System Shock® 2 (1999)

In my 20 years of gaming, I dont think a single game has given me the chills, the sweats, the intense sensation of fear that System Shock 2 has. The atmosphere, the complete lack of music with just a quiet hum of machinery until some otherwordly creature shrieks in the distance and you have to go change your underwear. Please. Do yourself a favor and purchase this game now, grab a good set of headphones, turn off the lights and be immersed in the atrocities that occur on the Von Braun. You won't be disappointed.

Without a doubt, this game will not disappoint. Have a clean pair of underpants to hand. That is all.

Best sound of any game of its time. Use good headphones. Play late at night. Turn the lights down and the sound up. Extra bonus; even after all this time SS2 is still one of the best of all games. Carries on where SS1 left off. GOG needs to get SS1 as well. Please?.

This is, without a doubt, the scariest game I ever played. Sure, there are some intense survival horrors to play, with a lot of action and monster jumping on you at every corner, but is it really scary, or just shocking at times? I actually know people who didn't finish this game because it was too frightening for them to play. "Look at you hacker - pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect immortal machine?" - this is how you feel throughout the game: panting and sweating, with no real hope of survival. Every enemy is a challenge, every room is a potential death trap, you are always on the run, overwhelmed and fighting to stay alive. Graphics is dated, by today standards, sure, but still shocking; atmosphere is second to none; game mechanics - just perfect, balanced and well thought through; and above all: voice acting - splendid, best I heard in any game, it makes you really immerse yourself in the world of System Shock. Of course I can't omit the main enemy: Shodan. It's the most menacing, vile and frightening presence you'll meet in computer games. Always present, even when you don't see/hear her, always plotting to harm you. I've seen she's compared to Glados from Portal, and it's just laughable. Shodan is a nightmare, and Glados is just a toy, literally. So, if you're undecided about System Shock 2, my recommendation: buy it, play it, and be amazed.

This game is easily one of my greatest childhood obsessions equal that of Fallout and Thief. One of the few games with proper inventory management, it's the game that Bioshock tried so hard to be like but failed. I wish I had more praise so I could give it to it!