and it is no cake walk. I don't know how many times I have done something stupid and paid the price. But you can save at any time. Which is big for me. So you can always load your last safe and not lose much progress. So if you are looking for an old school FPS you can't go wrong with this one.