System Shock® 2 (1999)

I know it's a classic and everything, and it does many things really well: the story is interesting, and it's fun to puzzle out what is going on; the atmosphere and ambiance is perfect, but I can't forgive it for being cheap - to use the modern vernacular. Full disclosure: I don't like being scared. In this game I would carefully scout out every room, make sure all was clear, and then creep out to investigate. That's when a mob would wack me in the back and give me a start. Where did it come from? Puzzled, I reloaded a section just to check. I came to a locker and backed into it, and lo and behold! A mob appeared out of thin air and smacked me in the head. That's when my immersion went from 100 to about 20 and I just couldn't get into it anymore. It's still a great game, but I as I said, I can't forgive it for being cheap. Most people obviously didn't mind! haha!

The most anxious gameplay I've ever experienced. System Shock 2 is an iconic FPS with RPG and horror elements that are tied in this package incredibly well. It also includes a great story that has been told with interactive storrytelling and environmental clues (which became pretty much a standard for the "Shock" games since then).

I had already played Bioshock and I was aware of its status as the "spiritual succesor" to System Shock. But never got the chance to play it and my thinking process was: "If its like Bioshock, why play it? I'll keep playing Bioshock" Oh, how wrong was I. When GOG gave the game for free some time ago, I took the chance to play it and see what was all the fuss. Since I didn't played the game when it launched, my view of the game wasn't coloured by nostalgia. After finishing it, it became one of my favorite games of all time. It made me notice just how hollow Bioshock really was in comparison. I was enthralled by the games setting. The Von Braum was eerie and claustrophobic. The sound design is superb and the RPG elements are surprisingly deep. Playing on Hard made specialization meaningful. You can't become an expert in every aspect of the game. You have to compromise. If you try to upgrade everything to become a "Master of All", you can get to a point where you can't progress any further since the game becomes too difficult. As I mentioned, the sound design is spectacular. It's probably my favorite aspect of the game. It's foreboding and creepy. It makes the game feel almost like a survival horror. Hearing the enemy before you can see them is an unnerving experience. You can witness this game philosophy in games like Alien: Isolation and, to a lesser degree, Dead Space where the emphasis on atmosphere through sound design is the foundation of their creepy settings. It's a wonderful game and a must buy for anyone who dares to call themselfs a gamer. One of the touchstones of the industry that sits on the apex of game design along side masterpieces like Deus Ex, Thief, Half-Life, Ultima, Silent Hill, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Doom. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. BUY IT!

My #1 rated game of ALL-TIME.

This game is a GEM, so so many poeple have never played it and are missing out. Its similar to a spaceship horror survival version of HalfLife with limited ammo and errie atmosphere designed to raise your heart rate. What makes this game unique is the class/rpg elements such as skills, magic, weapons skills etc. This game will run on almost any half way decent mac or pc which makes things even better. HOWEVER, it is dated, to fix this there are new texture pack mods that can be downloaded. This makes textures and objects go from 128x128 res to 4096x4096. The gog version of this game is officially "up to date" with the patch but does not include the textures. You can add them or play without, either way its an amazing experience and a must play! if you need help installing the textures shoot me a message, ill duck.