System Shock

Game remakes are interesting things. A really good remake needs to recreate the way we remember a Good Old Game, not necessarily how it actually was. I think we've all experienced going back to play an old game with rose-tinted glasses, only to discover how frustrating and confusing things could be back in the good old days. The System Shock remake feels TOO authentic. Although I never played SS1 (my era was more Deus Ex/SS2) it's a good remake, no doubt. It looks fantastic, retro and cutting edge at the same time. It's exciting to play, darting to avoid laser fire, hoping a grenade hits its mark, the satisfaction of filling out another part of the map or finally unlocking that mystery door. The plot, obviously fresh and exciting in 1994, is rather beyond cliché now, but it's well-told and individual sections (like the emails and audio logs) are fun. That said ... I know purists will disagree, but I wish the developers had been a little more accommodating for the modern gamer. In theory all the information you need can be pieced together in-game, but in practice I found it nigh-on impossible to navigate and progress without a walkthrough open. Modern hand-holding like waypoints would absolutely ruin the game. But would a minimal quest log be too much? Would it be so bad if it logged important passcodes and information? (For example, at one point you unlock a vital code, but it isn't given to you directly: you have to find the place the code now appears, and write it down yourself. None of this was obvious to me.) There's quite a bit of backtracking, which would be fine except that enemies respawn while your ammunition doesn't. So you can get into a frustrating loop where you can't heal yourself because there are new enemies between you and the healing point; you can't destroy the enemies because you have no ammo; you can't go searching for ammo because you have no health. However ... once you re-tune your mind back 30 years, it really is a thrill to play.

I backed this project in 2016 as a fan of the BioShock series. I'm too young to have played the original, but what I wanted was some scroungy survival in confined spaces with a unique aesthetic... and that's exactly what System Shock (2023) delivers. It may feel "outdated" to some, like the UI and puzzle elements, but that's exactly what makes this game great. They're elements that don't get implimented anymore. They're hardly "out-of-date" or more "out of style" as they're perfectly functional and enjoyable, particularly the wiring puzzles (I'm one of the 2 people who loved the heck out of the hacking mini-game in BioShock 1) and cyberspace's arcade-style shooter. I'm only about 2 1/2 hours in so far and I'm hanging on every moment. So far, the narrative isn't especially original as I've seen it before likely for all the influence the original had on other games like Half-Life and, of course, BioShock. But the atmosphere, sound design, and music all make up for any short comings. Voice acting is much improved too compared to what little I played of the original. Also, no, there's nothing wrong with your game. The textures are stylistically pixelated and, yes, it looks great!

Played the original a couple years ago and found it to be unique and engaging despite its flaws. I then played System Shock 2 and found it to be just okay. The original is an immersive sim, and the second is a shooter with inventory management and survival horror elements. This remake had a difficult development with multiple complete restarts, and the developers settled on being mostly faithful to the original. Some changes are good, some are bad, but the biggest problem is they try to turn it into the second System Shock. The original had you acquire an armory as you explored, and Shodan started escalating her efforts as she realized how much of a threat you were. Ironically, the original (immersive sim) felt better paced than this one (proto-shooter) because now you have an extremely limited inventory and so have to constantly stop to manage it. Weapons take up a large amount of space, and you can only carry a couple at a time. I felt like I was constantly moving backwards to look for supplies, or running back to another floor to refill my health. All the junk that was just for decoration now has a monetary value, so now I need to pick that up and take it to a recycling machine for coins. Coins are either used for two (yes, two) ammo magazines per floor or for weapon mods that actually make your weapons take up more inventory space. The graphics, despite being more realistic, make the lighting all kind of blend together. The original had bright areas and dark areas to set the mood, but this one feels like it has two or three brightness values. Everything blends together so much that items are hard to see - even the bright blue audio logs with a flashing yellow light on them don't stand out. I liked some things. Creature designs look good - I wanted to get up close and see the details. Some of the environments now have details that the original only implied. Diego has more character development. Overall, I prefer the original.

New System Shock excels in many aspects, breathing new life into the cult classic. The graphical overhaul is a sight to behold, immersing players in a beautifully dark and atmospheric world. The attention to detail is remarkable, enhancing the sci-fi elements and transforming the game into a visual feast. The revamped sound design further elevates the experience, with an eerie ambient soundtrack that keeps players on edge. It dramatically improves over original upbeat audio mess. The variety of weapons and combat-enhancing stimulants offer a versatile approach to combat, allowing players to experiment and adapt their strategies to the ever-present dangers. The narrative has also been given a fresh coat of paint, offering a compelling and thought-provoking storyline. The chilling presence of a rogue AI SHODAN remains as captivating as ever, constantly taunting players and questioning their actions. The controls can feel a bit clunky, unresponsive and frustrating at times, especially when engaging in intense combat situations. Certain sections lack proper signposting, resulting in moments of confusion and backtracking. Navigating this monstrous maze quickly becomes very daunting, as you can technically go everywhere right from the start. This can hinder the overall pacing and immersion, especially for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the original game. I got lost so many times that I eventually started making my own notes. Another area of improvement lies in the cyberspace "hacking" minigames. They are improved dramatically over the original, but I found them confusing and frustrating, and I dreaded each time I had to go through them. Despite its flaws, the System Shock Remake stands tall as a worthy homage to the original masterpiece. I hope to see System Shock 2 reimagined in the same way.

I will start by saying I feel the original was better, but for those that were put off by the archaic design and visuals of the original, should consider giving it a try. It strikes a good balance of being faithful to the original while modernizing it and adding new stuff. Much like the original Resident evil remake. The new visuals are pretty good, and the station actually looks livable now. There story was expanded some by a longer and more deailed into, plus a bunch of new audio logs. The cyberspace sections are much better and play more like a descent clone (the original was like that as well but far more janky). Difficulty is diveded into 4 sections with 3 levels each, giving the player a lot of options in how hard or easy they want certain aspcets. Something I wish more games would do. Now for the bad. They added a new currency system based on taking all the random and non essentail objects in the world and taking them to a recycler to gain credits used to buy more health/ammo or more importantly, weapon mods. The problem is the fact that the limited inventory and there being only 1 recycle station per floor (often in really out of the way places) means a lot of ferrying items and slowing an already slow paced game to a crawl at times. The sound track also is inferior. Not that its bad per say, but outside of combat, a lot of time you are sitting in silence, or barely audible ambiences. Im also not to fond of the final boss. While it still takes place in cyberspace, it's now on foot instead of flying. Its also much longer and if you die you have to start the entire thing over. Its different for sure, but not better. Lastly while the expanded story is nice, it also comes with some odd retcons, as well as SHODANS god complex (while always hammy) is taken to the point of being marvel-esc comical and hard to take seriously. All that said its good remake but a flawed one. I personally prefer the orginal (especially the remaster) but the remake is worth picking up